Head of Emergency Preparedness

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Manchester is seeking an Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Lead. You will ensure compliance with statutory obligations, lead training and exercises on emergency preparedness, and serve as the primary contact for emergency planning. The ideal candidate will have a first degree, management qualifications, and in-depth knowledge of EPRR. This role emphasizes strong leadership and communication skills, with a focus on maintaining healthcare resilience across multiple partners and stakeholders. The position offers a chance to make a significant impact in health emergency response.

Qualifications

• In-depth professional knowledge of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR).
• Active participation in continued Professional Development.
• Health emergency planning diploma is desirable.
• Training qualification or equivalent vocational experience is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, training and exercises for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response.
• Ensure compliance with statutory obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
• Research, develop programs, and support the Trust’s response to major incidents.
• Manage EPRR corporate processes and provide assurance to the Board.

Skills

High interpersonal skills

Strong leadership

Excellent communication

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Project management expertise

Education

First Degree or equivalent

Management Qualification/leadership training

Job description

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Responsibilities

1. Ensure Christie NHS Foundation Trust complies with statutory obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and associated regulations.
2. Lead planning, training and exercises for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR); Business continuity; and System resilience.
3. Represent the Trust in multi‑agency environments, managing projects and workstreams with TCFT clinical and corporate services, commissioners, other Health Care Providers and partners to support health economy resilience planning.
4. Advocate and promote TCFT interests and maintain strong communications with stakeholders.
5. Develop and coordinate major incident & emergency planning, providing specialist advice and supporting the Trust’s response to major incidents.
6. Manage EPRR corporate processes, providing assurance to the Board on compliance with NHS Core standards.
7. Research, develop programs, and act as a professional point of contact on Emergency Planning and Business continuity.
8. Design and maintain systems, processes, and policies ensuring emergency planning and business continuity are fit for purpose.
9. Produce and update business continuity plans, procedures, call lists, and action cards.
10. Ensure command‑and‑control (major incident) room arrangements are in place and embedded into localities.
11. Ensure plans, policies and training cover incidents such as: internal/external major incidents, floods, heat waves, extreme weather, pandemics, lockdowns, and other business continuity risks.
12. Coordinate development, monitoring, and updating of Business Impact Assessments (BIA) and Business Continuity Plans (BCPs).
13. Build professional relationships with commissioners, NHS-funded organisations and multi‑agency partners (e.g., local resilience forums).
14. Represent the Trust at local health resilience partnerships and their sub‑groups.
15. Ensure the Trust’s major incident plan aligns with those of emergency services, local councils and partner agencies.
16. Translate policy changes (national, regional, local) into operational practice.
17. Work with estates, IT, HR, switchboard and communications teams to keep emergency‑response equipment fit for purpose.
18. Plan and conduct annual desktop scenarios to test local emergency plans and incorporate lessons learned.
19. Provide support to Directors, Leadership Teams and senior managers in coordinating NHS services during major or critical incidents.
20. Assist with crisis management during business interruptions.
21. Develop a review and governance framework for updating emergency plans, enlisting staff across divisions with clear accountability.
22. Maintain records of communications during exercises, prepare reports, arrange debriefs and submit as required to legal entities.
23. Develop, manage and coordinate a rolling three‑year test and exercise schedule, including communication tests and control‑centre tests.
24. Lead training of key Trust staff and contracted services on major incidents and emergency planning.
25. Identify training needs and deliver appropriate programmes to ensure competence in major incident responsibilities.
26. Coordinate emergency‑planning training for staff across sites and services.
27. Act as an educational resource in induction and update training programmes to reflect organisational needs.
28. Provide expert advice and support to senior managers, clinicians and committees on related matters, keeping the Trust informed of national and regional strategic issues.
29. Undertake personal development training to enhance skills and maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of national guidance and best practice.
30. Contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of internal indicators and metrics for quality, risk, business continuity, safety and compliance performance.
31. Be prepared to work outside normal office hours and travel regularly due to resilience planning requirements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• First Degree or equivalent.
• Management Qualification/leadership training.
• In‑depth professional knowledge of EPRR.
• Active participation in continued Professional Development.

Desirable:

• Health emergency planning diploma.
• Training qualification or equivalent vocational experience.

Experience

• Policy writing and implementation.
• Managing multiple projects to strict deadlines.
• Change management.
• Project management expertise.
• Interpreting information and feeding back in an accessible form.
• Organising workshops and events.
• Delivering effective presentations.
• Designing and delivering training sessions.

Skills

• Demonstrates Christie Values principles and behaviours.
• Motivates others to meet agreed standards and frameworks.
• Innovative and creative; interprets and implements national and local strategy and policy.
• High interpersonal skills – written, verbal, persuasive and facilitative.
• Strong leadership and motivational skills for a diverse, multi‑site team.
• Excellent communication across levels and agencies.
• Political awareness, influencing, negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Team player working with clinical and managerial colleagues.
• Highly analytical with the ability to deduce key points from complex data.

Knowledge

• Understanding of NHS emergency planning frameworks and requirements.
• Knowledge of governance and compliance processes.
• Planning, organising and delivering trust‑wide projects and training.
• Business case development and ability to present proposals to management.

Values

• Ability to demonstrate Christie values & behaviours.

Other

• Corporate player, linking strategy and operations.
• Assertive, confident, emotionally resilient and self‑initiated.
• Functions under pressure, meets deadlines and maintains high quality work.
• Participates in duty‑manager rota.
• Satisfactory health screening.

Application Information

If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, your application will be unsuccessful.

Sponsorship

We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications from candidates requiring sponsorship will be considered. Please refer to the official government website for eligibility information.

Pre‑Employment Checks

• Identity verification.
• Right‑to‑work check.
• DBS / criminal record check (applicant responsibility).
• Professional registration / qualification check.
• Occupational health assessment.
• Employment history and reference validation.

Additional Information

The Christie values diversity and respects all staff and patients. We welcome applications from Black, Asian, minority ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. The role is awarded on merit.

We are committed to ethical conduct, zero tolerance for modern slavery and to supporting inclusion and tackling health inequalities.

Documents to Download

• Job Description and Person Specification (PDF, 317.2 KB)
• The Christie Values and Behaviours (PDF, 919.5 KB)
• Strategy Brochure (PDF, 1.0 MB)
• Travel to The Christie (PDF, 3.8 MB)