Regional Deputy Director of Health Protection – North West: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Reporting to the Director of Health Protection in Regions, the Regional Deputy Director of Health Protection in Regions (RDDHP) – North West is a senior leader responsible for delivering UKHSA’s health protection objectives across the region. They oversee the performance and coordination of operational health protection services and lead collaboration with Public Health leaders, local government, NHS organisations and other partners.

As part of the Health Protection in Regions Directorate senior leadership team, the RDDHP jointly shapes strategic direction and regional health protection priorities. They act as the system leader for health protection, directing regional UKHSA assets and working with partners to achieve national, regional, and local goals. The role is semi-autonomous, ensuring that regional services align with organisational strategy and deliver high-quality, responsive health protection functions.

The postholder manages the multidisciplinary regional workforce responsible for statutory duties delegated to UKHSA and non statutory functions agreed with partners. They contribute to continuous improvement in health protection systems and lead matrix teams and networks to deliver priorities across all English regions. This influential role requires strong leadership, expertise and the authority to operate effectively at senior system level.

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

Main duties of the job

Strategic Leadership and PartnershipsWorking closely with the Director of Health Protection in Regions and other Regional Deputy Directors for Health Protection, take responsibility for:1. Provide visible leadership and direction for the strategic oversight of the UKHSA contribution to protecting the public’s health and reducing health inequalities in a designated region through interventions to protect the population by preventing and mitigating hazards and threats.2. Support the work of the Health Protection in Regions Directorate and wider CMA Group in developing a vision, strategy and implementation plans to deliver relevant strategies once agreed and oversee the implementation of operational plans within region.3. Develop and manage effective working relationships with key stakeholders including Local4. Authorities and Directors of Public Health (DsPH); NHS England, ICS, OHID, ICSs, NHS Trusts, other Civil contingencies Act Category I and II responders, and other stakeholders as required. Work closely with regional public health leaders across the domains of health improvement, healthcare public health, public health intelligence, and academic public health to enable the delivery of public health.Please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification for full details.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• 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

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to influence senior professionals and stakeholders including directors and CEOs
• Able to see the bigger picture and understand political, economic, social, environmental and technological impacts
• Highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly with a diverse network of senior stakeholders and to present issues simply and effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Able to develop highly effective teams, leading with energy and enthusiasm, creating a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness
• Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others
• Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the nation’s health protection through mainstream activities and within resources
• High standards of professional probity

Experience

Essential

• Experience leading a regional health protection team and can provide peer leadership to others
• Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
• leader who has highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly with a diverse network of senior stakeholders and to present issues simply and effectively, both orally and in writing
• Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards/chemical incidents
• Experience of emergency planning including leading work in regions
• Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences
• Experience leading major health protection incidents
• Experience of acting as a source of expertise and innovation to set professional standards, creativity and driving continuous improvement in health protection delivery.
• Extensive media experience demonstrating delivery of effective health behaviour or health protection messages

Desirable

• Experience using your influence to make a positive difference across the Civil Service and externally.

Skills

Essential

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational competence
• Experience of dynamic risk assessment, management and global judgement
• Able to demonstrate and motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public’s health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources
• Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• Aptitude to understand complex issues that may be outside of established skill sets, such as statistical policy, health economics and technical implementation.
• Developing people and teams through training, mentoring and coaching
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of decision-making processes at national and local level in both government and health and care settings.
• In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement, evaluation and evidence based public health practice
• Strong and demonstrable understanding of interfaces between health, social care and key partners (dealing with wider determinants of health)
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems

Closing Date: 25 August 2026