Technical Development Manager

Job summary

The Radiation, Chemical, Climate and Environmental Hazards Directorate (RCCE) is part of the UKHSA Chief Scientific Officer Group and is responsible for promoting improved health and reduced harm from:

• radiation
• hazardous chemicals in the environment
• environmental change
• extreme weather events such as flooding.

RCCE’s functions and responsibilities include:

• providing advice on the topics above
• the assessment of health risks by means of research and collaborative projects
• providing commercial services for radiological and chemical hazard
• covering key roles in the RCE Emergency Plans, especially plans for major radiation incidents which need to be maintained in a state of readiness.

The Personal Dosimetry Service (PDS) is a commercial service, approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) that serves over 5,500 employers working with ionising radiations in the industrial, research and medical sectors, by assessing the radiation doses to their employees. This is carried out by means of passive personal dosemeters, which are worn by the employee for a period then returned to PDS for processing and reporting.

The service also helps build experience which informs UKHSA’s advice to government and users of radiation and makes a significant contribution towards RCCE’s annual income. The PDS is a group of around 35 staff, plus 12 bank staff, who issue and assess doses to over 90,000 workers in the UK and overseas.

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 post contributes to the health and safety of employees exposed to ionising radiation in their work environments and requires highly specialised technical, scientific and legislative knowledge and skills coupled with extensive relevant experience.

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the service runs reliably and efficiently for our 5500+ customers and in the event of a radiation incident. This will involve planning and prioritising the technical requirements for the routine and emergency response roles as well as managing essential supplies/suppliers of equipment to ensure business continuity. This includes responsibility for the meeting emergency response deadlines and routine business targets.

You will work within our established quality management and customer care systems to improve reliability and resilience in routine business and emergency response preparedness. You will manage a small team including responsibility for Dosemeter Logistics and Operations. The service continues to expand, and you will have a role in ensuring that we continue to be highly reliable while improving our emergency response preparedness.

Our emergency response function is to provide for population monitoring in the event of a radiation incident. You will lead in ensuring that emergency capability is established and maintained, to include resources (personnel, capital equipment, supplies etc.), regular testing and exercising, and continuing liaison with stakeholders, including colleagues in RCCE Emergency Response group.

Your duties will include:

• Leading development and maintenance of the service to ensure adequate technical capability to respond in (a) routine business and (b) emergency response situations.
• Taking a lead in regularly assessing current technical capability to ensure routine and emergency response requirements are met.
• Proposing and agreeing actions to deliver these developments, and ensuring that projects are managed effectively, taking the lead in projects for technical resources.
• Management of capital equipment and associated acquisitions – business justifications, liaison with procurement etc.
• Negotiating with suppliers on purchases and support contracts
• Participating in RCCE emergency response exercises at appropriate levels and developing self and staff through training.
• Liaison with own staff, other PDS staff, other UKHSA departments/ groups, external agencies, suppliers etc.
• Routine management of two teams; Line manager of the Technical Operations Manager and the Dosemeter Logistics and Operations teams
• Responsibility for Exercising PDS emergency response plans as appropriate
• Evaluating risks to routine business, e.g. when participating in emergency response
• Responsibility for purchasing PDS routine and emergency response supplies and equipment valuing over £500k
• Forward planning with the PDS Manager for technical improvements in operations, investigating and making suggestions for solutions
• Planning, reviewing and making suggestions for audits; writing up audits and making suggestions for improvements, taking a senior auditor role within PDS
• Reviewing and developing procedures (Manuals & Standard Operating Procedures) for input into quality documents for PDS’s approval by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as a Dosimetry Service as well as accreditation as a Testing Laboratory under the ISO/IEC 17025;2017 standard.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, internal and external to UKHSA.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Level 6 qualifications (e.g., bachelor’s degree), in a science subject, or equivalent experience in a similar role
• Experience of working in, and managing a small team, including line-management responsibilities; training, developing, coaching, leading and motivating staff; working in a team that delivers technically complex services in an area with stringent technical requirements
• Experience of following standard quality procedures, particularly ISO17025 to maintain accreditation for the Laboratory including preparing, planning and leading audits.
• Experience of working in a customer-oriented, commercial environment to include direct contact with customers and knowledge of good customer care.
• Experience of working in a Lab based environment within a scientific organisation; and of planning/ implementing challenging projects in a fast-paced multidisciplinary radiation laboratory service
• Experience of delivering formal lectures and training, and presentation at scientific meetings
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex scientific, technical, and operational problems/situations, using a range of facts to deliver appropriate decisions, judgements and recommendations.
• Ability to assess solutions against cost/priority to make sound business decisions/recommendations and provide ways forward to gain financial approval/resolution of problems
• Excellent, effective communication and relationship building skills, to include face-to-face, audio/video and written, covering a range of stakeholders, such as customers, colleagues, suppliers, specialists and non-specialists.
• Ability to convey complex instructions, ideas and opinions, and sometimes sensitive information, clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and able to use the appropriate style and method for a wide range of situations
• Excellent prioritising, both routinely and in pressured emergency situations, with the ability to see, keep in mind and act upon “the bigger picture”: all of the various operational dependencies and relationships
• Ability to manage and prioritise a personal portfolio of short- and long-term work, make decisions autonomously, when required, working to tight and changing timescales

Desirable role criteria:

• Internal Auditing Training for ISO17025:2017.
• Experience in radiation protection and of working in an HSE approved Dosimetry Lab environment, with knowledge of current regulations.
• Ability to interpret regulations and standards to provide recommendations on maintaining approvals, and development of dosimetry services for PDS
• Additional Information

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,148, UK Health Security Agency contributes £12,789 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

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 12 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

• an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 1500 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.

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:

• Excellent, effective communication and relationship building skills, to include face-to-face, audio/video and written, covering a range of stakeholders, such as customers, colleagues, suppliers, specialists and non-specialists. Ability to convey complex instructions, ideas and opinions, and sometimes sensitive information, clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and able to use the appropriate style and method for a wide range of situations

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 face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview (delete as appropriate

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

You will be required to prepare a 5-10 minute presentation as part of the interview. The details of this are: “How would you initiate and manage a project; to include ideas on developing relationships with key suppliers, improving technical and practical aspects, and quality management, to keep the services running effectively?"

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 office / lab based at Didcot. Please note that hybrid working is not available with this role.

Eligibility Criteria

External - 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 disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Counter Terrorism Check 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 (CTC) 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.

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.

Salary guides

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.

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