Clinical Adviser, to the alcohol and drug treatment division, leading on psychosocial interventions - OHID. Part time 0.2 FTE

Department of Health and Social Care -
Remote

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Job details

Part-time
£330 - £450 a day
1 day ago

Benefits

Annual leave
Company pension
Childcare

Qualifications

GMC
Stakeholder collaboration
Stakeholder liaison
Research
Analysis skills
Presentation skills
Stakeholder coordination
Partnership building
Clinical quality improvement projects
Communication skills
Negotiation
Analytics
Stakeholder management

Full job description

Details

Reference number

479489

Salary

£86,000

DHSC will reimburse the successful candidates host organisation for 0.2 FTE of their time, equivalent to SCS payband 1 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): £86,000 £117,800 per annum.
Actual Pro-Rata Salary (0.2 FTE): £17,200 £23,560 per annum.
Equivalent Daily Rate: £330 £450 per day (assuming a standard 52-week year).

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Loan
Secondment

Length of employment

2 years

Type of role

Other

Working pattern

Part-time

Number of jobs available

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Remote working (anywhere in the UK)

About the job

Job summary

Contract Type

This role is being advertised on a 2-year time-limited specialist fixed term appointment or secondment basis, part-time 0.2 FTE (one day per week) and a flexible approach to spreading this across the week has worked well for these roles in the past. Two years reflects the time-limited specialist secondment model used for these 0.2 FTE clinical adviser posts and maintains links with current clinical practice.

Candidates appointed on a secondment basis will retain their current terms and conditions

If preferable, Loan may also be available for existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs.

Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis one day a week must be obtained before commencing the application process.

The terms of the loan will be agreed between the home organisation, or the host department, and DHSC. This includes grade on return.

Job summary

Clinical Adviser, to the alcohol and drug treatment division, leading on psychosocial interventions is a senior role within the department and the post holder will have responsibility for providing specialist clinical and policy leadership in the area of alcohol and drug treatment.

The job purpose is to lead, oversee, coordinate and deliver high quality, specialist clinical and policy leadership, advice and support to central government, the Alcohol and drug Policy, Evidence and Delivery Division and to the alcohol and drug treatment system commissioned by local government to drive improvements in health outcomes and reduction in health inequalities based on evidence and cost-effectiveness.

The job requires extensive specialist alcohol and drug treatment expertise, including up to date knowledge of research and evidence-based practice. The role includes providing expert clinical advice on psychological therapies and psychosocial interventions to the alcohol and drug treatment and recovery team, providing clinical leadership for their programmes and projects and advising on delivery of psychosocial interventions throughout the alcohol and drug treatment system.

Job description

SPECIALIST PRACTICE AND LEADERSHIP

Play a lead role in developing national policy, strategy and programmes on alcohol and drug treatment, providing expert evidence- based advice on psychological therapies and psychosocial interventions and knowledge of the alcohol and drug treatment system to government officials and to the alcohol and drug treatment and recovery system.
Provide national leadership for implementing improvements in quality and capacity of the national alcohol and drug treatment system in line with national strategy.
Meet regularly with service providers and commissioners of the alcohol and drug treatment system, providing expert advice on improving treatment quality, implementing interventions, and addressing operational issues.
Provide leadership on the development of national clinical guidelines for both drug treatment and alcohol treatment.
Review and advise on briefings and guidance developed by the alcohol and drug treatment and recovery team.
Provide clinical leadership on programmes to reduce alcohol and drug related deaths.
Provide leadership on managing and communicating about clinical risks within government and to the wider health care system.
Chair OHID and NHSEs psychological professions working group overseeing the expansion of psychology and other psychological professions in the alcohol and drug treatment system.
Provide clinical advice to NHSE on behalf of OHID on the expansion of psychological intervention training placements for addiction specialists.
Provide clinical advice on content development for FRANK, the governments drug information service.
Contribute expert advice on treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders for guidance developed by other bodies including NICE and NHS Talking Therapies

