Regional Deputy Director of Health Protection - North West

Job responsibilities

Essential Criteria:

Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview), or Inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview).

If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice.

Public health specialty registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in dental public health/UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC/GDC/UKPHR specialist registers.

If an applicant is UK trained in Public Health, they must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview.

Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body.

MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment.

Please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification for full details.

The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 9.

External

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

Application & Sift

At sift stage you will be assessed against the Essential Criteria listed in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) 1000 word Statement of Suitability. 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 1000.

If we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift against the essential criterion of MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment.

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview stage (competency based):

You will be invited to a face-to-face interview in Manchester. A remote interview may be considered in exception circumstances.

Interviews will be held Weds 9th September 2026, please note these dates are subject to change.

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

KnowledgeExperienceSkills and Abilities

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The specific subject of this will be confirmed prior to the interview. 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.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance.

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. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Liverpool, or at one our Health Protection Hubs in Manchester or Preston. 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).

Salary Information If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant £113,565 - £150,569 per annum, pro rata.

...