Job summary
There are 3 posts available, 2 of which are permanent the other is Fixed Term for 12 months
This is a senior role within the health protection team and provides leadership, management and oversight of the health protection function, including the response to incidents and outbreaks and responsibility for the day to day operational delivery.
The post holder will play a key role in developing, shaping and assuring the health protection function, which may include managing individuals and teams, working closely with partners, and ensuring delivery of high-quality surveillance, response and support systems. The post holder will have responsibility for developing and maintaining close working relationships both internally and with partner organisations. In addition, they will contribute and lead on regional and national priorities, including contribution to wider public health initiatives consistent with the regional delivery model and integrated working.
Main duties of the job
The post is subject to the core competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health for Consultant appointments and the post holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in all of them (Appendix A).
RESPONSE
- Will be expected, when required, to assume overall responsibility for the management of incidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases, lead the local Health Protection team response to non-infectious environmental hazards and chemical incidents and assume overall responsibility for the day to day running of the acute response function.
- To utilise an evidence-based approach to manage clinical/professional advice and discussions within the team and support and participate in the team's formal case review process.
SURVEILLANCE
- Contribute strategically to the development and maintenance of effective systems for the surveillance of communicable disease and environmental hazards.
- Proactively use surveillance outputs to inform and influence local and national Public Health actions, policies and strategies.
For further 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
Details
- Date posted: 19 June 2026
- Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
- Salary: £94,356 to £145,478 a year per annum, pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Reference number: 919-HM-306710-EXT
- Job locations: Rivergate, Bristol or Follaton House, Totnes, Bristol, BS1 6EH, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA.
This will include:
Internal
- UKHSA Regional teams
- Other UKHSA divisions/directorates
External
- Lower & Upper Tier Local Authorities
- Directors of Public Health & teams
- Education
- Social Services
- Environmental Health
- Health Protection Boards
- NHS England
- Clinical Commissioning Groups
- NHS Acute Trusts & provider organisations
- Infection Prevention & Control teams
- Hospital staff including clinicians, microbiologists and infection control
- Local Resilience Fora and Local Health Resilience Partnerships
- Environment Agency
- Animal Health
- Water / Utilities Companies
- Care Homes
- Universities / Colleges/ Schools
- General Practitioners and other staff in Primary Care
- Health & Wellbeing Boards
- Care Quality Commission
- Local Prisons
- Emergency Services
- Emergency Planning Resilience and Response (EPRR) team
We are advertising for 3 consultant roles, two permanent and one fixed term for 12 months.
External
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Stage 1: Application & Sift
This vacancy is using Competencies
At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the Job Description & Person Specification attached to this vacancy advert.
You will be required to complete an:
- Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)
- 1500 word Statement of Suitability/ behaviour statements / technical statements
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)
Longlisting:In the event of a large number of applications we may longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
Only those who meet ALL essential criteria will be taken through to the next stage
If we receive a large number of applications, an initial sift against the lead criteria will be conducted:
- Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List/UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists.
We will only take through applications that meet all essential criteria.
Desirable criteria may be used if we receive a large number of applications.
Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview stage (competency based):
You will be invited to a face to face interview.
Interviews will be held at2 Rivergate, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6EH, dates to be confirmed
This vacancy is being assessed using a competency based method. During the interview we will assess against the below:
KnowledgeExperienceSkills and Abilities
You will be asked to prepare and present a 5 minute presentation on the following:
What do you think are the main health protection issues in the South West, and how will you work to address them?
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d.
Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)
If included in the GMC Specialist Register/ in a specialty other than public health medicine, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice
Public Health Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register 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.
Inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or eligibility within six months of interview).
Nonmedical applicants who are not yet fully registered with the UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within six months of gaining specialist registration at the date of interview. All other nonmedical applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the UKPHR Specialist Register (for example, confirmation that a UKPHR specialist portfolio has been submitted).
Security Clearance Level Requirement
Successful candidates for this role must pass an enhanceddisclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.
Hybrid working
This role is being offered as hybrid working based at either 2 Rivergate, Bristol or Follaton House, Totnes. 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)) in the office.
Salary Information
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.
AfC Band 8d (UKPHR)
£94,356 - £108,814
Consultant (GMC)
£109,725 - £145,478
UK Health Security Agency promoted diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunities employer
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential
- The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 (legislation.gov.uk) In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists at the point of application
- If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice
- Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview Applicants going through the portfolio registration routes (GMC or UKPHR) are not eligible to be shortlisted for interview until they are included on the register. The six-month rule does not apply to these portfolio route applicants
- If an applicant is UK trained in Public Health, 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 (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body
- MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment, or equivalent
Desirable
- Postgraduate qualification in Public Health or a related field (e.g. MPH)
Equality and Diversity
Essential
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems
Skills and Capabilities
Essential
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills, including management of change
- Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
- Adaptable to situations, can communicate with people of all capabilities and attitudes
- Project management
- Understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the public and the media)
- 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
- Computer literate
- Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
- Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
- Resource management skills
Desirable
- People management and training
- Training and mentoring
- Have an awareness of and be working towards the key core competencies set out in Civil Service Competency Framework 2010-2017 and KSF for those on AfC terms and conditions
Behaviours and Attitudes
Essential
- Strong commitment to public health principles
- Commitment to team-working and respect and consideration for the skills of others
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Minimum 6 months experience in Health Protection practice
- Practical experience in leading and facilitating change
- Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
- Experience of working with other agencies
- Experience of emergency planning
- Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, audit, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
- Understanding of social and political environment
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology services
- Understanding of clinical infectious diseases services
- Understanding of clinical toxicology services
- Understanding of the principles of radiological protection
Desirable
- Experience of budget management and financial processes
- Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards / chemical incidents
- Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
- Peer reviewed scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars
- Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Consultant Health Protection with UK Health Security Agency in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Canary Wharf), London, United Kingdom. It is listed as a Consultant Medical doctor Public Health role. The advertised salary is £94,356 to £145,478 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 10 Jul 2026.
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