Head of Strategy & Partnerships

The government has committed to a multi-billion-pound investment in UKHSAs new laboratory facilities the most significant investment the UK has made in biosecurity infrastructure in a generation. These state-of-the-art laboratories, to be built at a new site in Harlow, will replace UKHSAs existing facilities at Porton Down and Colindale and will be critical to the UKs public health resilience and national security for decades to come.

This decision marks a pivotal moment for UKHSA and the wider government science landscape. The new facility will bring together world-class capability under one roof, enabling cutting-edge research, pandemic preparedness, and the protection of the UK from major biological threats.

We are looking for a Head of Strategy & Partnerships to help shape the direction of the estate for the future.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

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

• Leading a strategic partnerships function to design, develop and coordinate strategic positioning and partnership opportunities for the HSC programme. This includes leading and coordinating cross-cutting partnership projects with external stakeholders to support the delivery of the HSC programme, taking into account stakeholder views, budget and resource realities, and key risks and opportunities
• Working collaboratively with colleagues and leaders to drive UKHSAs strategy for the Health Security Campus, identifying and securing opportunities for collaborative working and influence to build and maintain strategic relationships and partnerships to support the delivery of the HSC programme
• Leading work to identify and secure opportunities for collaborative working and influence, including to shape and deliver strategic priorities. This includes consulting and negotiating with colleagues across UKHSA, and with DHSC and other government departments, to agree common ground on strategic directions and their delivery
• Assisting colleagues and leaders to maintain clarity of direction, approach and understanding of strategy and associated delivery plans across the directorate

Main Duties

• Leading work to identify and secure opportunities for collaborative working and influence, including to shape and deliver strategic priorities. This includes consulting and negotiating with colleagues across UKHSA, and with DHSC and other government departments, to agree common ground on strategic directions and their delivery
• Assisting colleagues and leaders to maintain clarity of direction, approach and understanding of strategy and associated delivery plans across the directorate
• Leading the design, development and quality assurance of high-quality strategy and policy products, including commissioning, drafting or quality assuring policy submissions and strategy documents, working with the Director, UKHSAs Board Secretariats, Ministers private offices, colleagues in the Directorate and teams across UKHSA and wider stakeholders as appropriate
• Effectively engaging analytical, policy, legal, delivery and other colleagues to define policy problems and develop solutions and clearly communicate these to stakeholders
• Leading and coordinating high-quality briefs and presentations that communicate our strategy and priorities in a clear and engaging way, relevant to the audience addressed a high-performing team that works with colleagues across the HSC programme and ensures coherence of work across the portfolio and with wider strategic priorities. This includes driving forward work, actively managing risks and opportunities and ensuring a joined up approach
• Leading a virtual high performing team for an environment of continuous improvement, setting direction and supporting staff well-being and development
• Providing mutual support and guidance to colleagues in your team, Directorate, Group and the Agency on strategy for the HSC programme

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Essential role criteria:

• Excellent leadership skills, demonstrating an ability and proven track record of developing and leading inclusive and multi-disciplinary teams to manage competing and changing priorities and establish environments for ongoing learning, development and continuous improvement
• Significant experience of leading strategy, partnerships and/or engagement in complex and changing environments to deliver successful outcomes, including a track record of identifying policies or levers and influencing senior stakeholders across disciplinary, organisational and/or other boundaries to deliver successful outcomes
• Significant experience of leading delivery and quality assurance of high-quality communications, strategy and policy products, including for example briefings, presentations, submissions and broader products for senior stakeholders
• Significant proven ability to work flexibly and at pace to lead teams on a variety of projects and tasks concurrently to deliver successful outcomes. This includes the ability to prioritise effectively and switch rapidly between different topics and shifting priorities to ensure effective delivery of outcomes across a competing and complex portfolio and in the context of wider priorities
• Significant experience of working collaboratively across sometimes overlapping or ambiguous mandates, communicating sensitively and building strong, trusting relationships with a wider range of stakeholders across varied specialities and in complex and changing environments to deliver successful outcomes
• Significant experience of working with and advising senior stakeholders, including very senior stakeholders such as ministers and their private offices, coupled with excellent oral and written communication skills

Desirable role criteria:

• Experience in leading change and transformation initiatives, in either a project or operational environment, or ideally a blend of both