Pandemic Preparedness Senior Policy Advisor in London

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

The Ministerial, Growth and Resilience Directorate includes Defra’s briefing, parliamentary and ministerial support functions as well as Defra’s Ministerial and Permanent Secretary Private Offices. It is also the centre of Defra’s resilience oversight function, which this role sits within.

The Policy Response and Resilience Unit’s (PRRU) overarching role is to provide strategic oversight and co-ordination for cross-cutting and emerging risks across Defra’s policy landscape - allowing Ministers and the department to consistently manage complex and urgent issues.

The Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness (BioPP) team exists to protect the UK from biological risks and threats, and strengthen preparedness for future pandemics by coordinating delivery of Defra’s contributions to the UK Biological Security Strategy and the Pandemic Preparedness Strategy; maintaining oversight of key workstreams across the Defra group; and working with cross-government partners to enhance integration, capability, and response—including in managing zoonotic risks across animal and human health systems.

This role can be based at any Main Defra Policy Hub. You will be expected to work in the office at least 60% of the time.

Defra has a unique role in preparing the UK for future pandemics. It is likely that the next pandemic will be zoonotic in origin, and in any plausible scenario there would be widespread, significant impacts on Defra sectors (including food and water supply). This high-profile, multidisciplinary role is key to delivering Defra’s cross-cutting pandemic preparedness work area. It encompasses policy development, scientific advice, operational planning and capability development for Defra group. The successful candidate will use robust evidence to underpin their decisions and be comfortable in engaging with technical specialists.

They will build and maintain an in-depth understanding of Defra’s role and interests in preparing for future pandemics, and ensure that this is appropriately embedded within cross-government work, leveraging any opportunities for joint working that arise.

The role will continue ongoing engagement with relevant Arm’s Length Bodies (including APHA, the VMD and Environment Agency) and ensure they are integrated within wider cross-Defra and cross-government work to prepare for future pandemics. This builds on relationships established in the planning and delivery of Exercise PEGASUS (a Tier 1 pandemic response exercise) and ensures that all of Defra group play their part in delivering the One Health commitments within the newly published Pandemic Preparedness Strategy.

Whilst this post focuses primarily on pandemic preparedness it also offers the opportunity to engage in wider work around biological security, and has potential to support Defra’s crisis response capability.

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. They must be able to access and handle sensitive material confidently and autonomously, brief senior officials and ministers on highly sensitive topics, work effectively through periods of rapid change, and credibly represent the department in cross-government fora.