The UK Health Security Agency is offering up to £200,000 for its next chief executive.
The chef exec will be responsible for ensuring the agency meets its three principal aims: to prepare for and prevent future health security hazards; to respond to health security threats in a way that saves lives and reduces harm; and builds the UK’s health security capacity and resilience, including being an integral part of the country’s national security infrastructure.
They will succeed Dame Jenny Harries, who announced her plans to leave the agency in January.
Writing in the candidate pack for the job, chief medical officer for England Sir Chris Whitty described the role as “a challenging but also a fascinating one with no two days the same”.
“It requires a leader who can run a complex organisation, be good in a major crisis, inspire scientific colleagues, and work in government and international bodies at a senior level. They may have come from public health or medicine, from academia, from industry or from government,” he said.
“Whatever their background, they will make a substantial contribution to the health, security and economy of the UK through their leadership and management of this remarkable organisation.”
The chief exec will provide “strong leadership” to the 5,500-strong agency by “translating ministers’ ambitions into a clear vision” for staff and ensuring UKHSA is “organised, resourced and motivated to deliver its priorities”.
They will lead UKHSA’s emergency preparedness and response to health security threats, which range from infectious diseases to antimicrobial resistance and environmental hazards.
As the organisation’s accounting officer, they will be accountable to parliament for its performance and spending.
They will also act as an “ambassador” and representative, working with local, national and global peers on UK health security and protection.
The successful candidate will be tasked with ensuring that the agency has the scientific capabilities it needs to support health protection, as well as exploiting opportunities to contribute to economic growth and the development of the UK’s life-sciences industry – but does not need to be a scientist or a health professional themselves.
They must, however, have “sufficient breadth and depth of experience to lead and represent the UK’s health protection interests with confidence, including the communication and influencing skills to work effectively with health and science experts, ministers and a wide variety of external stakeholders”.
They must also have “confident, inclusive and engaging leadership skills”, exceptional strategic capability and judgement and the “resilience to work under sustained pressure and scrutiny”.
The role comes with a salary of between £170,000 and £200,000 and will be based in London, but with operations across England.
Headhunters Russell Reynolds are leading the search. Applications close on 2 April.