Professions and Career Pathways Lead inBirmingham inBirmingham PUBLISHED FRI 17 JAN 2025

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

The Professions and Career Pathway Lead is an influential and business critical role that will help shape and influence the strategic direction of our professions and career pathways across UKHSA for our 6,000+ people.The Professions and Career Pathway Lead will support the Head of People Development in setting the strategic direction for our work on professions and will lead delivery to enhance the organisational capability through our professions activity.The successful candidate will be customer focused, passionate about developing colleagues, be skilled at managing diverse stakeholders and be competent in adopting L&D best practice and tools using technology as an enabler to drive and build a culture of continuous improvement.

About us

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Working with Heads of Professions to grow the maturity of our UKHSA and Civil Service professions, supporting and enabling our overall employee value proposition, contributing towards making the UKHSA a great place to work and a high performing agency.
• Lead activity to develop our approach for the development of our professions, working across the organisation to create and implement a strategic action plan that develops organisation wide career paths, identifies future skills requirements, professions and frameworks.
• Develop and implement innovative and rewarding career pathways in partnership with each of the Heads of Professions, mapped to formal and informal training opportunities (70-20-10 methodology) within an ecosystem that attracts, develops, and retains a talented multidisciplinary community.
• Form part of the People Development Senior leadership team, establishing and maintaining proactive and engaging collaboration across the Heads of Profession, and other key stakeholders across UKHSA and wider relevant Civil Service networks and broader industry.
• Delivery of a wide-reaching, innovative, impactful and engaging portfolio that is responsive to the needs of individuals across the Agency. Appreciating the diverse needs of our customer base, delivering specific initiatives that equip individuals with appropriate skills and enable continuous professional development.
• Bringing a customer-centric and commercial ethos to the team, ensuring that the user experience meets expectations and needs, is technology enabled, data driven and drives a feedback and continuous development culture whilst also understanding contract and supplier management.
• Support the development and implementation of a robust apprenticeship strategy through our Professions, that increases social mobility and enhances publicity and marketing surrounding apprenticeships at UKHSA.
• Recognising and understanding different cultures across UKHSA and how these impact on professions, adapting products where required and working with relevant stakeholders and networks to ensure overall alignment with our people strategy.
• Horizon scanning and forecasting learning trends and needs so that our offer is continually improving and is responsive to the needs of the organisation and wider society. Exploring and making the case for future technology and tools.
• Ability to clearly present robust recommendations and advice to leaders and colleagues at all levels with confidence and conviction surrounding Professional development.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Essential Criteria:

• Chartered MCIPD, or equivalent professional experience and a willingness to work towards this as part of your professional development.
• Experience of the design and delivery of high quality, end to end, impactful, strategic workforce-related initiatives.
• Experience or strong understanding of developing career/competency/skills frameworks.
• Highly proficient user of technology to enhance learning and career development within a medium/large organisation.
• Leadership and line management experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with ability to deliver and influence sometimes complex and technical concepts in an accessible way at all levels, demonstrating professional credibility and an evidence-based customer-focused approach.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver outcomes to deadlines.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience, Strengths and Ability.

Stage 1 - Application & Sift:

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed 8essential criteria which have been selected from the job description, and this will be in the form of an:

• Application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application

• 1250 word Statement of Suitability

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The application form and statement of suitability will be marked together, and you must pass both to progress.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essentialcriteria

• Meets some essential criteria

• Meets no essential criteria

Piles Meets all essentialcriteria and Meets some essential criteria will be moved through to the shortlisting stage.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on essential criteria: Experience or strong understanding of developing career/competency/skills frameworks

Please do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

Behaviour's, strengths and ability will be tested at interview.

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

The Behaviour's tested during the interview stage will be:

• Communicating and Influencing (lead)
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Leadership
• Working Together

Interviews will be held on 6th & 11th March. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. 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) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

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).

Eligibility Criteria

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

Security Clearance Level Requirement

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 Standard.