Governance and Policy Lead - Pandemics
Posted 5 days 22 hours ago by MHRA
£80,000 - £100,000 Annual
Permanent
Full Time
Other
London, United Kingdom
Job Description
We are currently looking for a Governance & Policy Lead - Pandemics to join our Business Operations Function within the Safety & Surveillance group.
This is a full time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU.
Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.
We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.
Who are we? The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.
The Safety and Surveillance (S&S) Group brings together into a single integrated structure expertise on the safety of all medical products with enforcement capabilities. These functions are supported by the Agency's data and evidence generating capabilities, complementing our signal generating abilities.
Against this background and the drive to improve treatment availability for patients, safety remains at the heart of all our decision making across the product life cycle. The central mission of the Safety & Surveillance portfolio is to protect the public by appropriately identifying, assessing and managing the risks associated with medical products. In every aspect of this work, we harness the best science, technology, information and professional practice to protect patients in new and impactful ways.
Further to the Government announcing it would establish an independent statutory inquiry into its handling of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Inquiry was formally launched in June 2022, with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005. Around the same time, the Scottish Government committed to a Scottish COVID 19 Inquiry which is also underway. Both inquiries seek to establish the facts about the response to the COVID 19 pandemic to identify lessons for the future. The MHRA has played, and continues to play, a vital role in supporting the Government's response to pandemics.
It will also play an active role in responding to public inquiries regarding pandemics and ensuring that lessons learned from pandemics are acted on.
The Governance and Policy Lead will report to the Pandemics Programme and Strategy Manager within the Regulatory Affairs Business Operations Team and will support regulatory affairs within S&S, including preparing all aspects of our response to the Covid 19 public inquiries and ongoing response to broader pandemic preparedness efforts.
What's the role? The Governance and Policy Lead will play a key role in the MHRA's preparations and response to the Covid 19 public inquiries, and ongoing response to broader pandemic preparedness efforts to both inquiries. The post holder will work independently and collaboratively, as circumstances require, in managing pandemic related governance arrangements and developing the MHRA's strategic narrative, providing an overview of how we supported the Government response to the pandemics, and how we prepare to continue to do so. This will involve working with cross agency pandemic preparedness and Government Legal Department (GLD) colleagues as well as liaising with Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) counterparts.
The post holder will support the project management of pandemic preparedness activities across the Agency, including MHRA's contribution to the Tier 1 cross government pandemic preparedness exercise in , ensuring lessons learned from the Inquiry and from previous pandemic responses translate into future operational and policy planning.
The post-holder will also support more general regulatory affairs and legislative changes in the S&S Group, including responding to complex Freedom of Information requests and supporting ongoing legal cases.
Key responsibilities:
Experience working on and responding to public Inquiries and drafting complex regulatory information with consideration for legal implications and public understanding.
Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role . click apply for full job details
This is a full time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU.
Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.
We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.
Who are we? The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.
The Safety and Surveillance (S&S) Group brings together into a single integrated structure expertise on the safety of all medical products with enforcement capabilities. These functions are supported by the Agency's data and evidence generating capabilities, complementing our signal generating abilities.
Against this background and the drive to improve treatment availability for patients, safety remains at the heart of all our decision making across the product life cycle. The central mission of the Safety & Surveillance portfolio is to protect the public by appropriately identifying, assessing and managing the risks associated with medical products. In every aspect of this work, we harness the best science, technology, information and professional practice to protect patients in new and impactful ways.
Further to the Government announcing it would establish an independent statutory inquiry into its handling of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Inquiry was formally launched in June 2022, with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005. Around the same time, the Scottish Government committed to a Scottish COVID 19 Inquiry which is also underway. Both inquiries seek to establish the facts about the response to the COVID 19 pandemic to identify lessons for the future. The MHRA has played, and continues to play, a vital role in supporting the Government's response to pandemics.
It will also play an active role in responding to public inquiries regarding pandemics and ensuring that lessons learned from pandemics are acted on.
The Governance and Policy Lead will report to the Pandemics Programme and Strategy Manager within the Regulatory Affairs Business Operations Team and will support regulatory affairs within S&S, including preparing all aspects of our response to the Covid 19 public inquiries and ongoing response to broader pandemic preparedness efforts.
