The Department for Health and Social Care is offering up to £117,000 a year for an adviser to help “develop the reputation and influence” of the new UK Health Security Agency.
The department is looking for someone with “significant experience” of working with politicians and a good understanding of decision making in public bodies to act as senior adviser to the UKHSA chair and chief executive.
“You will operate effectively across organisational boundaries building partnerships and ensuring that the UKHSA’s voice is influential inside and outside of government,” a job advert posted at the weekend said.
They will provide “insightful judgment and advice” on how to develop UKHSA’s reputation and “to negotiate complicated stakeholder environments to ultimately deliver UKHSA’s objectives”, the ad said.
The job will focus in particular on working with international organisations as the agency “develops its global health security agenda and plays an increasingly influential role with key foreign and multinational partners”.
The senior adviser will also work with UKHSA’s communications director to manage the agency’s public reputation, according to the job ad.
The role does not require any experience in a public-health organisation, but calls for a track record of “making a strong personal impact”, providing good advice and demonstrating good judgement, and holding an “evidenced position in the face of opposition and under pressure”.
The adviser will be contracted to work remotely and earn between £71,000 and £117,000.
The successful candidate must be able to “work at pace on a range of competing priorities”, remain calm under pressure and work effectively in a team “during periods of sustained pressure, scrutiny and ambiguity”, according to the job advert.
Jenny Harries, England’s former deputy chief medical officer, was named as chief exec of the new health body – which will combine the work of the Joint Biosecurity Centre, NHS Test and Trace and some of the functions of the now-defunct Public Health England – in March.
Ian Peters, the former chief executive of British Gas and chair of Barts Health NHS Trust, chairs the agency.
Applications for the senior adviser position close on 18 June.