Job vacancy: Technical Development Manager, UK Health Security Agency, Didcot

Job summary

Main area

Science

Grade

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-JP-302962-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: UKHSA Chilton
Town: Didcot
Salary: £44,148 - £50,121 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 04/01/2026 23:59

Technical Development Manager

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will work within our established quality management and customer care systems to improve reliability and resilience in routine business and emergency response preparedness. You will manage a small team including responsibility for Dosemeter Logistics and Operations. The service continues to expand, and you will have a role in ensuring that we continue to be highly reliable while improving our emergency response preparedness.

Our emergency response function is to provide for population monitoring in the event of a radiation incident. You will lead in ensuring that emergency capability is established and maintained, to include resources (personnel, capital equipment, supplies etc.), regular testing and exercising, and continuing liaison with stakeholders, including colleagues in RCCE Emergency Response group.

Your duties will include:

Leading development and maintenance of the service to ensure adequate technical capability to respond in (a) routine business and (b) emergency response situations.
Taking a lead in regularly assessing current technical capability to ensure routine and emergency response requirements are met.
Proposing and agreeing actions to deliver these developments, and ensuring that projects are managed effectively, taking the lead in projects for technical resources.
Management of capital equipment and associated acquisitions – business justifications, liaison with procurement etc.
Negotiating with suppliers on purchases and support contracts
Participating in RCCE emergency response exercises at appropriate levels and developing self and staff through training.
Liaison with own staff, other PDS staff, other UKHSA departments/ groups, external agencies, suppliers etc.
Routine management of two teams; Line manager of the Technical Operations Manager and the Dosemeter Logistics and Operations teams
Responsibility for Exercising PDS emergency response plans as appropriate
Evaluating risks to routine business, e.g. when participating in emergency response
Responsibility for purchasing PDS routine and emergency response supplies and equipment valuing over £500k
Forward planning with the PDS Manager for technical improvements in operations, investigating and making suggestions for solutions
Planning, reviewing and making suggestions for audits; writing up audits and making suggestions for improvements, taking a senior auditor role within PDS
Reviewing and developing procedures (Manuals & Standard Operating Procedures) for input into quality documents for PDS’s approval by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as a Dosimetry Service as well as accreditation as a Testing Laboratory under the ISO/IEC 17025;2017 standard.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, internal and external to UKHSA.

Selection Criteria

Essential Criteria

Level 6 qualifications (e.g., bachelor’s degree), in a science subject, or equivalent experience in a similar role
Experience of working in, and managing a small team, including line-management responsibilities; training, developing, coaching, leading and motivating staff; working in a team that delivers technically complex services in an area with stringent technical requirements
Experience of following standard quality procedures, particularly ISO17025 to maintain accreditation for the Laboratory including preparing, planning and leading audits.
Experience of working in a customer-oriented, commercial environment to include direct contact with customers and knowledge of good customer care.
Experience of working in a Lab based environment within a scientific organisation; and of planning/ implementing challenging projects in a fast-paced multidisciplinary radiation laboratory service
Experience of delivering formal lectures and training, and presentation at scientific meetings
Ability to analyse and interpret complex scientific, technical, and operational problems/situations, using a range of facts to deliver appropriate decisions, judgements and recommendations.
Ability to assess solutions against cost/priority to make sound business decisions/recommendations and provide ways forward to gain financial approval/resolution of problems
Excellent, effective communication and relationship building skills, to include face-to-face, audio/video and written, covering a range of stakeholders, such as customers, colleagues, suppliers, specialists and non-specialists.
Ability to convey complex instructions, ideas and opinions, and sometimes sensitive information, clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and able to use the appropriate style and method for a wide range of situations
Excellent prioritising, both routinely and in pressured emergency situations, with the ability to see, keep in mind and act upon “the bigger picture”: all of the various operational dependencies and relationships
Ability to manage and prioritise a personal portfolio of short- and long-term work, make decisions autonomously, when required, working to tight and changing timescales

Desirable role criteria:

Internal Auditing Training for ISO17025:2017.
Experience in radiation protection and of working in an HSE approved Dosimetry Lab environment, with knowledge of current regulations.
Ability to interpret regulations and standards to provide recommendations on maintaining approvals, and development of dosimetry services for PDS
Additional Information

Selection Process

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 12 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
a 1500 word supporting statement

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

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). Please do not email us your CV.

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

Meets all essential criteria
Meets some essential criteria
Meets no essential criteria

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

Excellent, effective communication and relationship building skills, to include face-to-face, audio/video and written, covering a range of stakeholders, such as customers, colleagues, suppliers, specialists and non-specialists. Ability to convey complex instructions, ideas and opinions, and sometimes sensitive information, clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and able to use the appropriate style and method for a wide range of situations

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview (delete as appropriate

Knowledge, experience, skills and abilities will be tested at interview.

You will be required to prepare a 5-10 minute presentation as part of the interview. The details of this are: “How would you initiate and manage a project; to include ideas on developing relationships with key suppliers, improving technical and practical aspects, and quality management, to keep the services running effectively?"

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 office / lab based at Didcot. Please note that hybrid working is not available with this role.

Eligibility Criteria

External  - 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 Counter Terrorism Check 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 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. 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. 

Person specification

Application form and supporting statement

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Presentation

Essential criteria

Presentation

Essential criteria

Questions on experience, knowledge and skills

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment 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

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

Working for the Civil Service

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 equality of opportunity. 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:  [email protected] 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 here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates 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 usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

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 take into account 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/

International Police Check

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 could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

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.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Future location

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.