What's the role? The Governance and Policy Lead will play a key role in the MHRA's preparations and response to the Covid 19 public inquiries, and ongoing response to broader pandemic preparedness efforts to both inquiries. The post holder will work independently and collaboratively, as circumstances require, in managing pandemic related governance arrangements and developing the MHRA's strategic narrative, providing an overview of how we supported the Government response to the pandemics, and how we prepare to continue to do so. This will involve working with cross agency pandemic preparedness and Government Legal Department (GLD) colleagues as well as liaising with Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) counterparts.
The post holder will support the project management of pandemic preparedness activities across the Agency, including MHRA's contribution to the Tier 1 cross government pandemic preparedness exercise in , ensuring lessons learned from the Inquiry and from previous pandemic responses translate into future operational and policy planning.
The post-holder will also support more general regulatory affairs and legislative changes in the S&S Group, including responding to complex Freedom of Information requests and supporting ongoing legal cases.
Key responsibilities:
- Build relationships and establish effective interfaces with DHSC counterparts, lawyers, MHRA teams and other bodies, to support successful delivery.
- Manage effective Inquiry governance arrangements, including secretariat duties - facilitating cross Agency input - and working with Government Legal Department and Counsel to successfully prepare for and engage with the Inquiries.
- Play a lead role in developing the MHRA response to requests for evidence commissioned via Rule 9 requests, helping to shape the MHRA's narrative and overall approach to collating and disclosing information, including supporting current and former MHRA officials in preparing for and potentially giving evidence to the Inquiries.
- Prepare project management and governance documentation - coordinating activity, undertaking regular monitoring, and planning, identifying / mitigating / escalating risks / issues, and supporting contract / budget management - ensuring Agency decisions are audited and plans are delivered.
- Lead the coordination and response to COVID 19 and pandemic related correspondence, including Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, media enquiries, parliamentary questions, and public correspondence. This includes managing fluctuating demand around Inquiry hearings and supporting legal disclosure and coroner's inquests.
- Ensure that insights and lessons from the COVID 19 Inquiry and other past pandemic responses- both domestic and international-are captured, analysed, and applied to strengthen the Agency's future preparedness and response capabilities.
- Support more general regulatory affairs and legislative changes in the S&S Group, including responding to complex Freedom of Information requests and supporting ongoing legal cases.
- Seeing the Big Picture: Understand the strategic drivers for your area of work. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
- Delivering at Pace: Ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively. Regularly monitor your own and team's work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks. Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance.
- Communicating and Influencing: Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Share information as appropriate and check understanding. Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.
- Experience of and ability to build excellent working relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
- A track record of providing high quality advice and briefing, interpreting, and succinctly communicating complex information to wider audiences.
- Previous programme / project experience, including planning and prioritisation.
- Method of assessment: A=Application, I=Interview, P=Presentation.
- Behaviour Criteria:
- Seeing the Big Picture (A, I, P)
- Delivering at Pace (A, I, P)
- Communicating and Influencing (A, I, P)
- Experience Criteria:
- A track record of providing high quality advice and briefing, interpreting, and succinctly communicating complex information to wider audiences (A, I, P)
- Previous programme / project experience, including planning and prioritisation (A, I, P)
- Experience of and ability to build excellent working relationships with stakeholders at all levels (A, I, P)
- Experience working on and responding to public Inquiries and drafting complex regulatory information with consideration for legal implications and public understanding Lead Criteria - (A, I, P)
- Technical Criteria:
- Strong IT skills with the ability to effectively use in a project environment including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (A)
- A degree (desirable in a scientific discipline) or equivalent experience (A)
- Strengths Criteria:
- Efficient (I)
- Explainer (I)
- Resilient (I)
- Online application form, including questions based on the Behaviour, Experience and Technical Success Profiles.
- Presentation, to be prepared as part of your interview, with further information being supplied when you reach this stage.
- Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles.
Experience working on and responding to public Inquiries and drafting complex regulatory information with consideration for legal implications and public understanding.
Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role . click apply for full job details