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SalaryThe Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) helps people to live better for longer. We lead, shape and fund health and care in England, making sure people have the support, care and treatment they need, with the compassion, respect and dignity they deserve. To achieve this, and to 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 have a vacancy for a Science Strategy Lead working in the Chief Scientific Advisors (CSA) office. The CSA has overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and helping to create an effective and efficient research system for the NHS, public health and social care. She is also responsible for advice to Ministers and DHSC on specific aspects of policy questions.
The Secretary of State for Health has a Statutory Duty to promote research and the use of research evidence, and the Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), and the Science Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate plays a central role in ensuring she can fulfil this duty.
The aim SRE is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through science, research and evidence to inform policy and practice. SRE works to underpin the work of DHSC’s ministers, officials, and arms-length bodies through improving the generation, synthesis, and use of evidence. We seek to maximise the contribution that research makes to the health, wellbeing, and economic prosperity of the country and globally by working closely with colleagues in other government departments, research funders in the public, private and charity sectors, the NHS, care system and universities.
We do this through the DHSC-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The DHSC CSA is CEO of NIHR. The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. NIHR delivers against this mission through: funding, supporting and delivering high quality research; engaging and involving patients, carers and the public; attracting, training and supporting the best researchers; investing in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce; partnering with other public funders, charities and industry.
This G7 role as Science Strategy Lead offers an exciting opportunity to make an impact at national scale. The role presents a unique opportunity to support DHSCs CSA in all aspects of her role across government and the devolved administrations. This includes advancing cross-governmental science and technology priorities and setting and delivering scientific priorities for DHSC. The role will also support the science system within DHSC including through strengthening the Science and Engineering Profession and working with the Government Office for Science on cross government efforts to improve the government science system.
Activity will be varied, fast paced and high profile and so we are looking for a self-motivated individual who thrives in demanding but highly collaborative environments. A background in health research is desirable. You will need to manage challenging situations and complex problems with tact and diplomacy.
The post holder will report to the Head of Science Strategy within the SRE Directorate. The post holder will work closely with the Deputy CSA, the CSA, and SRE’s Senior Management Team, as well as with colleagues across DHSC, UKHSA, NHSE, other government departments, and with government and other research funders. The post-holder will have a willingness to be security cleared at SC level once in post.