INTELLIGENCE AND DATA

Attend OHIDs National Intelligence Network on emerging health harms from drugs use
Provide clinical input to OHIDs drug surveillance and early warning systems
Advice on monitoring appropriate clinical interventions on the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System
Provide and interpret data, information and advice on evidence of best practice, effectiveness and the cost-effectiveness of psychological therapies and psychosocial interventions

PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIVE WORKING

Develop and nurture key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders and maintain professional networks relevant to the role.
Employ highly effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills to enable stakeholder relationships to deliver objectives.
Work regularly with service providers and commissioners of the alcohol and drug treatment service to improve capacity and quality and address operational issues
Provide high-level advice to Ministers and DHSC officials on evidence and intelligence relating to alcohol and drug treatment
Work with professional bodies to communicate the work of OHID on alcohol and drug treatment and identify areas for collaborative working
Contribute to expert working groups led by partner organisations, for example, NICE, NHS Talking Therapies
Lead discussions, managing and actively promoting relationships with a range of stakeholders across central and local government, public representatives, the NHS and voluntary and independent sectors.
Establish and maintain effective communications to ensure that external stakeholders are appropriately informed of OHIDs business and services, and vice versa.
Draw on positive relations and discussions with stakeholder networks to inform policy and implementation Actively participate in and disseminate professional experiences/lessons learned through reports, internal and external presentations, electronic media, publications and participation in working groups.

COMMUNICATION AND KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to OHID. This will include:

Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Officials in other government departments
Officials and clinical leads in NHSE
NICE
NHS Talking therapies
NHS and 3rd sector alcohol and drug treatment service providers and commissioners
Directors of Public Health
Specialist alcohol and drug treatment clinicians
Specialist clinicians from other health and care specialisms
Professional organisations including the British Psychological Society
Academic and research-based partners
Voluntary and community sector organisations

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Participate in organisational and professional appraisal and revalidation as appropriate.
Pursue a programme of relevant CPD, including statutory and mandatory training undertake revalidation, audit or other measures required to remain on the professional register
Practice in accordance with registered professional requirements
Agree individual clinical / professional supervision or mentorship arrangements with line manager

OTHER DUTIES

Participate in national research projects, working together with other Directorates and Academic centres.
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by and at the request of Alcohol and Drug Treatment and Recovery lead.
The job description and person specification may be reviewed in accordance with the changing needs of OHID.

Person specification

It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following

Essential criteria:

Strategic Leadership & Vision: Proven track record as a visionary and transformational leader capable of driving strategic policy, national clinical guidance, and system-wide improvements in alcohol and drug treatment. Ability to articulate a clear strategic direction across central government and local delivery systems to expand treatment capacity, enhance quality, reduce health inequalities, and lower substance-related mortality.
Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Partnering: Demonstrable success in building, nurturing, and leveraging senior-level collaborative relationships across complex multi-agency landscapes. This includes proven experience working effectively with government departments, NHS England, local commissioners, third-sector providers, academic partners, and professional bodies to align priorities and deliver shared outcomes.
Policy Advisory & Political Acumen: Extensive experience working within complex political and social environments, with a proven ability to translate high-level clinical intelligence, epidemiological data, and research into actionable national policy and clinical guidelines. Ability to provide confident, high-level advice to Ministers, senior officials, and national oversight bodies (e.g., NICE, NHSE).
Complex Communication & Influencing: Exceptional oral, written, and presentational communication skills, with a track record of translating complex clinical data, evidence, and risk into persuasive messages for diverse audiences (including non-clinical decision-makers, senior stakeholders, and media channels). Proven ability to negotiate effectively and influence system-wide change across differing organisational cultures.
Agile Delivery & Quality Assurance in Dynamic Environments: Proven ability to lead and deliver high-impact clinical governance, quality improvement, and early-warning surveillance initiatives against a backdrop of change, operational uncertainty, or unforeseen health harms. Strong analytical capabilities using qualitative and quantitative data to monitor system performance, evaluate cost-effectiveness, and maintain delivery at pace.
Specialist Clinical Expertise: Demonstration of substantial clinical expertise and up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based research in specialist alcohol and drug treatment, with a specific focus on psychological therapies and psychosocial interventions.

