UK-PHRST RCCE/Social Science Specialist (Reserve Cadre)
UK Health Security Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 26th September 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Please read through the attached information pack and get this signed off if you wish to apply for the role. Once signed please send to Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk Please ensure you have your line managers permission before applying to the role.
Launched in 2016, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) is an innovative government-academia partnership funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and co-led by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), with a consortium of academic and implementing partners in the UK and internationally. It comprises a multidisciplinary team of public health professionals and researchers with a novel integrated triple-remit of outbreak response, research, and capacity strengthening to prevent and control epidemics of infectious diseases in countries eligible for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). Both institutes contribute to and are responsible for delivery of the UK-PHRST triple mandate across outbreak response, research and capacity strengthening, with LSHTM leading the research programme and UKHSA who lead the outbreak response.
Job description
Outbreak Response
- Provide support on outbreak response activities for the country of deployment and the UK- PHRST for risk communication and community engagement activities, and the collection and analysis of operational social science data.
- Lead and/or contribute to the design, development, and implementation of targeted interventions (informed by community engagement, rapid social science research, community feedback data and appropriate theoretical approaches), to assist with outbreak management and reduce spread of disease either nationally or in specific, affected areas.
- Lead and/or contribute to the development, elaboration and implementation of the risk communication and community engagement plan, ensuring this is underpinned by robust operational social science research, as part of outbreak response operations
- Ensure that rapid social science research, including analysis of community feedback data, is disseminated to other response pillars (e.g. surveillance, case management etc.) and used to inform decision making across the response
- Identify and develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders - community groups, leaders and other partners in the community and civil society - for the promotion of key practices to stop disease transmission.
Person specification
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Liaise closely with local and regional counterparts for risk communication and social science (such as the Collective Service, or the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform) ensuring coherence of strategy, materials and messages. Ensure that technical material produced by the response locally integrates community
- Support management of outbreak priorities and activities with social science evidence-based advice, in line with outbreak response needs.
- Provide additional support to the development, implementation and evaluation of social and behavioural science components within the national outbreak response (e.g., revisions to guidance documentation, advising on national intervention design and implementation).
- Support response in affected countries to reduce the impact of the outbreak, including scoping the need for further support and research.
- Work on sustainable RCCE and operational social science plans. Projects conducted by RCCE/Social Science UK-PHRST should aim to be sustainable even after the end of deployment.
- Support inter-agency coordination efforts for the risk communication and community engagement pillar to ensure harmonization of tools and approaches as well as information sharing amongst key stakeholders.
- Contribute to the development, strengthening and application of social data collection for risk communications and community engagement interventions, as well as for other pillars of the operation.
- Support cross-pillar coordination efforts, information sharing, and the design and implementation of integrated outbreak response approaches.
- Liaise with appropriate national and regional counterparts to integrate findings from knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) surveys, ethnographic studies, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, observation and other feedback from community engagement activities into operational decision-making platforms.
- During deployments or as part of capacity strengthening, train partner staff on RCCE and operational social science components (e.g. establishing community feedback mechanisms, developing social listening skills)
- The UK-PHRST is a multidisciplinary team that includes a range of technical skillsets from across public health, core programme/operational management, and senior leadership.
Partnership Working
- Develop and nurture key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders as required for role.
- Contribute to strengthening regional and in-country capacity and capability through training and
Capacity strengthening and research
- Reservists may be requested to provide surge support for specific capacity strengthening or research projects, which may include activities which:
- Contribute to teaching/training programmes and activities on RCCE and/or social science.
- Contribute to the development and management of a capacity strengthening programme overseas, or global products such as the creation of new tools or updating existing guidelines.
- Teach colleagues and stakeholders on risk communications and community engagement and/or operational social science
- Support ongoing training activities within the UK-PHRST and partners.
- Develop teaching material and
- Conduct and contribute to UK-PHRST research projects for RCCE or social science.
- Analyse datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research
- Write research reports and peer-review
- Present at scientific conferences, meetings and other
Management
- Actively engage in meetings with internal and external
- Identify and seek to resolve potential
- Be responsible for managing own workload, including developing objectives and reviewing progress against these.
- Comply with UKHSA Information Governance standards, including understanding the ethical, legal and technical obligations for protection of personal patient information
- Line management as necessary within the team
Essential Criteria
- MSc or PhD in Social and Behavioural Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Education, Communication, Public Relations or another relevant Public Health Communications related field
- Knowledge of current developments in risk communication and community engagement and/or in operational social science in outbreaks or other public health emergencies
- Proven experience of rapid assessments, operational research, social data research and analysis, including participatory and qualitative methods, with proficiency in qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo, supported by peer-reviewed publications.
- Proven experience in the development and implementation of RCCE and rapid social science strategies and plans in LMICs
- Experience of delivering training and/or capacity development in risk communications, community engagement, health promotion, operational social science or communication for international development.
- Experience of qualitative data collection and analysis, including community feedback data, during outbreak response
- Experience of providing effective project and people management.
- Able to apply risk communications/community engagement principles and concepts in acute emergency settings in LMICs
- Highly effective verbal, written and presentation communications skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.
- Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co- workers and key stakeholders both in the UK and overseas.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems and working with multi-ethnic and multi-cultural teams.
Desirable Criteria
- Understanding of information governance, data protection issues and data confidentially requirements.
- Ability to communicate (speak/read) at a working level in a second language (other than English), such as French, Portuguese, or Arabic.
Benefits
- 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 average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Selection process
This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will evaluate your qualifications, knowledge, and experience, and/or skills and capabilities outlined in the application.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification below. This assessment will be in the form of
- CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- 1000 words 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.
Please note: The system will allow you to write up to 1500 words but please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
The CV / Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered
Stage 2: Interview
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
During the interview we will assess your competencies against the criteria listed in the job description.
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.
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 based at London (10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf) but will involve overseas travel as required by the UK-PHRST
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 be willing to undergo enhanced security clearance checks National Security Vetting whilst in-post. The level of security needed is Security Check (SC) See our vetting charter. The successful candidate/s can undergo these checks once they are in post.
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 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance.
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 it could be time accrued over that period.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Sophie Everest
- Email : Sophie.Everest@ukhsa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk
Further information
