Consultant in Public Health Infection

UK Health Security Agency; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The UK Health Security Agency is seeking a Consultant in Public Health Infection to deliver high-quality health protection services. You will lead efforts to control outbreaks and provide microbiology expertise, collaborating with various stakeholders in a dynamic health environment. This hybrid role offers diverse responsibilities and flexible working opportunities.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Learning and development tailored to the role

Inclusive workplace culture

Qualifications

• Medical degree, preferably with public health specialization.
• Experience in outbreak management and public health microbiology.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate on outbreak detection and control efforts.
• Provide strategic leadership on public health services and microbiology.
• Support local health protection teams in infection prevention.

Skills

Diagnostic microbiology

Infectious diseases expertise

Data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Medical degree or equivalent

Job description

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our supporting hub at Rivergate, Bristol. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using 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 be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Job Summary

Health Protection in Regions

This role is within the Health Protection in Regions Directorate, which forms part of the Chief Medical Advisor’s Group of UKHSA. Health Protection in Regions deliverexpert, trusted, andresilient health protection services, protecting societyfrom harm frominfectious diseases and environmentalhazards locally, nationally, and across the globe. This becomes reality with collaboration and coordination of data, information, and support from across the Group, Agency, and wider health family.

Field Services Division

The Field Services Division was established to provide a national comprehensive service which is geographically dispersed and integrates epidemiological, microbiological, data science and other public health capacity and skills to consistently deliver high-quality disease surveillance, public health intelligence and outbreak response.

Field Services provides an effector arm for UKHSA, supporting the translation of evidence into practice as well as having a role in strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak response through closer links with the NHS and other partners. It also maintains valuable links to academic centres to support the advancement of the evidence base for health protection and provides effective leadership and coordination of the UKHSA field epidemiology training function.

Job Description

Consultant in Public Health Infection

In each UKHSA region, FSD and health protection teams work closely with the consultant in public health infection (CPHI) to deliver a high-quality health protection service. CPHIs in collaboration with FSD, HPTs and regional laboratories play an important role in supporting outbreak and incident responses, providing public health microbiology advice including interpretation of test results and overseeing public health microbiology laboratory regional services.

This role requires maintaining active links and relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, both within UKHSA (e.g., Health Protections Teams, reference and specialist microbiology laboratories) and outside of UKHSA (e.g., NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, infection prevention and control (IPC) networks, and commissioners of healthcare services). Together the regional CPHIs form the national CPHI network. The CPHI network promotes positive collaboration and peer support to encourage enhanced working practices and ensure that public health microbiology has national consistency and resilience.

Please See Attached Job Description For Further Details.

Consultant in Public Health Infection

In each UKHSA region, FSD and health protection teams work closely with the consultant in public health infection (CPHI) to deliver a high-quality health protection service. CPHIs in collaboration with FSD, HPTs and regional laboratories play an important role in supporting outbreak and incident responses, providing public health microbiology advice including interpretation of test results and overseeing public health microbiology laboratory regional services.

This role requires maintaining active links and relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, both within UKHSA (e.g., Health Protections Teams, reference and specialist microbiology laboratories) and outside of UKHSA (e.g., NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, infection prevention and control (IPC) networks, and commissioners of healthcare services). Together the regional CPHIs form the national CPHI network. The CPHI network promotes positive collaboration and peer support to encourage enhanced working practices and ensure that public health microbiology has national consistency and resilience.

Please See Attached Job Description For Further Details.

Person specification

• Act as a key member of UKHSA’s multidisciplinary team (including colleagues in health protection team(s), food, water and environment, FS, national experts, etc) delivering outbreak detection, prevention, and control across the region and, if required, to other regions and nationally.
• Provide strategic leadership for determining the requirements and priorities for the provision and commissioning of PHM and infection services from the budget allocated to the region. This will be undertaken in conjunction with colleagues in Health Protection Operations Group, Chief Scientific Advisor Group, the NHS, and Local Authority public health teams, to reflect the aims and objectives of the health protection system.
• Act as the scientific and clinical interface between UKHSA and other providers of laboratory services in the region, including both the NHS and Independent Sector. This involves expertise in diagnostic microbiology, having strong clinical infectious diseases expertise, understanding data and analytical capacity and experience in providing advice/services in this regard.
• Provide specialist and impartial advice on the prevention and control of a range of public health infections and other public health related topics as required across the Region.
• To provide support to local health protection teams in delivering the HCAI/AMR agenda. This may include peer review of local Infection Prevention & Control services at the request of partner organisations (e.g., NHS, local authorities) or health protections teams and providing strategic advice as required. This may be in response to concerns about practice, provision, or recent increases in HCAI/AMR cases/situations.
• Provide specialist and impartial advice for all infections of public health interest in the region, such as gastrointestinal infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, respiratory infections, and others as required.
• Contribute to the training and supervision of scientific and medical trainees within UKHSA’s FS and wider laboratory network and act as an advocate for public health infection training in the NHS across the region.
• Contribute to succession planning arrangements to help develop the FS CPHI team to meet future demands.
• Provide a focus for research and development in public health infection across the region; in particular, develop strong partnership working with local academic centres and across UKHSA, including Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs), where appropriate.
• Work with colleagues in the FS, UKHSA and NHS laboratory network and in health protection teams to ensure appropriate surveillance systems are in place and support the intelligent interpretation of surveillance data in the investigation of clusters and outbreaks of infection, both in the community and within hospital trusts.
• Take a lead role with providers of NHS clinical microbiology services across the region to promote standards and outputs from existing and future surveillance schemes and routine laboratory reporting to provide information for improving the control and prevention of infection and the effective delivery of public health. This is further enhanced by providing clinical diagnostic expertise to colleagues in FS and HPTs.
• Be prepared to take on wider national roles and represent the FS in discussion with government departments, agencies, and professional groups as appropriate to individual expertise and experience and when requested by the Deputy Director of FS.
• Support the FS clinical governance structure and participate in clinical audit.
  
  

Please See Attached Job Description For Further Details.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  
  

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 consider 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/

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Selection process details

External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using the Civil Service Competency Framework.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the job description & person specification attached to this job advert.

You Will Be Required To Complete An:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• up to 1500 word Statement of Suitability
  
  

The Application Form and Statement of Suitability will be scored together.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

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)

Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1500 words.

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.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview stage (competency based):

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.

Interviews will be held week commencing 8th September 2025, please note these dates are subject to change.

This vacancy is being assessed using Civil Service Competency framework. During the interview we will assess against the below:

Knowledge

Experience

Skills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present an 8 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview. Use of slides will be permitted.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security 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.

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Nick Young, Consultant Epidemiologist
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

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: [e-mail] 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: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk