JOB SUMMARY

The wider Directorate is pivotal to UKHSA’s mission, overseeing the comprehensive delivery of commercial, contract management, and business development functions. It manages a vast commercial portfolio, ensuring the agency has the resources to address health security threats.
The directorate leads the procurement, storage, and distribution of vaccines and countermeasures for national immunisation and emergency response programmes. It fosters industry partnerships, drives strategic market engagement, and builds supply chain resilience.
Additionally, the team is responsible for investment governance, dispute management, and building commercial capabilities. They also develop and execute strategies for income generation, leveraging UKHSA’s expertise and facilities to secure funding and commercial opportunities.
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

This role is part of the Countermeasures and Preparedness department and reports into the Pandemic Vaccines Ops Lead.

• To assist in all aspects (business case drafting, internal and external communications, secretariat support for project meetings) associated with the procurement and ongoing management of Pandemic Specific Vaccines to meet DHSC policy requirements
• To assist in ensuring the stockpiles of Pandemic Preparedness Countermeasures and associated Operational plans are maintained and procured in a timely manner in liaison with various stakeholders inside and outside of UKHSA.
• To support colleagues in the development of relevant business cases for approval and coordinating inputs into the various cases from internal and external stakeholders
• To monitor and administer the shared team mailbox liaising with internal team members to ensure queries are dealt with in a timely fashion.
• To assist drafting of correspondence, FOIs and briefing on pandemic preparedness issues.

The post holder will work closely with partners to support the management and maintenance of our Pandemic Specific vaccine and associated consumables requirements, whilst also supporting the development of suitable operational distribution plans in the event these products are required across the NHS in England, and throughout the Devolved Administrations.

Along with colleagues in the team the post holder will assist in ensuring that:

• Appropriate contractual arrangements are in place to deliver a Pandemic Specific Vaccines at the time of need and that associated commensurate consumables are procured and maintained in preparedness.
• Appropriate operational plans are in place for the issuance of these products in the event of a pandemic.

The role covers a complex range of operational policy issues and dependencies in relation to commercial, financial, analytical, operational, clinical and scientific requirements.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

You will be assessed on the below 5 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description Document.

• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment, with complex issues.
• Ability to build and sustain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• 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
• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline, or relevant equivalent experience.

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

This role is part of the Countermeasures and Preparedness department and reports into the Pandemic Vaccines Ops Lead.

• To assist in all aspects (business case drafting, internal and external communications, secretariat support for project meetings) associated with the procurement and ongoing management of Pandemic Specific Vaccines to meet DHSC policy requirements
• To assist in ensuring the stockpiles of Pandemic Preparedness Countermeasures and associated Operational plans are maintained and procured in a timely manner in liaison with various stakeholders inside and outside of UKHSA.
• To support colleagues in the development of relevant business cases for approval and coordinating inputs into the various cases from internal and external stakeholders
• To monitor and administer the shared team mailbox liaising with internal team members to ensure queries are dealt with in a timely fashion.
• To assist drafting of correspondence, FOIs and briefing on pandemic preparedness issues

You will be assessed on the below 5 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description Document.

• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment, with complex issues.
• Ability to build and sustain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• 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
• Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline, or relevant equivalent experience