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This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA’s core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).Job SummaryThe government has committed to a multi-billion-pound investment in UKHSA’s new laboratory facilities – the most significant investment the UK has made in biosecurity infrastructure in a generation. These state-of-the-art laboratories, to be built at a new site in Harlow, will replace UKHSA’s existing facilities at Porton Down and Colindale and will be critical to the UK’s public health resilience and national security for decades to come. This decision marks a pivotal moment for UKHSA and the wider government science landscape. The new facility will bring together world-class capability under one roof, enabling cutting-edge research, pandemic preparedness, and the protection of the UK from major biological threats.The Senior Project Manager will sit within the Science Delivery Team as part of the UK Health Security Campus Programme. The overall aim of the programme is to deliver new modern fit for purpose science facilities, creating a hub for the critical scientific capabilities the UK needs to deliver on key health security objectives and National Biosecurity. The UK Health Security Campus Programme aims to enhance and replace existing UKHSA critical infrastructure, most importantly its aging high containment laboratories, which are essential for protecting the nation against potentially highly infectious diseases.The programme has a small civil service core team to deliver high value complex capital infrastructure construction programme of works. It leads, directs, manages and controls the day-to-day work. Overall, this is headed by the Programme Director, supported by Lead Project Manager, project teams, PMO and technical assurance team. The programme is supported by professional services delivery partners appointed through framework of specialist suppliers for design, technical, project management, commercial and cost management and other disciplines.Please note: This role may require regular travel between UKHSA sites. Working for your organisationWe 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. Job DescriptionAs Senior Project Manager you will lead on the day to day running of a project(s) that are typically moderate in complexity. These are likely to influence the UKHSA long term outcomes, goals or in year strategic objectives.You will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the project, ensuring that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints. You will have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation. This role is a government project delivery profession role and is aligned to the career pathway Project Manager G7. The Main Responsibilities For This Role Are As Follows: Lead or support the Lead Project Manager with the day to day running of the project, taking ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints. Develop and maintain project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to sponsors. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to the stage, effectively managing the transition between phases. Identify skills requirements and deploy suitable resources. Identify key stakeholders, internal and external and effectively manage these relationships. Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions, escalating as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies. Support effective governance and decision making. Provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery. Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway reviews. Set up effective change management processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables. Supporting the business case team with the development of the programme business case, providing expert input where required. Be an active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community. The job holder will be supported to work towards achieving Government Project Delivery Accreditation where they do not already hold this.As Senior Project Manager you will lead on the day to day running of a project(s) that are typically moderate in complexity. These are likely to influence the UKHSA long term outcomes, goals or in year strategic objectives.You will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the project, ensuring that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints. You will have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation. This role is a government project delivery profession role and is aligned to the career pathway Project Manager G7. The Main Responsibilities For This Role Are As Follows: Lead or support the Lead Project Manager with the day to day running of the project, taking ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints. Develop and maintain project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to sponsors. Design the project structure and organisation appropriate to the stage, effectively managing the transition between phases. Identify skills requirements and deploy suitable resources. Identify key stakeholders, internal and external and effectively manage these relationships. Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions, escalating as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies. Support effective governance and decision making. Provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery. Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway reviews. Set up effective change management processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables. Supporting the business case team with the development of the programme business case, providing expert input where required. Be an active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community. The job holder will be supported to work towards achieving Government Project Delivery Accreditation where they do not already hold this.Person specificationEssential Criteria: Experience of working with or in microbiology labs or other types of medical, laboratory or health facilities.(lead criteria) Experience of successfully managing several low or medium complexity projects covering planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management (lead criteria) Detailed knowledge and experience of project methodologies and frameworks, governance, assurance, planning, requirements management and change control in a project or programme environment. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries with the ability to influence and challenge effectively at a senior level. Ability to work well under pressure, with multiple tasks, in a fast-changing and ambiguous environment, with a keen attention to detail. Has knowledge and experience of Project Management Methodology supported by professional qualifications or equivalent to the below (4) Or equivalent experience in Infrastructure, Construction or Capital delivery: – – APM Project Management Qualification,- APM Chartered Project Professional. – Managing Successful Programmes, – Project Leadership Programme Desirable Criteria: Knowledge of RIBA stages and experience of design and construction projects. Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Learning and development tailored to your roleAn environment with flexible working optionsA culture encouraging inclusion and diversityA Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process detailsThis vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.Stage 1: Application & Sift Success profiles Success Profiles – GOV.UK You Will Be Required To Complete An Application Form. You Will Be Assessed On The Listed (6) Essential Criteria, And This Will Be In The Form Of A:Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) 1200 word supporting statement. This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1200 words. We will not consider any words over 1200 words.Longlisting:In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria If Used, The Following Will Proceed To Shortlisting:Meets all essential criteria Shortlisting:In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:Experience of working with or in microbiology labs or other types of medical, laboratory or health facilities.Experience of successfully managing several low or medium complexity projects covering planning, scheduling, budget management, resource management, risk and issue management .Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.Feedback will not be provided at this stage.Stage 2: Interview Success profiles Success Profiles – GOV.UK You will be invited to a single remote interview.Behaviours, Experience, and Technical skills will be tested at interview.The Behaviours Tested During The Interview Stage Will Be:Leadership (Lead behaviour)Communication and InfluencingWorking TogetherInterviews are planned for week beginning 6th June 2026. 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 This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA’s core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).Security Clearance Level Requirement Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance check (SC).For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.Eligibility Criteria – ExternalOpen to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).Salary InformationIf you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.Grade 7 £56,185- £66,581 (National) £58,340- £68,574 (Outer London) £60,494- £70,566 (Inner London)Future location UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection – GOV.UK.The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you’re appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we’ll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we’ll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.Reasonable AdjustmentsThe Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider anyreasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the DisabilityConfident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/International Police checkIf you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.Internal Fraud CheckIf successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth – will bechecked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptionalcircumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.Careers websitePlease visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careersPlease Note: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) group, where this role sits, is undergoing organisational change over the next 12–18 months. While the process is still in the planning stage, some roles may be affected by future restructuring. We are committed to keeping candidates informed and will share updates as they become available.Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.SecuritySuccessful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.Nationality requirementsThis Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:UK nationalsnationals of the Republic of Irelandnationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UKnationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil ServiceFurther information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)Working for the Civil ServiceThe Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets 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 (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets 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 (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.Diversity and InclusionThe Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicantsJob Contact :Name : Gurkamal BhambraEmail : gurkamal.bhambra@ukhsa.gov.ukRecruitment teamEmail : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.ukFurther informationThe law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the RecruitmentPrinciples, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.ukIf you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Visit the Civil Service Commission website for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