Qualifications:

Possess a relevant professional qualification in psychological therapies alongside current, active professional registration (e.g., GMC, BPS, or equivalent registering body)

Benefits

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and youll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, youll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.

We have strong and proactive staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.

Candidates employed on secondment basis usually stay on the terms and conditions of their home organisations terms and conditions.

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details.

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays.

This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the Kings Birthday.

Staff Wellbeing

Flexible working including part-time or time-term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here.

Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).

Secondment and Loans into the Civil Service

Being on secondment in the Civil Service offers the opportunity to work on real government initiatives, supporting the government of the day to deliver for citizens of the UK.

A secondment is a temporary move between the Civil Service and an external organisation, it can be done in two ways:

An inward secondment is where an individual comes to work for a Civil Service department from an external organisation, but remains an employee of the external organisation for the duration of the secondment.

An outward secondment is where a civil servant goes to work for an external organisation, but remains an employee of the Civil Service for the duration of the secondment.

A secondment can provide fantastic opportunities for both individuals and organisations, such as:

Capability development: the opportunity to acquire specific technical and specialist skills
Exposure to new thinking with the scope to experience first-hand innovation in a new sector
Professional growth via expanding networks and communities of practice
Valuable career development through operating in a different working environment or profession

For further information please visit www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/secondments/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application Process

To apply for this post, you will need to email the following documents to [email protected] no later than 23:55 Monday 21st September 2026.

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. You must also include on your CV a list of the professional qualifications you hold as set out in the job advert / person specification.
A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification (above).

Applications will be sifted against personal statements and CVs.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards A Modern Civil Service.

Please note, we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for an interview. Written feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend the interview.

If you are unable to apply online please contact [email protected]

Selection Process

A panel chaired by Peter Burkinshaw - Alcohol and drug Treatment and Recovery Lead, DHSC, will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Person Specification section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Peter will be supported by a selection panel made up of other senior stakeholders for the role, full details of this panel will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

Alongside other departments, DHSC is committed to making the Civil Service more inclusive and recognises the value of diverse interview panels. Helping candidates, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview process, to reduce bias and increase the objectiveness of decisions. In line with the Civil Services Inclusive Board initiative we aim to ensure that, as well as being gender diverse, DHSCs interview panels for Senior Civil Service will include at least one panellist who is from an ethnic minority background and/or who has a physical or non-physical disability (which may not be visible).

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application, by email.

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and A Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation at interview on a scenario issued to them ahead of their panel interview. This presentation will be designed to test your ability to translate specialist evidence into practical national policy and delivery advice and full details will be provided prior to the interview.

You will be asked a series of questions at interview around the following behaviours and the essential criteria earlier in this pack.

Behaviours:

Leadership
Communicating and influencing
Working Together
Seeing the Big Picture

Interviews will take place online via Teams, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Feedback

Due to the anticipated volume of applications to this role, we are unable to offer feedback to those not selected for the shortlist.

Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Expected Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date 23:55 Monday 21st September 2026
Short List Meeting Week commencing Monday 28th September 2026
Final Interviews Week commencing Monday 12th October 2026

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to support disabled job applicants and ensure that you are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and assessment process.

If you feel that you may need a reasonable adjustment to be made, or you would like to discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact [email protected] in the first instance.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 2 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals 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)
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 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The 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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

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 applicants

Job contact :

Name : Peter Burkinshaw
Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

Email : [email protected]

Further information

The 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 Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact [email protected] in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

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Salary

Job grade

Contract type

Length of employment

Type of role

Working pattern

Number of jobs available

Contents

Location

About the job

Job summary

Job summary

Job description

Person specification

Benefits

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Selection process details

Security

Nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

Diversity and Inclusion

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Recruitment team

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