Job summary
The successful applicant will be required to participate in weekend and Bank Holiday working on rotation.The purpose of the NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership (ESEL) is to provide patients with a high-quality, cost-effective service, and ensure the longer-term sustainability of NHS pathology services in east and south east London.
We are a new organisation, jointly owned by Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Set up as an arms-length organisation, hosted by Barts Health NHS Trust, we have our own board and governance, with each of the three trusts having an equal voice and vote in the running of the Pathology Partnership. One of the largest pathology providers in the NHS, the Pathology Partnership brings together the strengths of teams from each of the three trusts into a single organisation, dedicated to the provision of pathology.
A complex transformation programme has commenced to become a single, integrated pathology network. The aspired 'hub and spoke' operating model, centred at The Royal London Hospital (RLH) and connected to essential service laboratories located at partnered hospitals. The RLH laboratories include a well-equipped Molecular Pathology facility that includes a number of stare-of-the-art sequencing platforms and department offers a number of sequencing- based diagnostic services.
Main duties of the job
The role is based in the sequencing team within the Department of Infection at the Royal London Hospital and is primarily to provide laboratory support for a metagenomics sequencing project.
The post holder will also provide laboratory support to existing Clinical Microbiology and Virology molecular services that use sequencing technologies to detect and/or characterise pathogens from clinical samples.
The post-holder's main duties will include performing manual laboratory work, such as PCR and library preparation, operating liquid handling platforms, thermal cycling instruments, sequencing analysers and other laboratory equipment. Full in house training and written standard operating procedures will be provided.
We are looking for someone who has previous experience with molecular diagnostic techniques, ideally in a healthcare setting. They will also need to be efficient, demonstrate attention to detail and be able to work as part of a team and offer a helpful and professional service to visitors and telephone callers.
About us
The NHS East and South East London Pathology Partnership is an arms-length organisation providing pathology services to Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The Pathology Partnership is hosted by Barts Health.
The Pathology Partnership was formed in May 2021. Between 2021 and 2024 the Partnership undertook a complex transformation programme to establish a single network of laboratories, underpinned by a single Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and single Quality Management System (QMS).
The Partnership has a main hub laboratory at the Royal London Hospital and Essential Service Laboratories (ESL) as a minimum at the six other hospital sites served by the Partnership.
The Partnership has three operational divisions:
Blood Sciences including Haematology, Blood Transfusion and Biochemistry
Microbiology and Virology
Cellular Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics
The 2024/25 total operating costs across the Partnership were c. £121m per annum with a workforce establishment of circa. 860 WTE.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within the Pathology Partnership and Barts Health at this band
Job description
Job responsibilities
Typical work hours are 9am 5:30pm Monday Friday but you may be required to participate in the late shift, Bank Holiday and weekends. All Weekend and Bank Holiday work will form part of your contracted 37.5 hour week with appropriate rest breaks being rostered. The post is a 24/7 contract, but currently it is not required for the post holder to work nights.Although this position is a 18 months fixed-term contract, the actual contract duration will be adjusted to account for the time taken to advertise the post, complete the hiring process, and finalise pre-employment checks. This means the contract will begin when the candidate starts the role and may be slightly shorter than 18months.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
**We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date, once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful**
Please note: When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included for non-medical roles. This ensures fairness and consistency within our organization, as some of our sites fall under inner HCAS, while others are classified as outer HCAS.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Typical work hours are 9am 5:30pm Monday Friday but you may be required to participate in the late shift, Bank Holiday and weekends. All Weekend and Bank Holiday work will form part of your contracted 37.5 hour week with appropriate rest breaks being rostered. The post is a 24/7 contract, but currently it is not required for the post holder to work nights.Although this position is a 18 months fixed-term contract, the actual contract duration will be adjusted to account for the time taken to advertise the post, complete the hiring process, and finalise pre-employment checks. This means the contract will begin when the candidate starts the role and may be slightly shorter than 18months.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
**We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date, once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful**
Please note: When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included for non-medical roles. This ensures fairness and consistency within our organization, as some of our sites fall under inner HCAS, while others are classified as outer HCAS.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Previous computing experience or VDU work
- Experience with laboratory information management systems
- Experience working with automated platforms and analysers
- Experience extracting nucleic acid from clinical samples
Desirable
- Previous experience in answering and dealing with telephone enquiries
- Previous experience performing PCR and sequencing techniques
Knowledge
Essential
- Previous laboratory based work experience
- Good literacy and numeracy, basic computer literacy
- Basic knowledge regarding molecular biology technology
Desirable
- Previous experience of data analysis
- Basic knowledge regarding next generation sequencing technology
Qualifications
Essential
- HNC/HND or Diploma in science (or equivalent)
Desirable
- 1st or 2nd class honours degree in a relevant biological Science
Skills
Essential
- Able to follow and learn instructions and standard operating procedures
- Methodical and organised
- Automatic pipetting
- Ability to work on own initiative
- Polite, helpful and confident manner
- Able to work, reliably and consistently in a busy environment
- Good attention to detail
- Manual dexterity
- Able to communicate effectively both verbally, by email and by appropriate documentation
- Willing to adapt to changes in methodology
Desirable
- Good keyboard skills
- Good laboratory skills
Other
Essential
- Able to undertake 'housekeeping duties'
- Able to perform required duties with any appropriate aids or adaptations
- Hold no reservations in handling human body fluids, tissue, organs, or infected material in accordance with health & safety policies.
- The post holder must be willing to have appropriate vaccinations
Desirable
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Previous computing experience or VDU work
- Experience with laboratory information management systems
- Experience working with automated platforms and analysers
- Experience extracting nucleic acid from clinical samples
Desirable
- Previous experience in answering and dealing with telephone enquiries
- Previous experience performing PCR and sequencing techniques
Knowledge
Essential
- Previous laboratory based work experience
- Good literacy and numeracy, basic computer literacy
- Basic knowledge regarding molecular biology technology
Desirable
- Previous experience of data analysis
- Basic knowledge regarding next generation sequencing technology
Qualifications
Essential
- HNC/HND or Diploma in science (or equivalent)
Desirable
- 1st or 2nd class honours degree in a relevant biological Science
Skills
Essential
- Able to follow and learn instructions and standard operating procedures
- Methodical and organised
- Automatic pipetting
- Ability to work on own initiative
- Polite, helpful and confident manner
- Able to work, reliably and consistently in a busy environment
- Good attention to detail
- Manual dexterity
- Able to communicate effectively both verbally, by email and by appropriate documentation
- Willing to adapt to changes in methodology
Desirable
- Good keyboard skills
- Good laboratory skills
Other
Essential
- Able to undertake 'housekeeping duties'
- Able to perform required duties with any appropriate aids or adaptations
- Hold no reservations in handling human body fluids, tissue, organs, or infected material in accordance with health & safety policies.
- The post holder must be willing to have appropriate vaccinations
Desirable
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).
