Policy Adviser

In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose - to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.

These roles are situated within the Global, Public Health and Emergencies Group (GPHE).

GPHE leads DHSC's delivery across 4 key areas:

1. 'Primary prevention' and public health policy

Primary prevention is the term for protecting the whole population from ill-health. For example, by legislating to change the law on tobacco and vapes, or changing how unhealthy food is advertised to children, or improving housing standards. This is critical to reducing health inequalities.

2. Preventing ill-health through secondary prevention

By this we mean more targeted interventions, where people themselves choose to engage directly with services when they are otherwise well. We lead on vaccination, screening, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes policy.

3. International work

This covers everything from promoting global health, to leading the UK's engagement with the World Health Organisation or working with the EU or G7/ G20. We also lead our engagement with the devolved nations of the UK.

4. We lead the department's response on emergencies

This is anything from national security to outbreaks of infectious diseases, and preparing for new risks.

These roles will be focused on developing policy and delivering high-priority programmes within the Group. That means you will need to be flexible and agile and able to quickly get to grips with new areas of work, working alongside topic leads. Support will be required on a wide range of policy, programme, practice, business, and research projects, many of which are high profile, and central to the team's business plans and objectives.

These are roles require policy, organisational, project management, planning and communication skills. We are looking for candidates who have a flexible approach and can work with the minimum of supervision across different programmes.

Responsibilities:

· Own and coordinate complex, short notice ministerial and parliamentary commissions, working with teams across the Department, arm's length bodies and other government departments.

· Play a lead role in parliamentary activity, including producing briefings, drafting correspondence and lines for answering parliamentary questions, debates and official correspondence.

· Policy development in key areas, delivering for, and providing advice to Ministers and senior leaders on policy issues

· Show resilience and adaptability, re-prioritising tasks, often at pace, to pivot to new areas of work.

· Working with your team to develop a broader understanding of your policy area and the challenges and opportunities associated with it

· Help to build and maintain strong relationships across the Department, with arm's length bodies, other policy teams and key stakeholders.

· Work with analytical colleagues to identify evidence gaps and apply evidence and insight to delivery and policy questions.

· Be actively involved in promoting a positive and inclusive culture across the Group and Department.

· Work with the team lead and others to help manage workloads and priorities and contributing to team activities and wider corporate engagement.

· Develop your skills across policy development, strategic oversight, project management, operational response/delivery, and stakeholder engagement.