Head of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 28 October 2026

Applications are welcomed from individuals who do not currently hold a professional qualification in Emergency Planning, Resilience or Business Continuity (e.g. DipHEP, CBCI or equivalent), provided they can demonstrate significant experience in Emergency Planning and Business Continuity. The successful candidate will be expected to work towards achieving an appropriate professional qualification within agreed timescales.

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.

The Head of EPRR is responsible for leading the development and implementation of all arrangements relating to the organisation's preparedness for significant incidents and emergencies as defined in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

This includes:

• 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.
• Co-ordinating and delivering actions arising from system resilience work streams 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.

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.

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…