Senior Emergency Preparedness Manager

• Substantial experience in Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR), including complex preparedness, response and incident management environments.
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced and uncertain environments, using sound judgement to assess issues, solve problems, prioritise competing demands, delegate appropriately and identify practical solutions.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to analyse data, produce reports and presentations, engage confidently with internal and external forums, represent the organisation with senior stakeholders, and build trusted relationships to support collaboration and delivery.
• Proven leadership experience across incident management and coordination, operational delivery, projects, organisational change, improvement activity or business development, with evidence of strengthening services, capability or organisational resilience
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office and the ability to use digital tools to improve efficiency and ways of working.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

• Experience working in the public sector or other large organisations.
• A deep understanding of the wider health, government or civil contingencies context in the UK

Please note that for roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

£56,185 - £70,566

per annum, pro rata

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.

£56,185- £66,581 (National)
£58,340- £68,574 (Outer London)
£60,494- £70,566 (Inner London)

Grade 7

The post holder will manage the delivery of a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) portfolio within the National Response Centre (NRC), UKHSA's Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. They will lead teams to ensure that the NRC operates effectively, efficiently and in line with UKHSA's Incident Response Plan, statutory requirements and emergency management principles. They will provide operational leadership across the incident management cycle, including situational awareness, preparedness, response, recovery and organisational learning.

The post holder will own a portfolio area and lead complex projects and workstreams, develop policies and processes, and strengthen organisational preparedness and response capability. They will act as a senior NRC representative, working with stakeholders across UKHSA, government departments, NHS organisations, resilience partners and other agencies; advise senior leaders; support decision-making; coordinate activity during incidents and emergencies; and fulfil an out-of-hours on-call role to support the NRC's 24/7 response function. Working autonomously in a pressured environment, they will balance strategic priorities with delivery, lead dispersed teams, collaborate across organisational boundaries, and support continuous improvement and professional development.

The post holder will manage NRC incident coordination activity for national incidents, including day-to-day operations, resources, processes, governance, escalation and 24/7 response arrangements within their remit. They will provide senior tactical Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response advice, support coordination and decision-making, manage staff and functions, and contribute to workforce planning, recruitment, training, wellbeing and development.

They will lead or contribute to governance, compliance, risk, assurance, business planning, finance, strategic workstreams and projects; produce business cases and option appraisals; embed learning, innovation and health equity; manage workload and cover; maintain professional development; and undertake reasonable duties in response to changing organisational needs.

The key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the NRC's incident coordination function for UKHSA national incidents, managing day-to-day operations, resources, processes and governance, and escalating issues as required.
• Providing senior tactical EPRR advice across UKHSA and government, supporting coordination, escalation and decision-making during incidents and emergencies.
• Participating in out-of-hours on-call or seven-day working where required to support the NRC's 24/7 response function and protect public health.
• Acting as a visible, positive leader, role-modelling professional standards, managing staff and functions, and supporting flexibility, wellbeing and development.
• Supporting the management of NRC resources, workforce planning and operational capacity with HR, Business Operations and corporate colleagues on recruitment, training, development, updates and change programmes.
• Leading or contributing to NRC governance, compliance, risk reporting, assurance, statutory and mandatory training, and appraisal returns.
• Supporting business planning and monitoring with the NRC Senior Management Team, identifying delivery risks and contributing to assurance processes.
• Leading or contributing to agreed strategic workstreams, projects and topic areas, working with regional and national teams and representing the Directorate as required.
• Producing business cases and option appraisals with information, costings, analysis and risks to support decision-making.
• Supporting change and continuous improvement by identifying lessons, embedding learning, promoting innovation and strengthening ways of working.
• Organising own workload, meeting deadlines, providing cover as directed and supporting team resilience.
• Demonstrating commitment to understanding and improving health equity.
• Maintaining professional development by agreeing performance and development needs with the line manager, completing mandatory training and undertaking relevant development pathways.
• Where required, holding financial authority within limits, monitoring and reporting on finance, and supporting NRC budgeting, resourcing, planning and business management.
• Undertaking other reasonable duties as directed and responding to changing team, Directorate and organisational needs, recognising that the job description and person specification may be reviewed over time.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 11th October 2026

481042

Grade 7

Permanent

Science

1

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London or Salisbury

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ's in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf) or Scientific Campus in Porton Down, Salisbury.

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) on-site.

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).

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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

Part 1

Successful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security (DBS) check before they can be appointed.

Part 2

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard. If you are to be based on our Scientific Campus in Porton Down, then Counter-Terrorism Check clearance will be needed.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years to obtain Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

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.

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant's personal details - name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction..

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

• Name : Jon Payne
• Email : jonathan.payne@ukhsa.gov.uk

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

• Print
• Email
• Gmail
• Facebook
• LinkedIn