Job summary
This post is with the national Rapid Investigation Team (RIT). The RIT was created to support existing services such as UKHSA Regions health protection teams (HPTs) and the Field Service (FS), and the wider health protection function in dealing with complex outbreaks and incidents.
The RIT is an agile team composed of public health professionals which can be deployed at short notice to assist with developing or established incidents nationally and regionally to provide investigative, analytical and management support.
When not responding to an outbreak/incident, the RIT contributes to scientific advice and operational research to better inform future outbreak responses and provides feedback and training to local and regional teams.
Main duties of the job
This is a challenging and rewarding role providing public health and epidemiological leadership in acute and complex situations.
You will be responsible for:
- Leading a team of public health professionals and supporting functions with the potential to deploy at short notice.
- Supporting the rapid investigation and response to disease outbreaks at source, with the aim of limiting their impact on critical infrastructure and preventing further spread or harm.
- Dealing with scenarios where multiple outbreaks occur within a localised area and where there is danger of local management capacity being overwhelmed.
- Conducting rigorous research to aid outbreak preparedness and response and improve future response and feed into wider UK biobank and genetic diversity research.
- Generating an evidence base for best practice in disease outbreak interventions where gaps in current evidence exist.
- Strengthening local HPT capacity through training, feedback and sharing of lessons learnt to enable improved and rapid response to disease outbreaks.
About us
UKHSA mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. To achieve our objectives effectively and fairly, we commit to representing modern Britain and all its diversity. UKHSA recognises that diversity of background and life experience brings different insights, creates challenge and encourages change and innovation. This in turn produces more accountable and trusted public services and better decisions; better because they are more attuned to the needs and interests of all our communities. Differences of thought and outlook are not only respected but expected. We want all our employees to feel that they can be themselves at work and that they are valued.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Job Specific Responsibilities
In delivering these responsibilities, the post holder will be expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty competencies set out in appendix A and to meet the person specification.
- The consultant will lead and manage the Rapid Investigation Team
- The consultant will take a lead role in the reactive service with Scientists, Information Officers, Health Protection Practitioners, Epidemiology Fellows, Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine / Specialist Trainees and administration team.
- The consultant will be expected to lead the response to incidents or outbreaks at local, regional and national levels working with local health protection teams and other stakeholders where required
- The consultant will provide epidemiological advice and support to UKHSA Regions, Consultants in Health Protection, Directors of Public Health and others involved in the control of communicable disease and infection and the management of regional and national incidents/outbreaks
- The consultant will undertake the surveillance of communicable disease and infection, both in hospitals and the wider community, at local and national level where required, to ensure that timely and accurate information is available to those involved in the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and infection at local, regional and national levels
- The consultant will undertake other duties as agreed by negotiation between the post holder and the RIT Deputy Director or Director of Field Services.
Option 3 External
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Job Specific Responsibilities
In delivering these responsibilities, the post holder will be expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty competencies set out in appendix A and to meet the person specification.
- The consultant will lead and manage the Rapid Investigation Team
- The consultant will take a lead role in the reactive service with Scientists, Information Officers, Health Protection Practitioners, Epidemiology Fellows, Specialist Registrars in Public Health Medicine / Specialist Trainees and administration team.
- The consultant will be expected to lead the response to incidents or outbreaks at local, regional and national levels working with local health protection teams and other stakeholders where required
- The consultant will provide epidemiological advice and support to UKHSA Regions, Consultants in Health Protection, Directors of Public Health and others involved in the control of communicable disease and infection and the management of regional and national incidents/outbreaks
- The consultant will undertake the surveillance of communicable disease and infection, both in hospitals and the wider community, at local and national level where required, to ensure that timely and accurate information is available to those involved in the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and infection at local, regional and national levels
- The consultant will undertake other duties as agreed by negotiation between the post holder and the RIT Deputy Director or Director of Field Services.
Option 3 External
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 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) Or Inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine/or medical microbiology
- If an applicant is UK trained, 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 If an applicant is non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT
- Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of Faculty of Public Health/ Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment or equivalent MRCPath or MRCP in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can handle people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Experience
Essential
- Significant strategic experience of leadership for public health
- Staff management and training
- Scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Experience in the application of epidemiological methods such as case control and cohort studies to investigate public health problems
Desirable
- Practical experience in facilitating change
Skills
Essential
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
- Proven excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the media)
- Proven and effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
- Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
- Good presentational skills (oral and written)
- Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
- Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
- Ability to apply epidemiological methods and statistics
- Computer literate
- Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
- Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource and staff management skills
- Project Management skills
- Budget management skills
Desirable
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Training and mentoring skills
Knowledge
Essential
- High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
- Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of interfaces between health and social care
- An understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their applications to public health practice
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services, clinical infectious diseases services and clinical toxicology services
- Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of grant development and research methodology
Equality and Diveristy
Essential
- 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
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 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) Or Inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine/infectious diseases medicine/or medical microbiology
- If an applicant is UK trained, 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 If an applicant is non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT
- Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of Faculty of Public Health/ Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment or equivalent MRCPath or MRCP in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can handle people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Experience
Essential
- Significant strategic experience of leadership for public health
- Staff management and training
- Scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Experience in the application of epidemiological methods such as case control and cohort studies to investigate public health problems
Desirable
- Practical experience in facilitating change
Skills
Essential
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
- Proven excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the media)
- Proven and effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
- Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
- Good presentational skills (oral and written)
- Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
- Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
- Ability to apply epidemiological methods and statistics
- Computer literate
- Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
- Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource and staff management skills
- Project Management skills
- Budget management skills
Desirable
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Training and mentoring skills
Knowledge
Essential
- High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
- Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of interfaces between health and social care
- An understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their applications to public health practice
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services, clinical infectious diseases services and clinical toxicology services
- Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice
Desirable
- Knowledge of grant development and research methodology
Equality and Diveristy
Essential
- 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
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
