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Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.
We are committed to creating a great place to work for our colleagues that reflects the society we serve. Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills to perform these roles.
The team work to ensure that the right NHS services are in place to deliver health protection policies underpinned by expert public health advice. This means that we are often working with the UK Health Security Agency understanding what we need to keep people safe and with NHS England on how the NHS can best deliver this within its available resources.
We work on a wide range of projects and policies, often flexing our teams according to changing need and new priorities.
The COVID-19 Vaccines Briefing Hub’s remit covers responding to Parliamentary briefing requests and Ministerial correspondence ranging from the deployment of COVID-19 and Flu vaccines to routine immunisations and other key health protection policies.
Job description
The successful candidate will be responsible for drafting responses to a wide range of briefing requests, managing a busy mailbox, flagging urgent commissions in a timely manner and ensuring we deal with all items appropriately.
The candidate will work with a number of teams within Government and key delivery partners to prepare products to meet tight deadlines. You will develop networks, learning from and sharing knowledge and information. You will contribute to building an inclusive team and supporting colleagues to meet deadlines when required.
Person specification
Role responsibilities
- Working with colleagues from both within the directorate and external partners to meet commissions on time. You will need to clearly explain what is required and identify common problems or blocks to our ability to meet commission requirements and report to colleagues with possible solutions.
- Supporting the wider team by ensuring key lines are recorded in the core brief and kept current.
- Flexibility will be crucial and the post-holder will need to be comfortable working in a fast-moving environment. The ability to prioritise effectively and work with others to ensure that you support colleagues to meet deadlines is critical.
- Creating and maintaining records to track commissions using a team tracker. Filing key documents to build a knowledge bank to draw on for future work and audit needs.
- Being a team player, collaborating across team to contribute to improvement of processes and adding to wider departmental initiatives beyond the Briefing Hub.
- Identify your own learning needs and commit to learning and continual self-development, to respond to the changing nature of the work of the team and to build team resilience.
Key skills and experience required for the role
- Excellent Microsoft Office skills to provide quality documentation.
- A strong communicator with confidence to contribute in meetings, adapting communication style to ensure accessibility and engagement with a diverse range stakeholders.
- Adaptable and proactive with the ability to provide ad hoc support to teams at short notice.
- Able to identify your own learning needs and those of your team. Commitment to learning and continual self-development and take time to mentor and develop others to respond to the changing nature of the work of the team and to build team resilience and job satisfaction.
Working locations
Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds. Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support.
You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.
Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need.
There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Sift date: expected W/C 25/03/2024
Interview date: expected W/C 15/04/2024
Interview location: By video
The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores.
Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability, and Behaviours.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.
Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.
An initial sift based on the lead behaviour of Seeing the Big Picture may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths
To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here
Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.
Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Terms and Conditions
Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.
New Entrants to the Civil Service
New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:
- Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
- Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
- Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
- Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
- Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
- Probation: 6 month probation period
Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion
All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion
If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/
