Job Description

Details

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Reference number

433980

Salary

60,494 - 70,566
per annum, pro rata
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Fixed term

Length of employment

bank contract (0 hours)

Type of role

Administration / Corporate Support

Analytical


Communications / Marketing

Risk Management

Working pattern

Flexible working

Number of jobs available

2

Contents

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

Location

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Canary Wharf, London

About the job

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Job summary

The main purpose of the post is to provide RCCE (Risk Communications and Community Engagement) and operational social science support to cover the activities to meet UK-PHRST (Public Health Rapid Support Team) objectives for outbreak response, research, teaching and capacity building within an outbreak context.


The post holder must be available to be rapidly deployed overseas as part of the response function of the UK-PHRST.


We are currently recruiting for 2 Risk Communications & Community Engagement (RCCE) & Social Science Specialist to join our team!

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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.

Job description

Partnership Working

o Develop and nurture key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders as required for role.

o Contribute to strengthening regional and in-country capacity and capability through training and coaching.

Capacity strengthening and research

o Reservists may be requested to provide surge support for specific capacity strengthening or research projects, which may include activities which:

o Contribute to teaching/training programmes and activities on RCCE and/or social science.

o Contribute to the development and management of a capacity strengthening programme overseas, or global products such as the creation of new tools or updating existing guidelines.

o Teach colleagues and stakeholders on risk communications and community engagement and/or operational social science

o Support ongoing training activities within the UK-PHRST and partners.

o Develop teaching material and courses.

o Conduct and contribute to UK-PHRST research projects for RCCE or social science.

o Analyse datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research questions.

o Write research reports and peer-review manuscripts.

o Present at scientific conferences, meetings and other fora.

Outbreak Response

o Provide support on outbreak response activities for the country of deployment and the UK- PHRST for risk communication and community engagement activities, and the collection and analysis of operational social science data.

o Lead and/or contribute to the design, development, and implementation of targeted interventions (informed by community engagement, rapid social science research, community feedback data and appropriate theoretical approaches), to assist with outbreak management and reduce spread of disease either nationally or in specific, affected areas.

o Lead and/or contribute to the development, elaboration and implementation of the risk communication and community engagement plan, ensuring this is underpinned by robust operational social science research, as part of outbreak response operations

o Ensure that rapid social science research, including analysis of community feedback data, is disseminated to other response pillars (e.g. surveillance, case management etc.) and used to inform decision making across the response

o Identify and develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders - community groups, leaders and other partners in the community and civil society -for collaborative and participatory approaches to intervention design and implementation to stop disease transmission

o Liaise closely with local and regional counterparts for risk communication and social science (such as the Collective Service, or the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform) ensuring coherence of strategy, materials and messages. Ensure that technical material produced by the response locally integrates community engagement principles and practice.

o Support management of outbreak priorities and activities with social science evidence-based advice, in line with outbreak response needs.

o Provide additional support to the development, implementation and evaluation of social and behavioural science components within the national outbreak response (e.g., revisions to guidance documentation, advising on national intervention design and implementation).

o Support response in affected countries to reduce the impact of the outbreak, including scoping the need for further support and research.

o Work on sustainable RCCE and operational social science plans. Projects conducted by RCCE/Social Science UK-PHRST should aim to be sustainable even after the end of deployment.

o Support inter-agency coordination efforts for the risk communication and community engagement pillar to ensure harmonization of tools and approaches as well as information sharing amongst key stakeholders.

o Contribute to the development, strengthening and application of social data collection for risk communications and community engagement interventions, as well as for other pillars of the operation.

o Support cross-pillar coordination efforts, information sharing, and the design and implementation of integrated outbreak response approaches.

o Liaise with appropriate national and regional counterparts to integrate findings from knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) surveys, ethnographic studies, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, observation and other feedback from community engagement activities into operational decision-making platforms.

o During deployments or as part of capacity strengthening, train partner staff on RCCE and operational social science components (e.g. establishing community feedback mechanisms, developing social listening skills)

Management

o Actively engage in meetings with internal and external colleagues.

o Identify and seek to resolve potential problems.

o Be responsible for managing own workload, including developing objectives and reviewing progress against these.

o Comply with UKHSA Information Governance standards, including understanding the ethical, legal and technical obligations for protection of personal patient information

o Line management as necessary within the team

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Pursue a programme of continuous professional development in accordance with any relevant professional registration or statutory requirements, while maintaining appropriate awareness of service provider requirements. Undergo pre-deployment training and other appropriate training courses as required by members of the deployable UK-PHRST. Pursue other statutory and mandatory training, in accordance with UK-HSA requirements. Participate in the organisation's staff appraisal scheme and departmental audit as appropriate. To actively manage and support the development of individuals and the team through appraisal, personal development planning, coaching and mentoring. To be aware of Civil Service, WHO and UN competencies and to be working to them as appropriate.

Other Duties

The above is an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. The post holder will carry out additional duties as may reasonably be required by the directorate, with appropriate training as required. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organization and programme.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential role criteria:

o MSc or PhD in Social and Behavioural Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Education, Communication, Public Relations or another relevant Public Health Communications related field

o Knowledge of current developments in risk communication and community engagement and/or in operational social science in outbreaks or other public health emergencies

o Proven experience of qualitative data collection for rapid assessments, operational research, social data research and analysis, including participatory and qualitative methods, with proficiency in qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, supported by peer-reviewed publications.

o Proven experience in the development and implementation of RCCE and rapid social science strategies and plans in LMICs

o Experience of delivering training and/or capacity development in risk communications, community engagement, health promotion, operational social science or communication for international development.


o Experience of providing effective project and people management.

o Able to apply risk communications/community engagement principles and concepts in acute emergency settings in LMICs

o Highly effective verbal, written and presentation communications skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.

o Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co- workers and key stakeholders both in the UK and overseas

o An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems and working with multi-ethnic and multi-cultural teams.

Desirable role criteria:

o Understanding of information governance, data protection issues and data confidentially requirements.

o Ability to communicate (speak/read) at a working level in a second language (other than English), such as French, Portuguese, or Arabic.

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 60,494, UK Health Security Agency contributes 17,525 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

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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 (11) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

Application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application) up to 1250 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.


The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.

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

The following will be taken through to the next stage:

Meets all essential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

Proven experience in the development and implementation of RCCE and rapid social science strategies and plans in LMICs

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 do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.


Feedback will not be provided at this stage.


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


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.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.


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

Eligibility Criteria - External

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 our Core HQ in Canary Wharf, London.


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). 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).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates will require Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) as a minimum with willingness and capability to work towards Security Check (SC) clearance.


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.

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.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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

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 security 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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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 : Gurkamal Bhambra Email : gurkamal.bhambra@ukhsa.gov.uk
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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