Head of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response in Bath

This is an exciting opportunity to lead Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) for one of the largest mental health and learning disability providers in the country. As Head of EPRR, you will be the Trust's expert adviser on all aspects of emergency preparedness, business continuity and organisational resilience. You will play a critical role in ensuring TEWV is prepared to respond effectively to major incidents, emergencies and disruptive events, whilst maintaining safe, high-quality services for patients and communities.

Reporting to the Trust's Accountable Emergency Officer and working closely with Executive Directors, operational leaders and system partners, you will lead the development, implementation and assurance of all EPRR arrangements across the organisation. You will ensure compliance with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and NHS EPRR Core Standards, while building a culture of resilience throughout the Trust.

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

• Leading the Trust's emergency preparedness, resilience, and response arrangements.
• Developing and maintaining major incident, business continuity and resilience plans.
• Providing strategic leadership on business continuity and emergency planning.
• Leading the development of Trust policies, procedures and governance arrangements relating to EPRR.
• Delivering training, exercising and assurance programmes.
• Advising the Executive Team, Board committees and senior leaders on resilience risks and preparedness.
• Leading organisational responses to major incidents and supporting Strategic and Tactical command arrangements when required.
• Representing TEWV within Local Health Resilience Partnerships, Local Resilience Forums and wider multi-agency resilience networks.
• Coordinating and delivering actions arising from system resilience workstreams and partnership forums.

The post holder will make a significant contribution to delivering the Trust's strategic objectives through strong leadership, effective partnership working and continuous service improvement.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby. From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care -- our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for. We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health. We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

Job responsibilities

At TEWV, our vision is to provide excellent care that improves the lives of the people we serve. Our values of Respect, Compassion and Responsibility are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment where colleagues can thrive, develop and make a meaningful difference. Through our Journey to Change, we are creating a culture that values collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the resilience agenda across a large and complex NHS organisation while influencing preparedness across the wider health and care system.

If you are an experienced resilience professional who can provide strategic leadership, influence across organisational boundaries and help ensure our services remain safe and resilient in the face of future challenges, we would like to hear from you.

We are looking for a highly motivated leader with significant experience in emergency planning, resilience, business continuity or a related field. You will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of working at a senior level within the NHS or another complex public sector organisation.
• Extensive knowledge of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and NHS EPRR requirements.
• Experience of leading business continuity and organisational resilience programmes.
• Strong influencing and relationship-building skills across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience of providing assurance and presenting reports to Executive and Board-level forums.
• The ability to interpret complex legislation, guidance and risk information and translate it into practical organisational plans.
• Experience of leading multi-agency partnership working and delivering system-wide improvements.
• Professional qualifications in Emergency Planning, Resilience or Business Continuity (such as DipHEP, CBCI or equivalent) are essential.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Naomi Lonergan Interim Managing Director.

Person Specification

• Relevant degree or equivalent experience in the area of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity.
• Professional qualification in Emergency Planning, Resilience or Business Continuity (e.g. DipHEP, CBCI or equivalent).

Experience

• Experience of working at a senior level within the NHS or similarly complex public sector organisation and have a good understanding of its processes and systems.
• Experience of managing staff to ensure EPRR priorities are within their departmental plans.
• Significant experience in emergency planning and / or business continuity management or related field.
• Track record of delivering successful projects, ensuring robust project management, including mitigation of risks and issues.
• Experience of promoting and developing emergency planning activities at strategic and operational levels.
• Experience of researching, developing and implementing contingency planning-related training and exercise programmes.
• Experience of presenting assurance reports to Board or Executive level committees.
• Experience of leading organisational change and influencing senior executive leaders.
• Experience of conducting negotiations relating to detailed matters both internal and external to the organisation.
• Evidence of leadership and management of change, particularly of culture and working practices.
• Experience of developing effective working relationships in a multi-agency environment in the context of emergency planning.
• Experience of writing organisational policies, plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Knowledge/Skills/Experience

• Evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Experience of conducting negotiations relating to detailed matters both internal and external to the organisation.
• Evidence of leadership and management of change, particularly of culture and working practices.
• Experience of developing effective working relationships in a multi-agency environment in the context of emergency planning.
• Experience of writing organisational policies, plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Proven ability to manage and influence staff of all levels / grades. Will directly line manage.
• Excellent working knowledge of IM&T tools / techniques, with the ability to create, manipulate and utilise detailed spreadsheets, databases, project management and other relevant software.
• Extensive knowledge of information and communications technology (ICT) and practices for the purposes of developing effective contingency arrangements.
• Knowledge of duties imposed on the Trust by legislation, NHS Policy and the requirements of Corporate Governance and audit.
• Political skills, including the ability to influence and manage a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Analytical / judgement / research skills, particularly with regard to risk management / contingency planning issues.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to present coherent arguments in support of business cases and operational requirements.
• Ability to turn planning guidance into strategic and operational contingency plans.
• Experienced trainer.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.