Head of Office to the Chief Financial Officer

Job summary

The Head of Office is responsible for leading, motivating, and developing the Private Office and Business Management teams to provide effective support to the Chief Financial Officer, a principal with wide ranging responsibilities across the agency and an Executive Committee and Advisory Board member. You will play a key role in helping to advise the principal and ensure their priorities are delivered, as well as being a core member of the senior leadership team across the directorate.

Working for your organisation

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

Job description

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the Private Office and Business Management teams, overseeing a high-quality service for the principal, with overall responsibility for delivering key
  priorities and communicating those effectively to teams.
• Foster a one team culture and environment of continuous improvement that supports the wider organisation to deliver.
• Develop an understanding of the Finance, Performance, Risk, Assurance, and Portfolio Management policy and operational areas, and build strong working
  relationships between you, your teams and those working on these issues, both within UKHSA and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
• Drive your Director’s delivery priorities and maintain effective, joined-up working across the senior leadership team, business areas, customers, and stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the executive leadership of UKHSA and their Private Offices to collectively drive forward priorities, understand risks and enable operational delivery.
• Lead the group’s activity on strategic workforce planning, including developing a refreshed talent management offer, developing the presence of UKHSA’s professional functions across our sites.
• Responsible for the oversight of regular business management functions within the directorate.
• Develop and lead a team through ongoing organisational transformation activity.

You will provide strategic leadership and direction to the team, ensuring high quality support to the Director and enabling the effective delivery of directorate and agency wide priorities. You will develop a comprehensive understanding of your principal’s responsibilities and will be trusted to exercise significant judgement and operate with a high degree of autonomy in progressing their strategic objectives.

You will lead a high performing team that acts as a strategic enabler for the Director, ensuring the smooth running of day to day directorate activity and providing the operational grip needed to create time and space for the Director to focus on senior level influence, cross government engagement, and the delivery of the agency’s highest priority objectives. You will set direction, maintain clear oversight of delivery through others, and ensure the team anticipates issues, manages demand effectively, and provides the Director with the insight and capacity required to operate at pace and impact.

You will work closely with senior leaders within the Chief Financial Officer Directorate, and engage with Senior Civil Servants and their Private Offices across the Chief Operating Officer Group and the wider organisation, to support delivery of agency wide priorities. You will need to be confident in communicating with, and influencing, stakeholders at all levels in order to progress the priorities of your principal. You will hold overall accountability for the directorate’s business management function, providing leadership to business management staff and ensuring business management activity, such as end to end recruitment activity, budget management, business planning, learning and development priorities, in year awards processes, and delivery of people survey action plans, are delivered effectively.

You will play a key role in the corporate leadership of the Directorate, ensuring strong alignment with organisational priorities and overseeing delivery through others across the wider business.

This list of duties is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

1. Leadership and management. Effective leadership and line management skills, with an ability to foster a positive and supportive workplace culture in your teams and beyond.
2. Deliver on behalf of the principal. A proven track record of driving and delivering tasks, improvements or projects, demonstrating strong personal impact, credibility and effectiveness.
3. Run an effective Private Office and Business Management service. Capable of delivering an efficient, organised and capable office. Be able to exercise excellent judgement and take decisions on behalf of your principal, often with incomplete information, to allow your principal the time and space to deliver lasting improvements across the agency.
4. Communicate well. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate people at all levels, building trust with senior stakeholders to achieve goals. Be able to synthesise information, prioritise and summarise accurately, both on paper and on your feet.
5. Resilience and adaptability.The ability to work at pace and prioritise effectively under pressure on a range of competing priorities, whilst remaining calm under pressure. Be able to develop expertise in new policy areas quickly.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience of working in Private Office or Business Management.

• Familiarity with government finance, risk, assurance and performance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,797, UK Health Security Agency contributes £20,509 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%

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 and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Strengths.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 5 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 750 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 750 words. We will not consider any words over 750 words.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

1. Meets all essential criteria
2. Meets some essential criteria
3. Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of :

• Communicate well. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate people at all levels, building trust with senior stakeholders to achieve goals. Be able to synthesise information, prioritise and summarise accurately, both on paper and on your feet.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours and strengths will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing ( lead behaviour)

Due to panel availability, interviews will be held on Thursday 14 May. This date is fixed and there is no scope to interview on any alternative date.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

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

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Eligibility Criteria

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

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

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.

Grade 6
• £70,797-£81,450 (National)
• £72,950- £83,443 (Outer London)
• £75,104- £85,436 (Inner London)

Please note: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) group, where this role sits, is undergoing organisational change over the next 12–18 months. While the process is still in the planning stage, some roles may be affected by future restructuring. We are committed to keeping candidates informed and will share updates as they become available.

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.

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 : Charlene Gwekwerere
• Email : charlene.gwekwerere@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@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

http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/7941400