Field Epidemiology Training Programme Director: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

The National Field Services Division was established to provide a national comprehensive service which is geographically dispersed and integrates epidemiological, microbiological, data science and other public health capacity and skills to consistently deliver high-quality disease surveillance, public health intelligence and outbreak response.

National Field Services provides an effector arm for UKHSA, supporting the translation of evidence into practice as well as having a role in strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak response through closer links with the NHS and other partners. It also maintains valuable links to academic centres to support the advancement of the evidence base for health protection and provides effective leadership and coordination of the UKHSA field epidemiology training function.

This position will require travel and attendance at training modules delivered in week-long blocks at various sites across the United Kingdom, and occasionally overseas.

Main duties of the job

The Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) is a competency-based 2-year specialist postgraduate training programme aimed at medical, scientific, veterinary or nursing staff who are, or will be, working in a post involving field investigation and epidemiology and who want to further enhance their specialist skills. Training is provided on the job, but at least ten percent of time is dedicated to formal training courses. Fellows are currently based in training locations within UKHSA and within the public health agencies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the two-year programme and are supervised day to day by Primary Field Supervisors (PFS) at these sites. The programme office is based in Colindale, and the core team comprises the FETP Director, FETP Scientific Coordinators, FETP Business Manager and Administration team and a virtual learning designer

The post comprises two main remits: the first being the development of UK public health and epidemiology capability, developing national and international experts; and the second to support global capacity building through teaching and training.

This will involve leadership and management of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP), which has been running since 2011.

The training programme provides training and experience in the following key areas, which have been agreed) as the core competencies for field epidemiologists in the European Union (EU)

Please see Job Description for full list of key areas

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 (legislation.gov.uk) In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) for Public Health Specialists at the point of application.
• 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
• Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview Applicants going through the portfolio registration routes (GMC or UKPHR) are not eligible to be shortlisted for interview until they are included on the register. The six-month rule does not apply to these portfolio route applicants.
• 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. If an applicant is non-UK trained, they will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT
• 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, or equivalent
• Postgraduate qualification in Public Health or a related field (e.g. MPH)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience of the control of communicable disease outbreaks and environmental hazards in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
• Practical experience of working with UK health protection and emergency response agencies
• Experience of working in an acute medical setting
• Practical experience in facilitating change across complex systems
• Experience of emergency planning
• Experience of leading and implementing multiagency strategies
• Experience of training and providing mentoring (NB training is delivered residentially in week-long blocks at various locations across the United Kingdom, and occasionally overseas
• Understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
• Understanding of social and political environment, laboratory microbiology services, clinical infectious diseases services, clinical toxicology services, the principles of radiological protection and of potential CBRN agents and methods of dissemination
• Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice
• Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice

Desirable

• Staff management and training
• Budget management

Skills, Capabilities and Behaviours

Essential

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the public and the media
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
• Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
• Computer literate
• Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
• Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
• Ability to travel and attend training modules delivered in week-long blocks at various sites across the United Kingdom, and occasionally overseas

Desirable

• Provision of medical advice to managing clinicians on clinical investigations for patients who may have been exposed to CBRN agents
• Provision of medical advice on CBRN medical countermeasures
• Application of epidemiological methods and statistics

Equality and Diversity

Essential

• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems

Closing Date: 13 September 2026