Uk-Phrst Rcce/Social Science Specialist (Reserve Cadre)

Please read through the attached information pack and get this signed off if you wish to apply for the role. Once signed please send to Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.ukPlease ensure you have your line managers permission before applying to the role.

We are hosting an online drop-in session via MS Teams on Wednesday, January 24th, at 12:00 PM GMT. This session will provide more information about the roles and includes a Q&A. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Please contact UKPHRST@ukhsa.gov.uk to receive the joining instructions.

Launched in 2016, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) is an innovative government-academia partnership funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and co-led by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), with a consortium of academic and implementing partners in the UK and internationally. It comprises a multidisciplinary team of public health professionals and researchers with a novel integrated triple-remit of outbreak response, research, and capacity strengthening to prevent and control epidemics of infectious diseases in countries eligible for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). Both institutes contribute to and are responsible for delivery of the UK-PHRST triple mandate across outbreak response, research and capacity strengthening, with LSHTM leading the research programme and UKHSA who lead the outbreak response.

Outbreak Response

• Provide support on outbreak response activities for the country of deployment and the UK- PHRST for risk communication and community engagement activities, and the collection and analysis of operational social science data.
• Lead and/or contribute to the design, development, and implementation of targeted interventions (informed by community engagement, rapid social science research, community feedback data and appropriate theoretical approaches), to assist with outbreak management and reduce spread of disease either nationally or in specific, affected areas.
• Lead and/or contribute to the development, elaboration and implementation of the risk communication and community engagement plan, ensuring this is underpinned by robust operational social science research, as part of outbreak response operations
• Ensure that rapid social science research, including analysis of community feedback data, is disseminated to other response pillars (e.g. surveillance, case management etc.) and used to inform decision making across the response
• Identify and develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders - community groups, leaders and other partners in the community and civil society - for the promotion of key practices to stop disease transmission.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Liaise closely with local and regional counterparts for risk communication and social science (such as the Collective Service, or the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform) ensuring coherence of strategy, materials and messages. Ensure that technical material produced by the response locally integrates community
• Support management of outbreak priorities and activities with social science evidence-based advice, in line with outbreak response needs.
• Provide additional support to the development, implementation and evaluation of social and behavioural science components within the national outbreak response (e.g., revisions to guidance documentation, advising on national intervention design and implementation).
• Support response in affected countries to reduce the impact of the outbreak, including scoping the need for further support and research.
• Work on sustainable RCCE and operational social science plans. Projects conducted by RCCE/Social Science UK-PHRST should aim to be sustainable even after the end of deployment.
• Support inter-agency coordination efforts for the risk communication and community engagement pillar to ensure harmonization of tools and approaches as well as information sharing amongst key stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development, strengthening and application of social data collection for risk communications and community engagement interventions, as well as for other pillars of the operation.
• Support cross-pillar coordination efforts, information sharing, and the design and implementation of integrated outbreak response approaches.
• Liaise with appropriate national and regional counterparts to integrate findings from knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) surveys, ethnographic studies, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, observation and other feedback from community engagement activities into operational decision-making platforms.
• During deployments or as part of capacity strengthening, train partner staff on RCCE and operational social science components (e.g. establishing community feedback mechanisms, developing social listening skills)
• The UK-PHRST is a multidisciplinary team that includes a range of technical skillsets from across public health, core programme/operational management, and senior leadership.

Partnership Working

• Develop and nurture key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders as required for role.
• Contribute to strengthening regional and in-country capacity and capability through training and

Capacity strengthening and research

• Reservists may be requested to provide surge support for specific capacity strengthening or research projects, which may include activities which:
• Contribute to teaching/training programmes and activities on RCCE and/or social science.
• Contribute to the development and management of a capacity strengthening programme overseas, or global products such as the creation of new tools or updating existing guidelines.
• Teach colleagues and stakeholders on risk communications and community engagement and/or operational social science

• Support ongoing training activities within the UK-PHRST and partners.

• Develop teaching material and

• Conduct and contribute to UK-PHRST research projects for RCCE or social science.

• Analyse datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research
• Write research reports and peer-review
• Present at scientific conferences, meetings and other

Management

• Actively engage in meetings with internal and external
• Identify and seek to resolve potential
• Be responsible for managing own workload, including developing objectives and reviewing progress against these.
• Comply with UKHSA Information Governance standards, including understanding the ethical, legal and technical obligations for protection of personal patient information
• Line management as necessary within the team

Essential Criteria

• MSc or PhD in Social and Behavioural Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Education, Communication, Public Relations or another relevant Public Health Communications related field
• Knowledge of current developments in risk communication and community engagement and/or in operational social science in outbreaks or other public health emergencies
• Proven experience of rapid assessments, operational research, social data research and analysis, including participatory and qualitative methods, with proficiency in qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, supported by peer-reviewed publications.
• Proven experience in the development and implementation of RCCE and rapid social science strategies and plans in LMICs
• Experience of delivering training and/or capacity development in risk communications, community engagement, health promotion, operational social science or communication for international development.
• Experience of qualitative data collection and analysis, including community feedback data, during outbreak response
• Experience of providing effective project and people management.
• Able to apply risk communications/community engagement principles and concepts in acute emergency settings in LMICs
• Highly effective verbal, written and presentation communications skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.
• Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co- workers and key stakeholders both in the UK and overseas.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems and working with multi-ethnic and multi-cultural teams.

Desirable Criteria

• Understanding of information governance, data protection issues and data confidentially requirements.
• Ability to communicate (speak/read) at a working level in a second language (other than English), such as French, Portuguese, or Arabic.

• 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%

Job contact :

Name :
Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk
Email :
Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk