Regional Deputy Director of Health Protection - South West

Job responsibilities

6. Development of an effective region-wide health protection function delivering high quality, resilient and integrated health protection services. Work well with UKHSA colleagues working with partners to develop robust and effective local health protection systems, which reflects the needs and responsibilities of UKHSA and its partners.7. Contribute to national work on developing a comprehensive health protection system across England, working closely with colleagues at a regional, national and sometimes international level.8. Lead a portfolio or programme areas of work linked to UKHSA national strategic priorities.9. Develop and maintain joint leadership arrangements with public health senior leaders in Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the NHS and Local Authorities leading relevant national programmes with responsibility for achieving related public health outcomes.

Performance, Governance and Risk1. Establish and oversee the implementation of appropriate clinical and non-clinical governance and quality improvement processes within the relevant region aligned with national systems to ensure high standards are upheld within all aspects of the health protection service regionally.2. Implement and maintain appropriate systems to monitor and report against key outcomes and metrics relevant to the service.3. Establish and maintain robust regional processes for developing, implementing and monitoring delivery of performance management systems including reporting within directorate group and agency.4. Use data and evidence to make decisions and influence outcomes demonstrating analysis of complex problems and interpreting complex data to create and present evidence-based insight and recommendations. Use data to effectively drive recommendations, consider the impact on a wide range of stakeholders to understand and highlight risks. Encourage others to do the same.5. Demonstrate effective leadership skills across the region/organisation; build capability by developing, designing and embedding capability and performance approaches. Lead and coach others to build diverse and capable teams.

Please see attached Job Description & Person Specification for full details.

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 9.

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).

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 based framework.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your statement of suitability must be no more than 1000.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, referring to the attached Job Description & Person Specification.

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).

Application form & Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Interview stage (competency based):

You will be invited to a remote interview.

Interviews will be held week commencing Monday 8th June 2026, please note these dates are subject to change.

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

KnowledgeExperienceSkills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation at the start of your interview, around the subject of priorities in the role. The specific 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 Security Clearance.

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 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC). UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Health Protection Operations Hubs in either Bristol or 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 working at the Health Protection Operations Hubs.

Education/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/dental public health, 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/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
• 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.
• 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

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to influence senior professionals and stakeholders including directors and CEOs
• Able to see the bigger picture and understand political, economic, social, environmental and technological impacts
• Highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly with a diverse network of senior stakeholders and to present issues simply and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Able to develop highly effective teams, leading with energy and enthusiasm, creating a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness
• Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
• Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the nation's health protection through mainstream activities and within resources
• High standards of professional probity

Experience

Essential

• Experience leading a regional health protection team and can provide peer leadership to others
• Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
• leader who has highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly with a diverse network of senior stakeholders and to present issues simply and effectively, both orally and in writing
• Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
• Experience of emergency planning including leading work in regions
• Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences
• Experience leading major health protection incidents
• Experience of acting as a source of expertise and innovation to set professional standards, creativity and driving continuous improvement in health protection delivery.
• Extensive media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health protection messages

Desirable

• Experience using your influence to make a positive difference across the Civil Service and externally.

Skills

Essential

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational competence
• Experience of dynamic risk assessment, management and global judgement
• Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public's health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources
• Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• Aptitude to understand complex issues that may be outside of established skill sets, such as statistical policy, health economics and technical implementation.
• Developing people and teams through training, mentoring and coaching
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of decision-making processes at national and local level in both government and health and care settings.
• In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluation and evidence based public health practice
• Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health)
• 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

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).