Job Description

Details

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Reference number

436924

Salary

109,725 - 145,478
Per annum, pro rata
GBP

Job grade

Other
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant

Contract type

Fixed term

Length of employment

3 Years

Business area

Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) and Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (EIZ)

Type of role

Health Adviser

Health Professionals

Medical

Senior leadership

Working pattern

Flexible working, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

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UKHSA Core Locations / Colindale

About the job

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Job summary

If successful in your application you will be joining the Epidemic & Emerging Infections Directorate working in the Tuberculosis (TB) Acute Respiratory, Zoonoses, Emerging infection, and Travel health division (TARZET). The mission of TARZET is to protect the public from respiratory, imported, emerging, and novel infections through specialist public health, microbiology and virology, outbreak response, surveillance, research and interventions. Your post will be split between the Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) unit and the Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (EIZ) unit.


The ARI unit is a multidisciplinary team delivering surveillance, epidemiology, public health and clinical advice, microbiological and virological advice, incident and outbreak response, and advice to government. There are a number of areas of focus within the unit including but not limited to: avian and other zoonotic influenzas, coronaviruses (other than SARS-CoV2), legionella, mycoplasma and horizon scanning for respiratory pathogens.


The work of the EIZ unit covers a range of activities including preparedness and response for emerging infections, horizon scanning for infectious disease threats and assessing any potential threats identified, coordinating activities related to and undertaking surveillance of emerging infections and zoonoses and working closely with animal health colleagues on the assessment, management and control of zoonoses.

Job description

The post-holder's duties will be to develop a programme of work on the clinical countermeasures that might be required to respond to emerging situations, for example the emergence of a novel pox virus.


The post holder will work closely with existing infection horizon scanning programmes, to understand the landscape of emerging infections to develop approaches for using existing and novel vaccines and therapeutics to respond to and control these infections.


The role holder will need to work with academics, clinical trials units and modellers to understand the possible trajectory of infections and how vaccines and other therapeutics could modify these trends.


The post holder will need to work with the NHS to plan the deployment of therapeutics and vaccines in emergency situations. Developing monitoring systems for adverse outcome detection will form part of this work (e.g., new variants of concern and resistance).


The post holder will be embedded with the government advisory groups, including NERVTAG, ACDP and the JCVI. They will also need to work closely with UKHSA and Department of Health and Social Care policy and procurement experts to inform the thinking of these panels and government approaches to policy, procurement, stockpiling and deployment strategies for therapeutics and vaccinations in emergency situations, epidemics and pandemics.

Please refer to the attached & Person Specification for full details.

Person specification

Surveillance and assessment of the population's health and well-being

1) Develop and integrate therapeutics and vaccines horizon scanning with wider divisional infections horizon scanning, to inform the work with advisory committees and advice given to policy and procurement leads.

2) Develop and lead surveillance programmes (including sleeper research projects) to monitor appropriate use of therapies and vaccines to minimise the development of resistance and variants of concern.

3) Lead on the production of therapeutics statistics and intelligence.

4) Collaborate and contribute to the development of national policy on therapeutics and vaccines.

Assessing the evidence of effectiveness of health and healthcare interventions, programmes and services

5) Provide expert public health advice and leadership to support and inform an evidence-based approach to therapeutics and vaccinations, particularly in emergency situations.

6) Develop and lead research investigating novel and existing interventions and assess their effectiveness.

7) Develop and implement surveillance systems to detect therapeutics resistance and vaccines escape mutants.

Policy and strategy development and implementation

8) Provide expert public health advice and leadership and support and inform the development of therapeutics and vaccination policy, including approaches to deployment for disease containment in emergency situations.

9) Provide membership and input to national and international expert advisory committees and programme teams convened by UKHSA, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and others.

Leadership and collaborative working for health

10) Develop leadership and management within the units and division.

11) Assist and provide specialist advice during outbreaks and incidents.

Health improvement and health protection

12) Reduce inequalities and work with representatives of groups at high risk of illnesses targeted by the therapeutics and vaccines in remit.

Service Improvement

13) Lead on the development of guidance related to the therapeutics agents and vaccinations in remit.

14) Work with the NHS to plan and advise on the delivery of therapeutics and vaccines to target populations in emergency situations and test with modellers the efficacy of the chosen approaches.

Public Health Intelligence

15) Analyse and evaluate relevant data and research evidence to make recommendations and inform decisions.

16) Provide expert advice on needs, inequalities and intervention impact assessments and identify areas for action.

Research, development and training

17) Lead the development of the research evidence base for the novel and existing therapeutics and vaccinations within remit including evaluating outcomes, and for emerging antiviral resistance and variants or mutations of concern.

18) Collaborate with the research programme of the NIHR HPRU.

19) Assist with education, training and competency development and assessment in the workforce.

20) Supervise research activities.

21) Communicate with a wide audience including the public to change practice and influence behaviours, often in challenging circumstances.

Please refer to the attached & Person Specification for full details.

Benefits

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Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

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

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/

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

External

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

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Competency Assessment.


At sift stage you will be assessed against the Essential Criteria listed in the attached & Person Specification.


You will be required to complete an:


o Application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application)

o a 1500 word Statement of Suitability



This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.



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)


Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1500 words.


If we receive a large number of applications an initial sift will be conducted against the criteria of:


1. Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)

2. If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, microbiology, virology or infectious diseases, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice

3. If an applicant is UK trained in Public Health, Microbiology, Virology or Infectious Diseases, they must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview

4. If an applicant is non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT

5. Professional examinations as appropriate: MFPH, FRCPath or MRCP or if non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalent examinations


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

Meets all essential criteria

Meets some essential criteria

Meets no essential criteria


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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.


Link below:


Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers


Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview stage (competency based):

You will be invited to a remote interview.


Interviews will be held

week commencing 12th January 2026

, please note these dates are subject to change.


This vacancy is being assessed using Civil Service Competency framework. During the interview we will assess against your knowledge, experience, and skills.


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 sent to you prior to interview. Slides are permitted.


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


Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.


This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ's. 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 HQ's (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London) or at one of our scientific campus sites (Colindale).

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).


If based at one of our scientific campuses, you will be required to have a minimum of a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. 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. In exceptional circumstances 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.


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.


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.

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.


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.



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 .



See our vetting charter .
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) 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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

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Job contact :

Name : Richard Puleston, Head of Team and Consultant Epidemiologist Email : richard.puleston@ukhsa.gov.uk
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Recruitment team

Email : scs.mdrecruitment@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