Senior Specialist Engineer - Communication and Collaboration

Job summary

The Technology team provides business-critical systems and services to UKHSA business users at all locations at which UKHSA staff work. ICT has primary responsibility for technical infrastructure and the corporate services running upon it. ICT has staff at a number of locations throughout UKHSA.

At UKHSA, Senior Specialist Engineers are broadly equivalent to industry-standard 3rd line engineering roles. They are responsible for ensuring technical excellence in their field of specialism and ensuring that all systems are optimally designed and configured to provide a high-quality service to UKHSA users.

You will also respond to incidents and outages and take necessary steps to secure the service and minimise disruption to the UKHSA business areas.

This role will specialise in Meeting Room technologies, Teams, Exchange Online and the platforms and services that underpin these.

This role attracts a Market Pay Supplement (MPS) of up to £10,000, to 12th September 2026 only, following an outcome of a capability assessment.

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

• Hold a strategic and architectural view of specialist areas described in the job overview. Keep Team Manager apprised of strategic developments and contribute to the wider ICT strategy and delivery plan
• Ensure that any hardware, software, operating systems or associated technology is designed, procured and delivered in the most efficient and cost-effective manner and that all resources are used in such a way that maximises the benefit to UKHSA. Ensure the end user is centric to solution design
• Provide technical and administrative support for specialist systems, produce system specification documentation and relevant procedures, protocols and maintain an architectural roadmap of specialist areas
• Identify and design solutions to modernise where appropriate in line with UKHSA’s architectural principles
• Lead initiatives focused on modernising and continually improving user experience
• Ensure availability of onsite support resources where appropriate. Monitoring and managing system performance, advising on upgrades required to ensure reliable systems and leading the investigation and resolution of incidents
• Supervise the activities of team members, working in a collaborative manner to deliver tasks successfully
• Attend and engage during Review Boards and other operational meetings as a senior representative of your specialist area. Maintain awareness of technical developments to provide most appropriate and up to date, user centric advice

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Senior Specialist Engineers are responsible for supporting the delivery of technical excellence in their field of specialism and assisting the Team Leader in ensuring that all systems are optimally configured to provide a high-quality service to UKHSA users.

They may be required to supervise the activity of junior staff, but will mainly be responsible for undertaking the configuration, management and maintenance of all hardware and software components of UKHSA’s network and infrastructure.

This Senior Specialist Engineer role will provide technical expertise to support and develop Microsoft 365 technologies, acting as lead Subject Matter Expert for projects and development in this area, as well as Business As Usual operations support and be a senior point of escalation for technical issues.

This role will focus on email supporting services, such as email encryption, eDiscovery, compliance and call centre services, as well as Teams and supporting services such as call centre and other enterprise level functionality. This role will be complemented by other Senior Specialist Engineers focussing on other areas of M365, voice services and collaboration tooling and will work with these engineers to provide full in house coverage of all communication and collaboration services at UKHSA.

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

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

• Advanced experience with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online, including management, configuration and trouble shooting of complex mail flow and hybrid environment
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Teams at enterprise scale and including Teams voice and Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) and meeting room technology, Experience deploying, maintaining, and optimising MTR setups. Also to include complementary service such as call centres
• Experience of supporting the delivering of BAU service, change and transformation initiatives from end to end, into a live operation. Experience of leading a team of skilled technical colleagues and being comfortable in an ambiguous and reactionary role to resolve incidents as well as the ability to forward plan and embed change as required
• Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams with a strong focus on user centric experience
• Experience of performing in a variety of delivery roles, covering – solution design, project management, change management, performance reporting, continuous improvement
• Significant practical experience managing and deploying the full suite of MS365 applications and Azure platforms

Desirable role criteria

• Experience working with AV specific technologies such as Q-SYS, Dante, Crestron, Extron etc

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 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

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours, strengths, experience and technical skills.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 6 essential criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• Up to 1000 words 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, 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 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 will longlist into 3 piles of:

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

We will take pile "Meets all essential criteria" through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large amount of applications, we will perform an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Advanced experience with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online, including management, configuration and trouble shooting of complex mail flow and hybrid environment
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Teams at enterprise scale and including Teams voice and Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) and meeting room technology, Experience deploying, maintaining, and optimising MTR setups. Also to include complementary service such as call centres

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 (success profiles)

Behaviours, strengths and technical skills will be tested at interview.

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

This vacancy is being assessed using Success Profiles. During the interview we will assess you against the below:

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture (lead behaviour)
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working at Pace

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be around deploying and managing M365 meeting and communication technologies at an enterprise level.

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 (including by definition internal applicants).

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 for this role must pass a standard disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates will require Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) as a minimum, with a willingness and capability to work towards Security Check (SC). You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Salary Information

Please note: 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.

Civil Service G7 (Grade 7)

£56,185- £66,581 (National)

£58,340- £68,574 (Outer London)

£60,494- £70,566 (Inner London)

This role comes with a market pay supplement of up to £10,000.

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.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 : 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