Job Description

The Vaccine and Immunisation Programme Team in Vaccines & Countermeasures Delivery plays a critical role in delivering UKHSA's mission to protect and improve public health. This team oversees the supply and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of life-saving vaccines and immunisation products across the UK, spanning children's, adults', and seasonal programmes. Drawing on expertise from diverse disciplines, the team ensures the seamless operational execution and optimal supply of regulated pharmaceutical products while adhering to Good Distribution Practice best practices and maintaining the resilience of these essential public health initiatives.



By coordinating and supporting the relevant internal and external workstreams across the UK, the team ensures all nations (where appropriate) are effectively represented and operationally prepared. This includes ensuring supply reaches the right place, at the right time, and in the right volumes, while supporting the mobilisation of those supplies into impactful delivery campaigns. Through extensive collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, suppliers, clinical experts, and data analysts, the team drives continual improvement, fosters knowledge-sharing, and ensures better patient outcomes--all while delivering value for taxpayers.



As part of the Vaccines Programmes & Operations Team, reporting to the Deputy Director for Vaccines Programme and Operations, the team manages a diverse portfolio of vaccine and immunisation programmes, with each team holding complete oversight of the end to end supply and operational expertise for each and every programme that UKHSA delivers and its current contractual lifecycle. We balance the need to maintain supply for existing campaigns with launching new initiatives and ensure that we provide support and auditable data relevant to the specifics and nuances of each programme within our remit for every nation.



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



We support and provide insights where requested to track and demonstrate performance on both ourselves, our suppliers and nations, striving to be transparent and receptive to feedback and improvements. Employing operational management and our project delivery expertise, the team proactively mitigates supply chain challenges, ensuring stability in dynamic and complex environments. By partnering with suppliers, devolved nations, and enabling functions such as storage and distribution, commercial and finance teams, the team addresses risks, manages contracts effectively, seeks out strategic and operational opportunities and controls unforeseen spending. This collaborative approach maximises value, enhances performance, and explores new opportunities for strategic and, where appropriate, delivery and operational improvements.



The team also leads on the development of business cases for vaccine procurements, integrating insights from clinical experts, finance and commercial partners, operational teams, and data analysts. This ensures evidence-based, strategically aligned proposals that meet public health objectives while adhering to operational and financial feasibility.



As senior leads for UK supply, the team ensures value for money and operational efficiencies are achieved. We maintain critical connections to governance boards and forums at both UK and devolved nation levels, providing regular updates on supply status and escalating risks or decisions through appropriate channels and governance processes.



Our team is built on a culture of engagement, collaboration, and high performance. As credible and respected leaders, we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard public health, maintain supply chain integrity, and deliver world-class vaccine and immunisation programmes for the UK.



This role is part of the Vaccines Programmes & Operations department and reports into V&I Programme Lead. This role supports the G7 lead in delivering on a set of immunisation programmes for VCD, taking action on the programme of work to contribute to continued supply of vaccine for those specific programmes. They will support the procurement and supply activity necessary.

The main duties will be:

Responsible for the management of centrally procured vaccines within UKHSA control to ensure compliance with business requirements and policies including distribution to the NHS and other providers. Drawing on enabling functions as needed.



Management of stockpiles and inbound supply, identifying risks and developing mitigation strategies to avoid both shortages and wastage. This includes feeding into future requirement models to support strategy development and business cases, drawing on enabling functions as needed.



Work with the Devolved Administrations to ensure that UK wide supply is maintained where appropriate.



To prepare and manage product information and access through ImmForm, to ensure vaccines are available and appropriately controlled and managed.



Develop and deliver cost saving approaches to vaccine supplied to the NHS, working with NHS England and Devolved Nations to drive efficiencies and deliver improvements.



Resolving supply issues/customer service queries.



Helping to develop relevant business cases for approval, coordinating the production of the Economic, Commercial and Financial Cases, and when necessary, liaising with DHSC Investment Appraisals for review and final DHSC Finance sign off.



Supporting correspondence, briefings, and other materials on operational and supply issues in addition to keeping senior officials and ministers informed and updated on issues as necessary.



Workstream support for wider Programme Governance.



Operational Procurement meetings secretariat, briefing and correspondence.

Controls:

Implement and maintaining systems to enable effective planning and scheduling for the project. Produce project status reports, performance data and research new information. Managing and monitoring compliance of the project in line with UKHSA guidelines and legislation, including Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Security.

Delivery:

Undertaking concise packages of delivery work. Building and maintaining strong professional relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to enable this.

Governance:

Maintaining the project risk and issues log, working with risk managers to resolve issues and escalating where appropriate. Drafting and signing off correspondence.



Please see the job description for the full list of duties and responsibilities.



Essential Criteria



Educated to degree level in a scientific, clinical, economic, numerate discipline, or equivalent subject, or with equivalent relevant experience.



Experience of working with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth running of programme operations



Demonstrable experience of working in a pharmaceutical/supply chain environment or in a similar role where there is evidence of transferable skills.



Ability to maintain comprehensive project documentation, including RAID and decision logs, supporting governance frameworks, and ensuring data-driven reporting to facilitate effective decision-making and process improvements.



Ability to lead on the preparation of business cases.



Ability to quickly understand the core aspects of the vaccine programs that they are supporting, and how to best access the range of expertise needed across to maximise impact.



Ability to demonstrate discretion.



Ability to tackle problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions.



Ability to work with limited supervision to tight and often changing timescales.



An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable Criteria:

Experience liaising with internal and external stakeholders to address supply and policy queries, including oversight of helpdesk interfaces and supporting the coordination and activation of expanded providers.



Demonstrated ability to manage vaccine stock and distribution across the NHS and private customers in the UK, ensuring accurate communication, risk mitigation, and timely actions to maintain consistent supply.



Selection Process Details



This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and experience.

Stage 1:

Application & Sift



You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 9 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:



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



1000 word Statement of Suitability.



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 Statement of Suitability 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



Please note that only those meeting all essential criteria will be moved through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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



Demonstrable experience of working in a pharmaceutical/supply chain environment or in a similar role where there is evidence of transferable skills.



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



Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.



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.



Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2:

Interview



You will be invited to a remote interview.



Behaviours and experience will be tested at interview.



The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be



Seeing the Big Picture



Making Effective Decisions



Changing and Improving



Managing a Quality Service



Delivering at Pace



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 HQ's in either Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or 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) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ's.



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 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 Basic Personnel Security Standard.