# Pandemic Preparedness Senior Policy Advisor

**Company**: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
**Location**: Bristol, South West
**Work arrangement**: hybrid
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: GBP 44,052 - 52,010 per year
**Category**: Policy & Public Affairs
**Industry**: Government & Public Sector

**Apply**: https://www.jobsgopublic.com/job/pandemic-preparedness-senior-policy-advisor-116321?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/job/pandemic-preparedness-senior-policy-advisor-fb953f96-f1a/

## Description

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is seeking a Pandemic Preparedness Senior Policy Advisor to play a key role in delivering Defra's cross-cutting pandemic preparedness work area. The successful candidate will use robust evidence to underpin their decisions and be comfortable in engaging with technical specialists.

The role will continue ongoing engagement with relevant Arm's Length Bodies and ensure they are integrated within wider cross-Defra and cross-government work to prepare for future pandemics. The post-holder will need to have an understanding of the Government's approach and priorities for pandemic preparedness, the biological security community, and One Health principles.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead Defra's delivery on its obligations and commitments under the UK Pandemic Preparedness Strategy

- Coordinating senior governance boards, managing secretariat functions, and driving follow-up actions

- Provide high-quality briefing, advice and recommendations to senior officials and Defra leadership

- Use lessons identified from COVID-19, Exercise Pegasus and other preparedness activity to strengthen Defra's approach to pandemic preparedness, resilience and biosecurity

- Coordinate pandemic preparedness-related commissions to ensure Defra equities are reflected in wider cross-government work

Essential criteria:

- Knowledge and experience of biosecurity, resilience and pandemic preparedness

- A strong ability to assess and apply scientific evidence, lessons learned, and expert advice to inform policy and strategy

- Experience in establishing and delivering cross-government governance arrangements

- Proven ability to build relationships across organisations

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

- Ability to align work with departmental and cross-government priorities

- Security Check (SC) Clearance

Benefits:

- Salary of £44,052 - £52,010 per year

- Contributes £12,761 towards being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme

- 25 days' paid leave per annum rising to 30 days after five years' service

- Competitive maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave

- Study leave for the pursuit of academic studies

- 3 days paid leave for volunteering per annum

- 15 days paid leave per year for reservist training

- Generous paid sick leave

- Cycle to Work Scheme

- Interest-free season ticket loans

- Interest-free bicycle loan

- Onsite facilities including gym, fitness facilities, games room, showers and cycle storage

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## Skills

### Required
- biosecurity
- resilience
- pandemic preparedness
- scientific evidence
- policy development
- governance arrangements
- communication skills

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Source: [Apply at jobsgopublic.com](https://www.jobsgopublic.com/job/pandemic-preparedness-senior-policy-advisor-116321?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)