Senior Infectious Disease Modeller

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post will provide scientific support in infectious disease modelling to the epidemiological investigation of incidents and outbreaks of COVID-19, winter-related pathogens, and climate-sensitive infectious disease, in collaboration with partners. This will include technical and analytical aspects of epidemiological outbreak investigations and modelling.

The post holder will participate in epidemiological modelling, public health scientific analyses and writing reports on specific projects, regular and ad hoc commissions and publications.

Duties will include compiling evidence, including area and population context, influencers, early signals, outbreak indicators, and direct UKHSA result data. The post holder will be expected to perform hypothesis testing and analysis to understand the effectiveness of different interventions. They will also be expected to engage with partners in wider government, academia, and the private sector to gain access to new data sources and information. Due to the fast-moving nature of the work, the post holder will be expected to be able to work well independently.

The posts offer superb development opportunities and the chance to gain exposure across a broad range of policy areas and with senior officials at the heart of decision making in government.

Responsibilities

We are looking for candidates who can:

• Support the development of new and existing research products in infectious disease modelling.
• Work within a multi-disciplinary team of analysts with a range of analysis, assessment, and product development responsibilities, often working to tight timelines.
• Deliver analytical skills (such as statistical analysis and mathematical modelling) and be adept at finding, analysing, and manipulating large scale data sets.
• Assist communicable disease control, health protection and public health colleagues across the UK during major health protection incidents.
• Successfully manage your time and prioritise effectively, working under own initiative and responding to unexpected demands whilst maintaining a professional, calm, and efficient manner.
• Engage with partners in wider government, academia, and the private sector to gain access to new data sources and information.
• Support positive relationships and collaborations internally and externally and contribute to the culture and development of the All Hazards Intelligence Directorate and the UKHSA as a whole.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Essential Criteria:

• An undergraduate or master's degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. mathematics, statistics or data science) with a strong background in modelling and applied statistics.
• Experience of building and validating numerical mathematical/statistical models (preferably with a Bayesian element)
• Experience of coding in R or Python.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills.
• Experience of working in an analytical team, demonstrating an ability to work independently.
• Experience of working with complex datasets and drawing relevant conclusions.
• Experience of working at pace to deadlines across multiple projects, being flexible and adaptable to change.
• Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders across government and other departments to source data, enhance your analysis or set requirements.

Desirable Criteria:

• Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology including epidemiology for outbreak investigations.
• PhD (or equivalent experience) in a quantitative discipline.
• Experience in spatial modelling and/or network analysis.
• Experience in SQL and processing large datasets.
• Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software packages.
• Experience of working with a wide range of epidemiological data, such as genomic sequences, spatial distributions, and healthcare data.
• Experience in coding bespoke statistical models in probabilistic programming languages.
• Knowledge of data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and data reporting.

Selection Process

At sift stage you will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a CV/ Application form and up to 1000 words maximum Statement of Suitability

Please note: although the system allows up to 1,500 words, you should keep your statement to 1000 words maximum as anything over that amount will be disregarded.

Interview

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and you will be assessed on the following Behaviours and Technical skills

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Presentation:

You will be asked to deliver a 10-minute presentation on a piece of technical analysis that you have developed in a previous role.

Technical:

An analytical exercise will be presented to the candidate on the day of the interview and will form part of the assessment. This exercise is standardised and designed to test the analytical ability and intuition of the candidate. All necessary information to complete the exercise will be included and expectations clearly explained on the day.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard. People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• oAn undergraduate or master's degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. mathematics, statistics or data science) with a strong background in modelling and applied statistics.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

remote

remote

NW9 5EQ

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)