Location
Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London – Canary Wharf (Core HQs)
About The Job
Job summary
At UKHSA we are committed to attracting, developing, and retaining the most talented people, creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to make an impact. You’ll have the opportunity to grow, innovate, and contribute to our vital mission, supported by a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
The purpose of this role is to ensure the organisation has the capability to deliver its strategy and to equip colleagues with the skills, behaviours and mindset to perform effectively.
Our People Development Specialists play a key role in delivering a range of priority projects to deliver the People Strategy, focusing on capability building, skills development, leadership and management, professions, careers and apprenticeships. Reporting to one of the People Development Leads, this role is responsible for cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement to design and deliver impactful learning solutions that meet learner and organisational needs.
As an organisational change agent, you will help build our learning culture, embedding excellence and continuous improvement, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and Civil Service requirements, whilst fostering an inclusive, learner-centric approach across the organisation.
Job Description
- Lead on the development and delivery of a range of projects within the People Development portfolio.
- Design and deliver learner centric solutions, informed by understanding learning needs and aligned with organisational strategy.
- Act as an organisational change agent, championing innovative learning practices and embedding them within the organisational culture.
- Develop and proactively manage effective collaborative relationships with key customers across Groups and Professions at all levels, to deliver tailored solutions that address workforce needs, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, Civil Service standards, and government policies.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of the L&D Plan including aligning People Development initiatives with broader organisational goals.
- Monitor and evaluate the impact of learning initiatives, using data-driven insights to refine and improve learning outcomes and enhance decision-making.
- Lead the planning, development and delivery of learning events and networks to enhance knowledge and skills across the organisation.
- Provide leadership within the team, including line management responsibilities, mentoring junior staff, and deputising for People Development Leads as required.
- Required to travel from time to time to meet the role requirements.
For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Person specification
Essential criteria:
You will be assessed on the below (10) essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description Document.
- Associate member of CIPD or equivalent experience and willingness to work towards this professional registration.
- Proven experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating a broad range of learner-centric, blended learning solutions that meet organisational needs.
- Strong expertise in learning and development principles across the full learning cycle, including capability gap analysis, consultancy and instructional design, delivery and evaluation.
- Experience of managing multiple, complex projects and initiatives, ensuring delivery within timelines and budget.
- Experience of using data, reports, evidence or legislation effectively, to inform and influence decision-making.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information, tailored for the audience.
- Excellent stakeholder management and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively across all levels, both internal and external
- Line management skills, with the ability to deputise for senior leaders and drive a high-performing team culture.
- Demonstrated ability to act as a change agent, fostering innovation and embedding best practices in learning and development.
- Confidence and ability to work using Office 365 applications.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £40,661, UK Health Security Agency contributes £11,779 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- 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 employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours/Strengths/ Experience/Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
Success profiles assessment.
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed (10) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
- 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, with reference to the essential criteria.
The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
Longlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
The following piles will be taken through to the next stage of shortlisting:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:
- Proven experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating a broad range of learner-centric, blended learning solutions that meet organisational needs.
- Strong expertise in learning and development principles across the full learning cycle, including capability gap analysis, consultancy and instructional design, delivery and evaluation.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment
Please do not exceed
1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview (success profiles):
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
Behaviours, technical, experience, and strengths will be tested at interview.
There will be a 5-10 minute presentation.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be
- Managing a quality service
- Communicating and influencing
- Working together
- Developing self and others
Interviews will be held on the following dated. please note, these dates are subject to change.
- 28th February 2025
- 3rd March 20205
- 5th March 2025
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.
Eligibility Criteria - External
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Location:
This role is being offered as hybrid working. 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) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).
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/
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.
Security Clearance Level Requirement:
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 Basic Personnel Security Standard.
Careers website:
Please visit our careers site for more information
https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers
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.
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.
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) .
Apply and further information
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .
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 : Gurkamal Bhambra
- Email : Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : Recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk
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: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk 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/
