Project Support Officer

Job summary

Do you enjoy working on projects and seeing them through to completion? Are you passionate about collaborating with others to deliver? Do you want to work somewhere where you can make a difference?

At the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) we are looking for a Project Support Officer to join us in our critical work to protect the nation from health threats.

The successful candidate will be assigned to National Response Operations, supporting delivery projects within a contact centre operating environment. This could include, but is not limited to supporting:

• Pandemic preparedness work.
• Setting up and scoping new projects to stand up new services.
• Working at pace in incident response to processes to mitigate health threats.
• Business integration activity to deliver efficient systems and processes for contact with stakeholders and the general public.

This role sits at the intersection of project delivery, operational readiness, and incident response, providing a flexible capability that enables the organisation to respond effectively to both planned change and emerging priorities.

Job description

This role supports the delivery of small-scale change, continuous improvement initiatives, and operational readiness activity within a fast-paced response environment. It brings together project support, business integration and incident response activity - including time-critical and surge situations - to ensure that change is effectively delivered, embedded and adopted within operational teams.

You will enable the smooth running of projects within National Response Operations, utilising project management techniques to support Project Managers with the co-ordination of business management actions and activities on their behalf.

This is a hands-on, delivery-focused role requiring sound judgement, adaptability, and the confidence to operate effectively across both structured project environments and dynamic, fast-moving operational contexts.

Elements of the role align to the Project delivery capability framework - Government Project Delivery career pathway for a Project Support Officer HEO. Successful candidates will be supported in their professional development, including working towards Government Project Delivery Accreditation where this is not already held.

Further Responsibilities

• Work with operational teams to design and implement changes.
• Support the adoption of new processes, ensuring they are embedded and sustained.
• Implement and maintain systems to enable effective planning and scheduling.
• Prepare and produce status reports, performance data and research new information.
• Manage and monitor compliance of projects in line with UKHSA guidelines and legislation, including Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Security.
• Support with workforce planning.
• Build and maintain strong professional relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Draft and sign off correspondence.
• Act as point of contact for responses to requests for information and signpost accordingly.
• Manage the procurement of goods and services.
• Monitor project spend, compile budgets, and support the development of business cases.
• Maintain the risk and issues log, working with risk managers to resolve issues and escalating where appropriate.
• Use data analytics and digital tools to present project information, sharing in line with data standards.
• Support incident response work, re-prioritising quickly and efficiently.
• Be an active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Lead Essential Criteria: Recent experience of working in a fast-paced, operational or service environment, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Recent working knowledge of planning, scheduling, resource management, risk and issue management, change control, governance, and project delivery methodologies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to challenge effectively to ensure the correct information is presented at the right time.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Works well under pressure, effectively manages multiple tasks, with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to use digital tools and data analytics to support effective decision making in projects.
• Experience of promoting best practice and lessons learned to support continuous improvement.
• Strong capability in using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
  

Desirable Criteria

• Contact Centre experience.
• Ability to work at pace in pressured operating environments.
• Incident response experience

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,422, UK Health Security Agency contributes £9,682 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).

• 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%

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: UKHSA Hub , Civil Service 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application & Sift

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 8 Essential Criteria listed in this job advert. You will be required to complete:

• An Application Form (‘Employer/Activity history’ section on the application)
• A 1000 word Supporting Statement - do not exceed 1000 words as we will not consider any words over this amount

The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV – please note you will not be able to upload or email us your CV. Please complete the Application Form in as much detail as possible.

Please structure your Supporting Statement in two parts:

Part 1 – Lead Essential Criteria (maximum 300 words)

Describe how you meet the Lead Essential Criteria listed in this job advert.

Use a specific example that clearly explains what you did, how you did it, and the outcome.

Part 2 – Remaining 7 Essential Criteria (maximum 700 words)

Describe how you meet the remaining 7 Essential Criteria listed in this job advert for this role.

Please use clear, evidence-based examples to demonstrate your skills and experience.

Longlisting

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

1. Meets all Essential Criteria
2. Meets some Essential Criteria
3. Meets no Essential Criteria

Only 'Meets all Essential Criteria' will progress to Shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift on the following 3 Essential Criteria:

• Recent experience of working in a fast-paced, operational or service environment, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/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 single remote interview. Interview date(s) to be confirmed.

The Behaviours being tested at interview stage will be:

• Delivering at Pace - Lead Behaviour
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Working Together

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

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service as well as internal applicants. This role may also be available as a loan (for existing Civil Servants only) or secondment arrangement, subject to business need and agreement from the hiring manager and, where applicable, the employee's home organisation.

Reserve List

If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Salary Information

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
HEO (Inner): £37,749 - £45,353
HEO (Outer): £35,587 - £43,244
HEO (National): £33,422 - £40,731
Per annum, pro-rata - please be aware salary is based on the office location

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 any of our core HQs in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London Canary Wharf.

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 Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).

Incident Response Activity

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day-to-day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

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: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Sarah Handy
• Email : sarah.handy@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/v8347839