Senior Technical Officer – Global Health Security

Job summary

UKHSA is seeking a Senior Technical Officer to join the Global Health Security (GHS) team within the Global Health Protection Directorate. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen health security by helping ensure UKHSA's global-facing activity is coherent, evidence-led and translated into action supporting UK readiness and decision-making.

The GHS team is a strategic and technical hub, improving coordination, prioritisation and delivery across UKHSA's all-hazards global health security portfolio. The successful candidate will support cross-agency planning and coordination, governance and reporting, and help translate lessons, insights and evidence from international engagement into practical outcomes supporting UK health security.

Working with technical experts, policy colleagues and partners across government, the post holder will develop high-quality briefings, papers and evidence-based products. They will engage international stakeholders, including multilateral organisations and priority bilateral partners, supporting delivery aligned with UKHSA's global and domestic priorities.

This fast-paced, varied role requires strong stakeholder, programme and project management skills and the ability to work across organisational boundaries. The successful candidate will drive practical outcomes and improve how UKHSA plans, delivers, monitors and learns from global health security activities. Occasional national and international travel may be required.

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

• The Senior Technical Officer will join the Global Health Security team within UKHSA's Global Health Protection Directorate. The team strengthens UK health security by ensuring UKHSA's global-facing work is coherent, evidence-led and supports UK readiness and decision-making. As a strategic and technical function, it supports coordination, prioritisation and delivery across UKHSA's global health security activities.
• The post holder will support planning, coordination and monitoring across the Global Health Security programme, maintaining delivery plans, tracking milestones, managing actions, risks and dependencies, and communicating progress to stakeholders. The role requires a structured approach to programme and project management.
• A core aspect of the role is developing effective relationships across UKHSA, wider government and external partners. The successful candidate will work with senior stakeholders, supporting collaborative delivery and shared objectives across organisational boundaries.
• The role combines coordination with direct technical contribution. The post holder will lead or support high-priority technical work with subject matter experts, developing and quality assuring evidence-based briefings, summaries, reports and papers supporting decision-making and UKHSA's global health security objectives.
• The successful candidate will support governance and senior meetings, including convening meetings, coordinating contributions, preparing papers and records, and tracking actions to completion. The role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to present complex information clearly to senior audiences.
• The post holder will engage with international stakeholders, including multilateral organisations and priority bilateral partners, supporting coherent UKHSA engagement, capturing insights and translating these into practical actions supporting UK priorities. They will work with global strategy and partnership teams to align activity with UKHSA's global and domestic objectives.
• The role includes supporting consistent approaches to delivery, monitoring and reporting, maintaining templates, trackers and tools for programme management, information sharing and organisational learning. The post holder will support continuous improvement, strengthening ways of working and applying lessons learned.
• This fast-paced role requires managing competing priorities, responding to emerging issues and changing deadlines while maintaining quality and professionalism. The post holder may support time-limited projects or surge activities across the Directorate and wider agency. Success will be demonstrated through high-quality outputs, strong stakeholder relationships and improvements in how UKHSA plans, delivers, monitors and learns from its global-facing work. Occasional national and international travel may be required.

Main duties of the job

• As a Senior Technical Officer, you will support delivery of UKHSA's Global Health Security portfolio, coordinating and monitoring programmes and projects and managing plans, milestones, actions, risks and dependencies to keep delivery on track.
• You will build effective relationships across UKHSA, wider government and external organisations, working with senior stakeholders on shared priorities. The role combines programme coordination with direct technical contribution, leading or supporting high-priority work with internal and external subject matter experts.
• You will produce and quality assure evidence-based outputs, including briefings, summaries, papers and other products for internal and external audiences, and support governance and senior meetings by commissioning contributions, preparing papers and records, and ensuring actions are completed.
• Working with international counterparts, multilateral organisations and priority bilateral partners, you will support coherent UKHSA engagement, capture and communicate insights and translate them into practical next steps, working with global strategy and partnership teams to align with organisational priorities.
• You will promote consistent ways of working, organisational learning and improvement, responding effectively to changing priorities and emerging demands while maintaining high standards of quality and stakeholder engagement.

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Educated to a minimum of Bachelor’s degree level or equivalent experience within a health science subject (human health, animal health or environmental health), international development or another relevant field.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships and working collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals, including with senior colleagues and partners
• Significant project or programme management experience, including planning, tracking delivery to milestones and managing actions, risks and dependencies.
• Experience, appreciation and understanding of the public health, wider health or public sector and awareness and interest in international and global health issues
• Ability to work effectively within a team, respecting others and learning from their contributions, with a strong commitment to equality, equity and inclusive ways of working (including cultural sensitivity and self-awareness).
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills (oral and written), including drafting clear briefings and written product, and quality-assuring contributions from others for senior audiences.
• High level of IT literacy in MS Office software packages

Desirable Criteria:

• Understanding of UK government departments and intergovernmental organisations involved in global health activities
• Demonstrable global health or international health project delivery experience including working with government departments and international partners at all levels
• Demonstrable experience supporting senior governance processes, including commissioning inputs, drafting high-quality papers/records for senior decision makers, and tracking actions through to completion.
• Experience working in a matrix environment, coordinating delivery across multiple teams without direct line management authority.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,310, UK Health Security Agency contributes £13,416 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%

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

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 7 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(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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

• Significant project or programme management experience, including planning, tracking delivery to milestones and managing actions, risks and dependencies.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships and working collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals, including with senior colleagues and partners.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills (oral and written), including drafting clear briefings and written product, and quality-assuring contributions from others for senior audiences.

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.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Competency Based

You will be invited to a single remote interview

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

There will be a Technical Presentation.

You will be asked to deliver a presentation lasting no more than 5 minutes on the following topic: “An emerging international health threat has been identified which may have implications for UK health security. In 5 minutes, explain how UKHSA should assess and respond to this issue, including how global intelligence should be translated into UK readiness and decision-making.

Interview dates 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 our core HQ in London (10 South Colonnade). 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).

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.

Eligibility Criteria

This vacancy is open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service as well as 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.

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

Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

• £46,310- £52,113 (Inner London)

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

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: 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

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 : Vanessa Otoo
• Email : vanessa.otoo@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