Consultant in Public Health

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

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

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Competency .

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) 1200 word Statement of Suitability/ behaviour statements / technical statements

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1200

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 criteria will be conducted:

• Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register or UK Public Health (Special Inclusion in the GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview); UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months
• Minimum 6 months experience in Health Protection practice
• Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call

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.If face to face interviewsare planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remoteinterview.

Interviews will be held at Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE

Interviews will be held WC 09 February 2026. Please note these dates are subject to change.

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:

How would you manage major change whilst still supporting the public health agenda

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.

Security Clearance

All successful candidates must meet the basic security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is:

• Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Hybrid

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Quarry House, Leeds. 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). 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).

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.

Consultant

£109,725 - £145,478 (National)

Agenda for Change (AfC)

£91,342 - £105,337 (National)

UK Health Security Agency promoted diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunities employer

Qualifications

Essential

• Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register or UK Public Health (Special Inclusion in the GMC full and specialist register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview); UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists or be eligible within 6 months
• If included in the GMC Specialist Register 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 practice
• Public health specialist registrar and specialist trainee applicants who are not yet on the GMC Register/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/UKPHR. 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 the Faculty of Public Health/Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
• MFPH by examination or evidence of equivalent qualification; FRC Path or evidence of equivalent qualification; MRCP or evidence of equivalent qualification

Desirable

• 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

Experience & Knowledge

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
• People management and training
• Training and mentoring

Skills & 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
• Resource management skills
• 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

Desirable

• Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
• Peer reviewed scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars, etc.
• 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

Equality & 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

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).