Consultant in Global Public Health, UKOTs

Job summary

This post is located within UKHSA's Global Health Protection directorate, led by the Director of Global Health Protection. The Global Health Protection directorate supports the delivery of UKHSA's Global Health Strategy. It provides a corporate service to UKHSA supporting the oversight, coordination and delivery of UKHSA's international activity and working with UK government departments and other UK partners to build and strengthen international public health links. The directorate also maintains its own extensive portfolio of global health programmes and projects, focusing on capacity building and health system strengthening in partner countries.

The Postholder will work within the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) Health Security Programme in UKHSA. The programme, which is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through its Overseas Territories Resilient Economies and Security & Stability programmes, works collaboratively to strengthen health systems that prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies and threats in the UKOTs. This is achieved through the provision of technical expertise and support across the Public Health field, both for communicable and non-communicable diseases, and other hazards.

For full details, please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

The postholder's responsibilities will be to lead two streams of work under the Resilient Communities portfolio of the UKOTs programme - risk behaviours and non-communicable diseases as well as significant senior contribution to the vulnerable populations and mental health streams. This will include delivery of public health technical advice by working with the UKOTs to identify priority areas to support system-wide and community-driven approaches to build social resilience, reduce vulnerability, and support communities to thrive through change and crisis.

The postholder will work closely in partnership with UKOT Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), members of the UKOT health teams / Ministry of Health (MoH) as well as other key UKOT ministerial departments as required to strengthen development of cross-sectoral approaches to public health issues.

The role will require leadership skills, with the postholder being an active and senior member of the UKOTs team and its Strategic Coordination Group. It will also require collaboration and partnership working with the health professionals based in the UKOTs, Voluntary Community Social Enterprise groups, community leaders, emergency planners and a variety of other international and regional stakeholders such as technical experts at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

For full details, please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification.

About us

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

Additionally, this consultant role will require a broad range of skills to be able to flex with the needs of the team, including cross team support to the health protection portfolio as required.

This role requires travel to London and international travel to the UKOTs.

Key Job Specific Responsibilities Lead a programme of technical assistance to strengthen capacity and enhance delivery in UKOTs to improve community capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from shocks and long-term stressors. Lead on core work streams of healthy lifestyles, non-communicable diseases and support vulnerable populations and mental health work streams contributing to considerations of the wider determinants of health whilst taking an asset-based approach. Provide and/or coordinate technical assistance to UKOTs on needs assessments, strategy development and evidence-based intervention design Develop and deliver support to the UKOTs on cross-sectoral approaches to public health issues to all programme priorities including the development of senior public health leadership in the UKOTs Provide leadership to relevant networks of public health professionals across the UKOTs, including significant contribution to the CMO Network Provide technical contributions to the design and delivery of the UKOTs CMO Conference on relevant areas Development of relationships with other relevant public health agencies and organisations including CARPHA, PAHO, UK and overseas local authorities to support our work with UKOTs Support UKOTs to conduct research and contribute to the evidence base Line manage Public Health Technical Advisors and other staff as required Lead on the appropriate monitoring and evaluation of workstreams in line with programme reporting and quality assurance best practice Work collaboratively with programme staff, attending progress meetings and the UKOTs team meetings. Carry out other projects and functions as agreed with the UKOT SLT and play an active role in the UKOTs Strategic Co-ordination Group Provide strategic leadership to the Resilient Communities portfolio alongside the Deputy Head of Programme Representing UKOTs programme at internal and external meetings to discuss international issues as required and providing reports on the outcomes.

For full details, please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification.

ExternalOpen to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Application & Sift:

This vacancy is using Competency.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the job advert and the attached Job Description & Person Specification.

You will be required to complete an:

Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) up to 1200 word supporting statement

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,200-word count.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible)

If we receive a large number of applications an initial sift against the lead behaviour/criteria of insert criteria/behaviour will be conducted: GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months).

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview stage (competency based):

You will be invited to a face to face interview at 10 South Colonnade, London. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Interviews will be held 2nd September 2026, please note these dates are subject to change.

This vacancy is being assessed using Competency framework. During the interview we will assess against the below:

KnowledgeExperienceSkills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present a 10 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview; slides will be permitted.

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

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 Screening.

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ at 10 South Colonnade, London. We offergreat 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).

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK*.*

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant £113,565 - £150,569 per annum, pro rataAgenda for Change Band 8d £94,356 - £108,814 per annum, pro rata

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential

• 1.GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview) or UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months
• 2.If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine practice
• 3.Public health specialty registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in dental public health/UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC/GDC/UKPHR specialist registers [see shortlisting notes below for additional guidance]
• 4.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
• 5. Applicants must meet the minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements, or another recognised professional body where applicable.
• 6. MFPH by examination, exemption or assessment.

Experience

Essential

• At least 5 years of significant strategic experience of senior leadership for public health
• Staff management and training
• Practical experience in facilitating change
• Experience of working with other agencies

Desirable

• Experience of working on global health projects
• Scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc
• Training and mentoring skills
• Knowledge of grant development and research methodology

Skills

Essential

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
• Proven excellent oral and written communication skills (including presentation skills and dealing with the media)
• Proven and effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• 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
• Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
• Resource and staff management skills
• Project Management skills
• Budget management 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
• Understanding of key agencies involved in health improvement

Equality and diversity

Essential

• Demonstrate appreciation and acknowledgement of the range and complexities of diversity; self awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

10 South Colonnade

London

E14 4PU

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)