Job summary
If you are a Public Health Wales employee this post will only be offered on a secondment basis and you will need to have gained your line managers approval for the secondment prior to going to interview.
The Health Protection Division provides information and advice and takes action to protect people in Wales from communicable disease and environmental hazards. The Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) is the epidemiology and surveillance branch of the Health Protection Division.
The Healthcare Associated Infection, Antimicrobial Resistance & Prescribing Programme (HARP) is part of the integrated health protection and microbiology services of Public Health Wales. HARP provides national surveillance of healthcare associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and usage and offers guidance, training and expert advice on infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. CDSC staff provide the HARP surveillance and epidemiology expertise
Main duties of the job
This is a senior role that will support Consultant Epidemiologists, Clinical Scientists, Consultant Microbiologists, Infection Prevention & Control Teams and other clinical teams in the identification and investigation of incidents occurring in healthcare settings (including, but not restricted to, healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistant), providing epidemiological advice and training and identifying research priorities. The post-holder will be expected to act as part of an epidemiological network across the health boards and NHS Trusts in Wales.
The post-holder will use highly developed skills in epidemiological methods, health informatics and project management to define, interpret and provide solutions to complex public health problems. This will involve framing problems in epidemiological terms, analysing complex data sets, ensuring outputs from projects are delivered to time and reporting findings to stakeholders, including the public, health professionals within Public Health Wales, the NHS, Health Boards and Welsh Government.
About us
Public Health Wales is the National Public Health Institute in Wales. Our vision is 'Working to achieve a healthier future for Wales'. We play a pivotal role in driving improvements in population health and well-being, reducing health inequalities, improving healthcare outcomes, protecting the public and supporting the development of health in all policies across Wales.
Never more has public health been so important as we come through the Coronavirus pandemic, face the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis and tackle and prevent the harmful effects of climate change. We are an organisation that places ourselves at the heart of supporting people, communities, partners, and the Welsh Government in addressing these major challenges and providing solutions for action.
Our organisation is guided by our Values, 'Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference'. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve and from those wishing to work part time or on a job share basis.
To find out more about working for us and the benefits we offer please visithttps://phw.nhs.wales/careers/
For guidance on the application process, please visithttps://phw.nhs.wales/working-for-us/applicant-information-and-guidance/
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.
Please note we reserve the right to close the application process before the closing date if we receive a large number of candidates. If you are interested in this post, and wish to be considered, we advise that you submit your application as soon as possible
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.
Please note we reserve the right to close the application process before the closing date if we receive a large number of candidates. If you are interested in this post, and wish to be considered, we advise that you submit your application as soon as possible
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Primary degree in a scientific or health related subject
- Master's qualification or equivalent experience acquired in a health or research field
- A qualification or demonstrable training/experience in public health, health protection or epidemiology
Desirable
- Postgraduate training in areas such as: epidemiological methods, public health, microbiology, statistics, data science
- Graduate of a field epidemiology training programme
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-graduate experience of relevant scientific or analytic work
- Demonstrable experience of working within a public health setting
- Experience of surveillance and epidemiology
- Experience of working with large and complex databases
- Understanding of current scientific and/or epidemiological advances
- Experience of training other staff groups
- Record of peer-reviewed publications and scientific report writing
- Experience in epidemiological research methods, including data collection instruments
Desirable
- Working in an NHS environment
- Experience of whole genome sequencing as applied to surveillance and outbreak investigation
- Experience of epidemiological field investigation of outbreaks, including design, implementation and analysis of analytic studies
- Specialist knowledge of further analytic and descriptive analyses in field epidemiology including mapping; regression and time series analysis
- Specialist knowledge of the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections including antimicrobial resistance, genomics and microbiology
- Knowledge of healthcare systems in Wales
- Experience of working with hospital records
Skills
Essential
- Advanced epidemiological and statistical methods
- Effective oral and written communication skills
- Ability to document and communicate clearly and succinctly
- Advanced skills in statistical and database software (R ,Stata, MS Access,) to manage and analyse complex data
- Excellent computer literacy, including advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications
- Ability to project manage, coordinate teams and problem solve
- Professional judgments on methods and interpretation
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of epidemiological principles and their application to communicable disease surveillance and control
- A good understanding of healthcare systems in Wales
- Awareness of policies and procedures relating to dealing with confidential data
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Primary degree in a scientific or health related subject
- Master's qualification or equivalent experience acquired in a health or research field
- A qualification or demonstrable training/experience in public health, health protection or epidemiology
Desirable
- Postgraduate training in areas such as: epidemiological methods, public health, microbiology, statistics, data science
- Graduate of a field epidemiology training programme
Experience
Essential
- Substantial post-graduate experience of relevant scientific or analytic work
- Demonstrable experience of working within a public health setting
- Experience of surveillance and epidemiology
- Experience of working with large and complex databases
- Understanding of current scientific and/or epidemiological advances
- Experience of training other staff groups
- Record of peer-reviewed publications and scientific report writing
- Experience in epidemiological research methods, including data collection instruments
Desirable
- Working in an NHS environment
- Experience of whole genome sequencing as applied to surveillance and outbreak investigation
- Experience of epidemiological field investigation of outbreaks, including design, implementation and analysis of analytic studies
- Specialist knowledge of further analytic and descriptive analyses in field epidemiology including mapping; regression and time series analysis
- Specialist knowledge of the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections including antimicrobial resistance, genomics and microbiology
- Knowledge of healthcare systems in Wales
- Experience of working with hospital records
Skills
Essential
- Advanced epidemiological and statistical methods
- Effective oral and written communication skills
- Ability to document and communicate clearly and succinctly
- Advanced skills in statistical and database software (R ,Stata, MS Access,) to manage and analyse complex data
- Excellent computer literacy, including advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications
- Ability to project manage, coordinate teams and problem solve
- Professional judgments on methods and interpretation
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of epidemiological principles and their application to communicable disease surveillance and control
- A good understanding of healthcare systems in Wales
- Awareness of policies and procedures relating to dealing with confidential data
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
