Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)

Job summary

The UK Health Security Agency exists to do one thing: protect people from health threats. In an era defined by pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, climate-driven risks and growing system pressures, its work has never been more vital, or more visible. UKHSA is building a science-led, data-driven and operationally excellent organisation that turns evidence into action, insight into policy, and capability into real-world protection for communities across the UK.

Job description

As Chief Scientific Officer, you will sit at the heart of this mission; shaping strategy, setting standards and leading one of the most significant scientific functions in government. You will oversee a 2,500-strong multidisciplinary workforce, drive the UKHSA Science and Research Strategy, and ensure that evidence underpins every aspect of policy, practice and delivery. This is a hands-on executive leadership role, combining scientific authority with operational impact, national influence and global collaboration.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished scientific leader with the credibility, judgement and resilience to operate at the highest level. You will bring a track record of leading complex organisations, translating science into policy and delivery, and working across government, academia and industry. Collaborative, curious and decisive, you will thrive under pressure, challenge constructively and lead with integrity, ready to shape the future of health security and deliver meaningful impact at national scale.

Key responsibilities will include:

Scientific Professional Leadership:
• Providing professional leadership across UKHSA for Scientific roles including overseeing embedded resource, as well as determining the workforce development required to ensure the right mix of skills and experience for the future and for new programmes.
• Establish links to academia and industry for specialist insight and skills and establish processes for relevant and appropriate honorary contracts to draw in these skills quickly when required.
• Establish strong partnerships and relationships across government and key partners to influence strategic choices relating to science and research priorities.

Operational delivery:
• Lead a group of approximately 2500 scientists and support staff delivering a wide range of scientific functions and services including microbiology, radiation protection, toxicology, behavioural sciences and evaluation.

Research & Development:
• Leading Research & Development processes for UKHSA, including piloting new interventions / services / technologies, identifying funding models and translating R&D into service adoption.
• Monitor real world data and carry out horizon scanning to identify new services, interventions or technologies and carry out discovery activity to determine prioritisation.
• Enable activity to determine viability for new services, interventions, or technologies - complete proof of concepts and piloting.
• Protect intellectual property in line with overarching guidance and work with business development team to identify opportunities for commercialisation and benefits.
• Establishing Research Knowledge Mobilisation processes to develop a culture of consistency and quality, with evidence and knowledge accessible to support science and research aims and objectives.
• Deliver Library Services for UKHSA, including literature searching, enquiry services and document delivery.

Chemical, radiation, environmental and climate science:
• Scientific leadership for chemical, radiation and environmental hazards, including toxicology, radiation protection, environmental exposure science, and related risk assessment methodologies.
• Scientific assessment of climate-related health threats, including the impacts of climate change on infectious disease dynamics, environmental hazards, heat, air quality, and compound risk.
• Maintaining authoritative scientific capability to support government on all-hazards health security.

Laboratory reference science and national networks:
• National laboratory reference functions, including designation, quality standards, method development, validation, and assurance.
• Strategic leadership of the UKHSA laboratory network, including regional and specialist laboratories, reference units, and specialist science campuses.
• Ensuring laboratory capability supports surveillance, incident response, variant and threat characterisation, research and innovation.
• Stewardship of laboratory research platforms, ensuring reference science, applied research, and service delivery are coherently aligned.
• Developing and maintaining
laboratory surge and resilience capability, including workforce, infrastructure, and partnerships.

Scientific Policy and Partnerships:
• Overseeing the development and delivery of UKHSA’s Science and Research Strategy, including establishing a robust prioritisation approach, setting research standards, and overseeing ethics reviews, as well as building partnerships across public sector and industry.
• Facilitate the development of evidence-based science and research policy.
• Work across UKHSA and cross-government to influence wider policy to ensure that UKHSA scientific priorities are considered.
• Oversee scientific stakeholder engagement, building partnerships across academia, cross-government and into industry, working closely with Commercial colleagues, to partner on research opportunities and to jointly secure funding.

Person specification

Essential:
• Appropriate professional qualifications in their area of expertise with evidence of Fellowship of Professional Societies, MD, PhD or equivalent including expertise in microbiology, radiation or chemical scientific disciplines.

• A track record of leading a large and complex operations and scientific units including conducting health research with national and international credibility and successfully managing large budgets and teams, strategic management of research and evidence capabilities.

• A high-level understanding of the current issues in policy related, evaluative, translational and basic health science with the ability to understand and synthesise science across the range of quantitative and qualitative disciplines needed for health policy and communicate it clearly and accurately to policymakers verbally and in writing.

• A track record of successful working with policy makers and a broad understanding of government and successfully delivering the operational aspects of policies, programmes or initiatives.

• Widely recognised leadership skills, excellent interpersonal and communication skills with evidence of motivational and evidenced experience as a trainer including specialist skills capacity analysis and planning with evidence on promoting equity in recruitment and management including nurturing a culturally and socially diverse workforce.

• Personal resilience – experience of working effectively and of leading a team successfully during periods of sustained pressure, scrutiny and ambiguity.

Desirable

• Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Science or equivalent.

• Experience of working in a research funding organisation or government department in a senior strategic management role and first-hand experience of working with Ministers.

• Experience of working with industry (or if from industry with the public sector).

• An understanding of laboratory science, evidence reviews and operational laboratory management.

As the most senior Scientific leader for UKHSA this individual must exhibit good judgement and strong principles – holding and delivering a pragmatic, professional and evidence-based view under challenge.

Terms and conditions will be dependent on registration. GMC/UKPHR candidates who are on the specialist register will qualify for medical and dental terms/Agenda for Change respectively.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £109,725, UK Health Security Agency contributes £31,787 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97% (Dependent on terms and conditions)

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the UK Health Security Agency on this appointment. For further information about the role, please visit roles.saxbam.com using reference OYYOD. Alternatively email Belinda.beck@saxbam.com. At sift stage, you will be assessed against the criteria set out in the candidate pack, based on your CV and a supporting statement. Full details of how to apply, including what you need to submit, are provided in the pack. Applications should be received by noon on Friday 27 May.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

External:

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Future location:

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK. The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments:

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs. You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check:

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period. Internal Fraud Check This does not need to be included on EOI adverts. If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.

Fraud Check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.

Salary Information:

If you are successful at interview and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Please note that this role requires a minimum of Security Check vetting. If not already held, the successful candidate can start the role once Security Check (SC) clearance has been obtained. Where suitable, individuals may also be requested to undergo Developed Vetting. Further information on eligibility is available in the Candidate Pack.

Successful candidates must also pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Maria Dodson
• Email : maria.dodson@saxbam.com

Recruitment team

• Email : SCS.MDrecruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should
contact the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Visit the Civil Service Commission website for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

UKHSA Chief Scientific Officer - Candidate Pack Final Opens in new window (docx, 9MB)

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