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Job summary

Main area
Immunisation Nurse Specialist
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Job share
  • Flexible working
Job ref
919-IS-310604-EXT
Employer
UK Health Security Agency
Employer type
Public (Non NHS)
Site
Home based with a requirement to travel Nationally
Town
National
Salary
£58,972 - £68,525 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
05/07/2024 23:59

Employer heading

UK Health Security Agency logo

Lead Immunisation Nurse Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 8b

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

  • Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
  • Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
  • Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
  • Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
  • Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the national immunisation team at UK Health Security Agency.

The role of the Lead Immunisation Nurse Specialist is to provide clinical and managerial leadership to the national immunisation nursing, midwifery and pharmacy specialist team. In collaboration with the other Lead Immunisation Nurse Specialists the post holder will ensure the team continues to be a national source of advice for health professionals across the UK on all aspects of immunisation policy and practice. 

Working to the Consultant Midwife for immunisations and vaccine preventable diseases, you will be part of a highly functioning team. The postholder will work across all immunisation programmes but will have a strong focus on the increasing portfolio of immunisation programmes targeted at pregnant women and neonates. The post holder will ensure the national immunisation nursing and midwifery team is involved in the training of other healthcare staff involved in immunisation at national level and in the design and provision of national core training materials and other resources. 

The individual in this role is expected to come from a nursing or midwifery background and be a current NMC registrant. He/she will be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy and professional accountability and to co-lead a highly specialised team with an in-depth and up to date knowledge of immunisation and national immunisation programmes. 

 

Main duties of the job

•   Co-lead the specialist nursing and midwifery team in providing immunisation advice and support for health professionals across the UK on all aspects of immunisation practice and policy. 
•    Maintain an up to date highly specialist knowledge of immunisation policy and practice.
•    Deputise for the Immunisation Division’s medical, nurse and midwife consultants in responding to queries received in their absence.
•    Support the national immunisation team, Consultant Midwife and Nurse Consultant for Immunisations by providing clinical input to the development of national immunisation PGD templates. 
•    Lead the specialist nursing and midwifery team to support the education of those undertaking immunisation delivery locally 
•    Collaborate with colleagues within the Immunisation Division to plan, organise and deliver national study days and conferences. 
•    Lead close liaison with UKHSA consultants, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and related committees such as the Joint Committee of Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) to inform national vaccine policy and develop advisory documents and guidelines for use at a national level.
•    Provide direct line management to other members of the national immunisation nursing and midwifery team 
•    Work with the Consultant Midwife and Nurse Consultant for Immunisations to ensure continued development of the national immunisation nursing and midwifery team. 

Working for our 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.  

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role of the Lead Immunisation Nurse Specialist is to provide clinical and managerial leadership to the national immunisation nursing and midwifery specialist team.

Working to the Consultant Midwife for Immunisations and vaccine preventable diseases, you will be part of a highly functioning team. The post holder will ensure the national immunisation nursing, midwifery and pharmacy team is involved in the training of other healthcare staff involved in immunisation at national level and in the design and provision of national core training materials and other resources. He/she will ensure the national immunisation nursing, midwifery and pharmacy team continues to give presentations and teaching sessions across the country to a wide range of professionals from different backgrounds. The individual will also ensure the national immunisation nursing, midwifery and pharmacy team continues to formulate national vaccine guidance, contributes towards vaccine policy decisions in England and participates in surveillance activities within the immunisation division.

 The individual in this role is expected to come from a nursing or midwifery background, and be a current NMC registrant. The successful candidate will be required to work with a high degree of autonomy and professional accountability and to co-lead a highly specialised team with an in-depth and up to date knowledge of immunisation and national immunisation programmes.

 The post holder will be expected to maintain an up to date, highly specialist knowledge of immunisation policy and practice and actively pursue opportunities to increase this knowledge both as an individual and ensure the nursing and midwifery team are encouraged and given the opportunity to do so too.

The Lead Immunisation Nurse Specialist will provide direct line management to other members of the national immunisation nursing and midwifery team, ensuring personal development plans and appraisals are completed in line with current and future UKHSA policies.

Essential criteria - Please note you will be assessed on the 6 essential criteria  listed in the Person Specification below.

 

Selection Process:  

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.  

Stage 1: Application & Sift  
Competency-based assessments  
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification below. This assessment will be in the form of: 

  • a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) 
  • a 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 CV / Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

•   Current NMC registration (LEAD)
•   Nursing / midwifery degree (LEAD)

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & 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 (competency based) 

You will be invited to a (single) remote  interview .   

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview . 

There will be a Technical Test.

Interviews will be held Thursday 18th July 2024. Please note, these dates are subject to change. 

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

 Location information  

 This is a home based role with a requirement to travel Nationally. 

  Eligibility Criteria 

 External 

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

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.

Working for the Civil Service: 

 TheCivil Service Codesets 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.  

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.  

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:  

  • life sentences  

  • arson  

  • sexual offences  

  • hate and terror offences  

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.  

 If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available 

Starting salary 

Entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.   

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase.   

Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.  

For further details please refer to the Information Sheet - Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment. 

Person specification

Essential

Essential criteria
  • Current Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC)
  • Nursing / midwifery degree
  • Master’s degree or evidence of equivalent working at master’s level
  • Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience of national immunisation programmes
  • Able to work independently, under pressure and to tight deadlines when required
  • Able to communicate clearly, accurately, and succinctly, both orally and through written materials

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Current Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) registration
  • Nursing / midwifery degree
  • Master’s degree or evidence of equivalent working at master’s level

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience of national immunisation programmes

Skills / Capabilities/ Behaviours

Essential criteria
  • Able to work independently, under pressure and to tight deadlines when required

Skills /Capabilities/Behaviours

Essential criteria
  • Able to communicate clearly, accurately, and succinctly, both orally and through written materials

Essential/Desirable

Essential criteria
  • Additional qualification in public health, epidemiology, research methods, health promotion or other relevant qualifications
  • Teaching qualification and/or teaching experience
  • Experience in team management
  • Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience of national immunisation programmes. This includes for example, policy and implementation, formulating training materials, incident management, inter-agency working, delivering complex communications, development of training materials, audit, research and journal publication
  • Experience in the development of Patient Group Directions (PGDs) for immunisation programmes
  • Highly motivated and able to work autonomously and independently when necessary
  • Sensitive to confidential and/or difficult situations
  • Innovative and able to follow through with new ideas
  • Able to work independently, under pressure and to tight deadlines when required
  • Able to communicate clearly, accurately and succinctly, both orally and through written materials
  • Able to liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service and academic
  • Has a clear and organised approach to work and is able to identify and solve problems
  • An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Purple SpaceApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerThe Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Carer Confident -AccomplishedHappy to Talk Flexible Working

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Irene Scahill
Job title
Resourcing Support
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

For further information / an informal discussion about the post, please contact:
[email protected] or [email protected] 

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