One Health Technical Advisor

Job summary

The International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project IHR is a high-profile Official Development Assistance (ODA) funded project designed to improve IHR capability in selected countries and regions with medium and long-term activities taking place through partnerships with National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in several countries in Africa and Asia. The project’s first implementation phase (2016-2021) is now complete, and the second funding cycle (2022-2025) commenced in April 2022. The project has a triple remit to build technical capability, strengthen leadership and develop sustainable public health systems. It does this through working at national level in partnerships with NPHIs and Ministries and at a regional level with regional bodies such as Africa CDC and EMPHNET as well as regional WHO.

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

• Support the development, coordination and delivery of activities of the One Health team and help shape and build the strategic direction of One Health in the IHR project
• Ensure One Health activities in the UKHSA IHR Strengthening project (IHRSP) support the implementation of and delivery of IHRSP objectives
• Manage stakeholder relationships (internal and external) and represent the IHR project, through routine and ad hoc engagement, attendance at meetings, email correspondence, participation in group
• Report and provide briefings as necessary to a range of stakeholders
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of the workplan as appropriate
• Present as required to the IHR Senior management and other stakeholders on the progress of the projects against targets and timeframes
• Work with other technical teams within the project ensuring seamless collaboration across the project
• Develop and maintain systems to monitor project progress against milestones and present relevant updates as required to the project team and other stakeholders on the progress of the project against targets and milestones
• Ensure the smooth-running of One Health workplan and governance mechanisms e.g., IHR country level meetings, project management, finance and risk meetings
• Proactively manage risks, opportunities, and issues arising
• Line manage staff where relevant
• Semi-regular travel to IHR partner countries and regions

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

The One Health Technical Advisor will use their One Health experience and public/animal/environment health skills to contribute to the delivery of One Health in the IHR Strengthening project. The post-holder will coordinate One Health activities across the International Health Regulations Strengthening Project and support the One Health Technical lead in the development and delivery of the annual workplans, liaising closely with UKHSA country leads and colleagues in Regional organisations. The post holder will engage with senior stakeholders in politically sensitive environments and will be expected to advocate for the project and for key One Health principles within these environments.

This rewarding and challenging role is responsible for supporting the delivery of the OH activities across the wider project, supporting the development of the annual workplans, ensuring timely reporting, fostering stakeholder relationships both internal and external, and being a point of contact. They will also use their expertise to problem solve, discuss issues with project management, and ensure that measures to mitigate any risks to the delivery of the project are implemented.

Essential skills include excellent communication skills, organisation skills and judgement to problem solve, and the ability to work to tight and shifting deadlines. He/she will need to be a highly motivated individual and a self-starter, who can work independently.

The post can be flexibly based but semi-regular attendance at UKHSAs central London office will be required for project meetings. In addition, the post will involve semi-regular international travel for short durations (typically up to two weeks) to partner countries/regions.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include;

Internal

• IHR Strengthening project team, Project Managers and Senior Leadership team
• UKHSA subject matter experts
• Other ODA/UKAid funded project teams
• Other Programme Leads and Project Managers within Global Operations
• Global Operations central MREL team - External auditors and MREL specialists

External

• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
• Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
• IHR project stakeholders in partner countries and regions e.g., Africa CDC; EMPHNET, WHO EMRO, WHO SEARO, WAHO

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Essential role criteria (including qualifications, licenses and registrations):

• Degree in an appropriate health science subject (human health, animal health, or environmental health), international development, or another related field, or equivalent professional background gained through work in health, development, research, or programme delivery roles
• One Health technical knowledge (examples include zoonoses, disease surveillance, AMR and health protection) and demonstrable application of One Health principles
• Understanding of global health including the health challenges of low middle income countries and the international health architecture and knowledge of global health security architecture such as the WHO International Health Regulations (2005)
• Substantial experience working in public health projects or programmes at a senior level, working in projects delivered by partnerships, and in building and maintaining strong relationships with partners
• Experience of developing and maintaining good stakeholder relations ,working with others to achieve common goals and negotiating with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues
• Ability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly and work across boundaries.
• Able to analyse complex facts, sensitive or contentious information and develop a range of options; ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales.
• Able to present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups, be adaptable, organized and able to cope with uncertainty
• Demonstrate appreciation and acknowledgment of the range and complexities of diversity; self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers; cultural competence – cultural sensitivity and awareness

Desirable role criteria:

• Experience and understanding of project management
• Experience of working in public/animal/environment health or a related discipline and experience of working at regional or national level in multi-stakeholder environment
• Knowledge of public /animal health systems in low and middle-income countries
• Experience of working in developing countries
• Previous responsibility for a budget, involvement in budget setting and a working knowledge of financial processes

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,494, UK Health Security Agency contributes £17,525 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 will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 9 essential criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word supporting statement

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

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 note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting:

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

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

We will take piles " Meets all essential criteria” and "Meets some essential criteria” through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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

• Degree in an appropriate health science subject (human health, animal health, or environmental health), international development, or another related field, or equivalent professional background gained through work in health, development, research, or programme delivery roles

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

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

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency)

You will be invited to a remote interview. Interview dates are yet to be confirmed.

During the interview we will assess against the below:

• Knowledge
• Experience
• Skills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present a 10-minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be a thematic area on the topic of One Health.

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

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

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

Eligibility Criteria

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

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.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our core HQ in London. 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 our office.

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).

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

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.

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.

Careers website

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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

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 : Tom Geldeard
• Email : Tom.Geldeard@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 UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: 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: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk