Pandemic Preparedness and Incident Response Manager

Job summary

This role plays a central part in ensuring the Public Health Microbiology (PMH) Directorate is prepared for pandemic threats across all transmission routes,supporting UKHSA’s ability to anticipate, assess and respond to risks identified in the National Security Risk Register. The post holder will bring together scientific, policy and operational input to shape clear, evidence‑informed approaches to preparedness and incident response. The role involves translating complex technical issues into clear products, coordinating expert contributions at pace, and supporting the alignment of directorate activities with national priorities.

A key component of the role is supporting project delivery across PHM’s pandemic preparedness portfolio. This includes supporting the planning, delivery and monitoring of projects, ensuring workstreams progress to time, quality and budget, and enabling effective risk and dependency management. The postholder will facilitate cross‑team coordination, maintain clear governance and reporting structures, and help ensure delivery across a diverse programme of preparedness activity.

It also includes contributing to continuous improvement of preparedness and Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) functions, ensuring they are robust, aligned with national priorities and frameworks, and consistently delivered.

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

This role plays a central part in ensuring the Public Health Microbiology Directorate is prepared for pandemic threats across all transmission routes, supporting UKHSA’s ability to anticipate, assess and respond to risks identified in the National Security Risk Register. The post holder will bring together scientific, policy and operational input to shape clear, evidence‑informed approaches to preparedness and incident response. The role involves translating complex technical issues into clear products, coordinating expert contributions at pace, and supporting the alignment of directorate activities with national priorities.

A key component of the role is supporting project delivery across PHM’s pandemic preparedness portfolio. This includes supporting the planning, delivery and monitoring of projects, ensuring workstreams progress to time, quality and budget, and enabling effective risk and dependency management. The post holder will facilitate cross‑team coordination, maintain clear governance and reporting structures, and help ensure delivery across a diverse programme of preparedness activity.

It also includes contributing to continuous improvement of preparedness and Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) functions, ensuring they are robust, aligned with national priorities and frameworks, and consistently delivered.

The main duties will include:

• Leading and coordinating strategic and operational input into UKHSA's work on pandemic threats and emergency preparedness, resilience and response
• Collaborating with policy teams to align directorate activities with national priorities and identify opportunities to inform policy development
• Coordinate accurate and strategically aligned input from subject matter experts into core policy functions at pace such as briefings, correspondence and submissions
• Managing the design, development, and implementation of a range of pandemic preparedness and incident response activities, analysing evidence, making recommendations and supporting delivery of projects and programmes
• Building networks and relationships with key partners across the Agency, health family and broader government
• Supporting secretariat functions for senior boards and stakeholder groups
• Supporting the establishment and operation of incident response cells in the event of future outbreaks, incidents or exercises, and lead aspects of a programme of continuous improvement for the Directorate’s EPRR functions
• Providing project support across the diagnostics pandemic preparedness portfolio by coordinating plans, tracking progress, managing documentation, and assisting with budgets, risks, benefits, and governance to help ensure successful delivery
• Working at pace, balancing competing priorities and demands, whilst taking ownership for outcomes and ensuring targets and deadlines are met

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Degree level education in a scientific or technical related subject (e.g., life sciences, microbiology, molecular biology, virology), or equivalent qualification, or previous relevant experience in a similar role
• Experience in strategy and/or policy development within complex technical and strategic contexts.
• Proven ability to build relationships across organisations and collaborate with external stakeholders to agree decisions and deliver projects.
• Strong communication skills, ability to engage credibly with experts, senior officials and Ministers.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely, making complex ideas accessible and impactful.
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining a strategic overview.
• Ability to manage changing priorities and multiple workstreams.
• Experience working in multi disciplinary teams, including scientific, clinical, data and delivery colleagues.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working in the public sector or a similar large organisation.
• Project management qualification or significant delivery experience.
• Experience in emergency preparedness, incident response.
• Experience supporting governance and secretariat processes.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,983, UK Health Security Agency contributes £12,162 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 and experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

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

• an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 1200 word supporting statement

This should outline how 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 1200 words. We will not consider any words over 1200 words.

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

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

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• Experience in strategy and/or policy development within complex technical and strategic contexts.

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 and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a remote interview.

Behaviours and experience will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Interviews dates are to be confirmed.

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 either any of our Core HQ’s in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf); or at our one of our Scientific Campuses in either Colindale or Porton Down.

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) on-site.

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Eligibility criteria

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

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 Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) 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 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check 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.

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.

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location:

Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

£41,983- £48,128 (National)
£44,148- £50,121 (Outer London)
£46,310- £52,113 (Inner London)

For Fixed term posts

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment. You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy.

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

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

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 counter-terrorist 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 : Jon Payne
• Email : jonathan.payne@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

https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/Birmingham_Colindale_Leeds_Liverpool_London_Porton_Down/UK_Health_Security_Agency/Emergency_preparedness/Emergency_preparedness-v7973319?set-locale=en-gb&_ts=1173801