Chief of Staff £75,585 - £84,840 p.a. + benefits

Job summary

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK’s sovereign regulator for medicines, including biological medicines, medical devices, and blood products. Our primary purpose is to ensure that products intended for the UK market are safe and effective and to monitor the ongoing safety of licensed products

The Chief of Staff, leads the CEO/Chair Private Office, within the Strategy Group that works closely with other teams to collectively support managing and controlling the Agency effectively, through delivering effective support to and management of Board, Executive, expert and independent committees, together with delivering the highest standards of delivery across corporate governance, risk and assurance.

Role Purpose

The role will be responsible for the strategic and operational management of the Chief Executive’s and Chair’s Private Office. The role forms part of a dynamic team delivering an effective service supporting the Chief Executive (CEO) and Chair to provide high quality policy advice, expert judgement, and operational and administrative support. The postholder will plan and prioritise across the CEO’s and Chair’s remit, ensuring that requests and decisions are delegated appropriately, escalating only those that require the personal attention of the CEO/Chair. They will represent the views of the CEO/Chair at internal and external meetings, making decisions on their behalf where necessary. The postholder will manage the CEOs and Chair’s time to focus on strategic priorities, particularly ensuring visibility with colleagues and stakeholders and will ensure that the CEO and Chair work together seamlessly and are aware of each other’s priorities and key activities. The post holder will oversee support for ExCo and associated Boards and Committees as well as the Agency’s Board and Board Assurance Committees. The postholder will lead the wider Private Office team, working closely with the Director of Strategy to support the delivery of the CEO’s and Chair’s priorities. The postholder will support the wider work of the Strategy Group.

There will be a requirement to travel nationally and internationally with overnight stays as needed.

Job description

• Lead and manage the team within the CEO/Chair’s Private Office, ensuring an efficient and high quality service is delivered. Proactively manage incoming requests dealing with the majority and escalating where necessary. Approve correspondence prepared by the Correspondence Secretary where appropriate. Support the Diary Officer, Correspondence Secretary and Private Secretaries in the delivery of an excellent service for the CEO/Chair and Agency, ensuring his time is used most effectively.
• Commission briefings and various reports detailing complex and sensitive information in a systematic and logical structure to ensure the Chief Executive and other Board and Executive members are effectively briefed and appropriately sighted on key areas, ensuing that the relevant colleagues have been consulted and background briefings are available if appropriate. Commission draft reports on behalf of the CEO, ensuring that deadlines are met and the appropriate colleagues have been consulted. Prepare speaking notes and slides for external meetings as needed in collaboration with the Communication and Engagement colleagues. Accompany the CEO to meetings where necessary, preparing and commissioning briefings, taking notes if appropriate and actioning follow ups, including briefing other Executives and relevant colleagues.
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders across different departments and at all levels (including key strategic regional and national policy makers), ensuring that their requests are prioritised and actioned, including offering proactive briefing where appropriate and supporting colleagues who are escalating decisions unnecessarily to manage risks and take decisions.
• Support the delivery of the strategic priorities of the office through both internal and external partnership building, relationship management and inter professional collaboration. Use autonomous discretion as to when to involve senior managers (including the CEO) in matters, being sensitive to appropriate escalation.
• Take executive responsibility for tasks delegated by the CEO/Chair including working with Directors and Chief Officers and their Business Managers/Personal Assistants across the MHRA and exercise delegated authority from the CEO to plan, monitor and manage initiatives and projects. Apply appropriate judgement and theoretical knowledge to analyse complex information and assess a range of options in making autonomous decisions.
• Use persuasion and influence to negotiate outcomes and deadlines so that projects are completed on time. Proactively problem solve and negotiate where issues arise in the development and implementation of designated programmes, and support consensus building and manage conflict or opposing views.
• Represent the CEO in sensitive and political situations, delivering difficult messages where required to high-level audiences and senior individuals and stakeholders.
• Oversee the CEO budget on behalf of the Chief Executive and in conjunction with the Finance Business Partner

The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the postholder.

Person specification

• Able to deliver complex and difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.

• Able to balance working at pace and manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities. Ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing, and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success.

• Ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery; analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions; present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence; make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular.

• Develop and maintain an understanding of economic, social, political, environmental and technological developments to ensure activity is relevant; ensure plans and activities in your area of work reflect wider strategic priorities and communicate effectively with senior leaders to influence future strategies; adopt a government wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy.

Experience

• Significant experience of successfully leading a highly visible team, motivating and developing the team to consistently deliver excellence in their outputs.
• Experience providing Private Office (or similar) support to an executive leader or Chair.
• Experience and understanding of the life science or healthcare sectors.

Technical

• Relevant Masters qualification or equivalent professional experience
• Project management qualification or equivalent experience
• Demonstrate knowledge of public sector governance and assurance requirements. Strong understanding of the wider political picture.

Qualifications

Relevant Masters qualification or equivalent professional experience.
Project management qualification or equivalent experience.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Demonstrate knowledge of public sector governance and assurance requirements. Strong understanding of the wider political picture.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,585, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £21,896 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave 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. PLUS 8 bank holidays
• Privilege Leave: 1 day
• 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/five months half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP's Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666
• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan
• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund
• Eligibility to join Motoring , Boundless by CSMA
• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs
• On-going learning and development

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Selection process details

Key dates (dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)

• Closing date - 21st July 2026, at 23:55
• Sifting - from the 22nd July 2026
• Main panel interviews - from 10th August 2026 (in person).
• As part of the selection process the top scoring candidates from the interview might be invited to have a conversation with the CEO or his Deputy.

Communications will be electronic via email therefore it is important that you check your email account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.

We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as names and dates) from your employment history and personal statement.

What will the process look like?

Main Panel Interview

Candidates who pass the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview. We use a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will be assessing Behaviours and Experience.

At interview, we will be asking questions relating to the following:

• Behaviours: Leadership, Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace and Making Effective Decisions.
• Experience, as listed in the person specification
• Strengths

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

If you need assistance applying for this role or have any other questions, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Certain roles within the MHRA will require post holders to have vaccinations, and in some circumstances, routine health surveillance. These roles include:

• Laboratory-based roles working directly with known pathogens
• Maintenance roles, particularly those required to work in laboratory settings
• Roles that involve visiting other establishments where vaccination is required
• Roles required to travel overseas where specific vaccination may be required.

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.

Any move to the MHRA 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 here.

Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary and are responsible for ensuring they fully understand the financial implications of any potential move and the impact (if any) on their terms. If an individual is in any doubt, they should seek clarification before accepting a job offer.

Staff joining on promotion will receive up to a 10% increase of their current basic salary, or the pay band minimum, whichever is the greater.

The individual will not retain any allowances paid by the former department/Agency, unless there are special circumstances, such as a reserved right to those allowances on transfer.

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact careers@mhra.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

info@csc.gov.uk

Civil Service Commission

Room G/8

1 Horse Guards Road

London

SW1A 2HQ
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 security check (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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

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 : The Resourcing Team
• Email : careers@mhra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Careers@mhra.gov.uk

Further information

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing team at Careers@mhra.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk - info@csc.gov.uk - Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