JOB SUMMARY

The Countermeasures and Preparedness Team (CPT) sits within Commercial, Vaccines and Countermeasures Delivery in UKHSA, reporting to its Chief Operating Officer. The CPT is responsible for ensuring the UK can respond effectively to new and emerging disease threats, pandemics, and emergency response situations. This includes risks to national and wider health security, such as the accidental or malicious release of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agent, and in incidents involving certain venoms and toxins.
The CPT is at the heart of the UKHSA’s mission to keep all our communities safe, save lives and protect livelihoods through effective prevention, preparedness and response to infectious diseases and environmental hazards. We achieve this through the effective oversight, procurement, supply and operationalisation of a range of medical countermeasures. We also manage key pandemic preparedness capability, including an advance purchase agreement with CSL Seqirus, the National Pandemic Flu Service and the Moderna-UK Strategic Partnership. The CPT has a serious remit, but we deliver this with a positive, supportive and fun culture.
The Pandemic Preparedness team leads all vaccines & countermeasures supply against priority pathogens, overseeing end-to-end design, procurement and operational planning for all products necessary for effective responses to future pandemics. We collaborate with the Centre for Pandemic Preparedness, DHSC, and wider HMG to identify the right interventions and investments for long-term resilience. The postholder will have the opportunity to set the direction for this newly established function, with management responsibility for 9 staff with a mixture of professions & backgrounds.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Lead the Pandemic Preparedness team with responsibility for 9 staff and line management of 4x G7s. Provide wider leadership across the directorate.
• End-to-end design, procurement, supply & operational planning for all products held in preparation for, and effective responses to a future pandemic(s).
• Ensure appropriate clinical countermeasures including vaccines, medicines and consumable products are stockpiled to meet HMG policy requirements as set by UKHSA & DHSC.
• Adopt lessons learnt from the COVID19 Inquiry or wider opportunities to enhance and expand the UK’s pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.
• Create the conditions and working environment for teams to be able to succeed in fast paced, large-scale operational delivery. Work closely with the ‘Head of Countermeasures and Response’ on wider Commercial, Vaccines and Countermeasures Delivery resilience planning, particularly in anticipation of future outbreaks.
• Establish strong relations with counterparts in UKHSA, DHSC and wider HMG to identify the right suite of interventions and investments to support longer-term pandemic resilience. Actively engage stakeholders to ensure solutions are fit for purpose and future proof.
• Accountable for managing relationships with key suppliers for a pandemic specific vaccine. Lead any re-procurement activities associated with these agreements.
• Development of evidence based 5-case model business cases to ensure procurements meet policy initiatives, whilst also providing value for money, and operational deliverability.
• Provide briefings, submissions, and presentations to a wide range of stakeholders including Ministers, UKHSA CEO, Chief and Deputy Medical Officers and other senior officials. Deputise for the Deputy Director as required.

YOU WILL BE ASSESSED ON THE BELOW 4 ESSENTIAL CRITERIA WHICH HAVE BEEN SELECTED FROM THE JOB DESCRIPTION.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of responding to a large scale/ national incident or significant health security change programme or initiative.
• A visible leader with experience of promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting differences.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries.
• Ability to work well under pressure, motivating and supporting others to deliver under challenging timescales and with competing priorities.

Desirable Criteria:

• A project management qualification such as PRINCE2, Agile, Managing Successful Programmes and the Project Leadership Programme. Or in the alternative, experience of leading or working on major projects or programmes.

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

Business Management and Improvement