Head of EPRR London

Job summary

The Regional Head of Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response (EPRR) is a pivotal post within the region and leads the regional EPRR portfolio. Operating as an autonomous practitioner within professional boundaries, the postholder will assist the regional leadership with the command and control of major and critical incidents. They are a key member of the regional senior leadership team and work closely with the senior colleagues within the regional area and across geographical and organisational boundaries. This involves understanding complex environments and situations and engaging multidisciplinary stakeholders which is key to integrating the UKHSA region into regional responses to incidents and mutual support activities.

The role is key in ensuring a continued state of preparedness in order that the region/organisation is able to identify, react, respond, and recover from all incidents, hazards and threats both planned and unscheduled ensuring, that where practical, measures are in place to maintain continuity of its core business. The post holder will use their expertise in EPRR and seek to develop and embed good practice by using lessons identified from experiences and debriefs of incidents, exercises, and events nationally. They will ensure that EPRR is an integral part of business planning, strategy, and operations across the region.

Working for your organisation

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

Job description

The Regional Head of EPRR is the point of strategic decision making in areas such as policy for local resilience to health emergencies.

• Responsible for strategic and operational oversight of preparation, implementation, exercising and compliance of the Region’s EPRR and Business Continuity plans in accordance with local and national guidance.
• Lead and provide systematic assurance for the Region’s emergency and contingency planning arrangements at strategic, tactical and operational levels through a review of the organisation’s capabilities.
• Ensure the region is prepared to respond with the capability and capacity to emergencies and incidents covering health protection scenarios.
• In the event of a major or significant incident act as a tactical advisor to UKHSA strategic leads.
• Ensure that the region, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, fulfils its civil protection responsibilities.
• Provide assurance to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) that local and regional UKHSA EPRR systems have plans in place to respond to health emergencies, acting as the conduit between regional and national systems.
• Facilitate the operational debriefing following major, large scale or significant incidents.
• Lead the regional coordination of and enable strategic development and implementation of the EPRR assurance and preparedness functions to support corporate strategies, national and corporate guidance, and initiatives.
• Represent the Regional Deputy Director for Health Protection (RDD) at strategic LRF /ICB/ LHRP meetings.
• Provide Strategic oversight and assurance to the RDD that training, and exercising is being delivered in accordance with UKHSA requirements.
• Support the Head of Business Operations in the development and delivery of the Regions’ Business Continuity (BC) arrangements, in line with the BC Institute good practice guide 2018
• Ensure a whole system integrated approach to EPRR, by coordinating work of own staff and liaising with senior management.
• Contribute to the planning and provision of the EPRR training programme for UKHSA and external organisations staff required to undertake roles in a major incident.
• Plan and evaluate multi-agency exercises and tests, to ensure that lessons are learned, and actions implemented.

Partnerships and Collaboration

• Work with EPRR/Resilience leads to develop the Regional Resilience Strategy and Strategic and Tactical Incident Management Plans and support the production of resilience plans for system partnerships to maintain essential services and respond to major incidents.

In partnership with the Head of Resilience and relevant colleagues, contribute to and support the co-ordination of BC Activity and plans to respond to incidents and periods of disruption.

• Work with partners to ensure that emergency response capabilities are appropriate to the risks being managed, and are reviewed.
• Develop and maintain relationships with Resilience and Emergency Preparedness leads across a range of agencies.
• Engage with key strategic regional and national policy makers to inform development of strategy and policies and identify examples of national and international best practice.
• Ensure appropriate representation at local health resilience partnerships, local resilience forums and associated sup-groups and work streams.

Governance and Regulatory

• Provide the required assurances to senior leadership teams (SLTs) and HP Operations Executive that EPRR is fit for purpose, having been tested, assessed, inspected and scrutinized.
• Lead and/or contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of internal indicators and metrics which enable the region/directorate to understand and improve its performance in relation to BC, emergency planning and associated risks.
• Ensure compliance with legislative and organisational requirements (UKHSA Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response Core Standards, Civil Contingencies Act 2004 etc). Analyse and report on implications of regulatory requirements by providing briefing documents and be able to make recommendations for improved performance or compliance.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of UKHSA.

Person specification

Incident Response Activity

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day-to-day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Essential Criteria

• Significant senior-level experience in resilience, emergency preparedness, and business continuity, or a relevant Level 7 qualification with equivalent specialist knowledge such as MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management, MSc in Emergency Management and Resilience, PGCert in Emergency Preparedness and Management
• Proven experience leading multi-functional teams, managing complex operational environments, and delivering large-scale organisational transformation or national programmes.
• Highly developed knowledge of emergency planning, civil contingencies, business continuity legislation, and emergency service command and control procedures.
• Experience designing and delivering training programmes, tabletop and live exercises, structured debriefs, and embedding lessons learned to strengthen organisational resilience.
• Demonstrable experience developing and applying governance, risk management, compliance frameworks, and resilience strategies to improve organisational preparedness.
• Significant experience building effective partnerships across local, regional and national organisations, with strong communication, diplomacy, and political awareness to influence complex stakeholder environments.
• Ability to analyse complex issues, provide clear advice to senior leaders, make evidence-based decisions, drive innovation and continuous improvement, and demonstrate integrity, emotional intelligence, and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable role criteria:

• Completed Principles of Health Command Training
• Member of an EPRR professional Body
• Practical experience of applying Resilience and/or Business Continuity Policy and standards to support key work programme deliverables

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,104, UK Health Security Agency contributes

£21,757 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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. 

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

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1,000 word Supporting Statement

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.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1, 500 but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,000 words. We will not consider any words over 1,000 words.

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 CV. 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

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ and will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Significant senior-level experience in resilience, emergency preparedness, and business continuity, or a relevant Level 7 qualification with equivalent specialist knowledge such as MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management, MSc in Emergency Management and Resilience, PGCert in Emergency Preparedness and Management.
• Proven experience leading multi-functional teams, managing complex operatio