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UK Health Security Agency

Scientist

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

The Gastrointestinal Infections, Food Safety & One Health Division (GIFSOH) is located within the Epidemic & Emerging Infections Directorate (EEI) at Colindale. The Division's remit includes providing specialist epidemiology and surveillance for Gastrointestinal Infections (GI), coordinating the investigation of national outbreaks, advising government on the risks posed by various gastrointestinal pathogens and responding to national and international health concerns.

The main responsibilities of the post are to maintain and develop enhanced surveillance systems for gastrointestinal infections (GI), working closely with a wide variety of professionals from both within and outside of UKHSA to ensure high quality data. The postholder will produce regular and ad hoc outputs from these systems for inclusion in routine national and international reports, information requests and peer review articles. You will also manage the disease specific web pages on the UKHSA website, ensuring that old content is reviewed and updated in a timely manner. The postholder will support outbreak investigations including the provision of timely and accurate summaries of epidemiological and microbiological data.

Main duties of the job

  • Maintain, develop and document surveillance systems, including databases for each area of responsibility in collaboration with lead epidemiologists, clinical scientists and reference laboratory staff. Current applications include Gastro Data Warehouse (GDW), MOLIS, SGSS, Access and Excel.
  • Create and update queries and data validation checks for the removal of duplicate records, data formatting and ensuring completeness of data. Data analysis will include using GDW, MOLIS, SGSS, Access and Excel applications.
  • Liaise with stakeholder staff providing surveillance data for gastrointestinal infections (PHTs, routine and reference laboratories, the Food, Water and Environment Network).
  • Liaise with clinicians, laboratories and PHTs regarding individual cases and outbreaks of gastrointestinal infections.
  • Support investigations into outbreaks of GI disease through the provision of timely and accurate written reports on the epidemiological and microbiological data.
  • Prepare ad hoc GI Infections reports and information requests as required.
  • Preparation of cleaned and validated annual data sets as requested by senior colleagues.
  • Contribute to reports and papers for scientific journals as requested by scientific and medical colleagues.
  • Present surveillance data and results at UKHSA and national meetings/conferences and attend national meetings/conferences as appropriate.

For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

About us

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.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Details

Date posted

07 March 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£36,187 to £43,552 a year Per annum, Pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

919-GB-305018-EXT

Job locations

UKHSA Colindale, London

Colindale, London

NW9 5EQ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Selection Process Details:

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You willbe required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (12) essential criteria and (1) desirable criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

  • Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

  • 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

TheApplication form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

  • Meets all essential criteria
  • Meets someessential criteria
  • Meets no essentialcriteria

The following piles will be taken through to the next stage:

  • Meets all essential criteria
  • Meets someessential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

  • Knowledge of infectious disease surveillance and significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment

Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview at UKHSA Colindale.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities

will be tested at interview.

There will be a 10 minute presentation (Further details will be provided at interview stage).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria - External

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Colindale. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

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 Counter-terrorist Check.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Selection Process Details:

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You willbe required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (12) essential criteria and (1) desirable criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

  • Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

  • 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

TheApplication form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

  • Meets all essential criteria
  • Meets someessential criteria
  • Meets no essentialcriteria

The following piles will be taken through to the next stage:

  • Meets all essential criteria
  • Meets someessential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

  • Knowledge of infectious disease surveillance and significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment

Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview at UKHSA Colindale.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities

will be tested at interview.

There will be a 10 minute presentation (Further details will be provided at interview stage).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria - External

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Colindale. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

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 Counter-terrorist Check.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Essential

  • Undergraduate Science/Masters degree (or equivalent) or substantial experience of working in communicable disease surveillance (or similar)
  • Knowledge of infectious disease surveillance and significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports.
  • Significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports.
  • Experience of graphics and web-editing software packages, including web-site design and development.
  • Good organisation, prioritisation and time management skills.
  • Data processing skills (Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and other software applications).
  • Ability to identify and solve practical problems and to work to tight deadlines.
  • Prepared to work flexibly and to multi-task with good attention to detail.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to communicate with a range of people from different backgrounds.
  • Awareness of data protection and confidentiality requirements.
  • An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
  • Experience in preparation of written reports and published work.

Desirable

  • Working in an NHS environment and/or in communicable disease epidemiology
Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Essential

  • Undergraduate Science/Masters degree (or equivalent) or substantial experience of working in communicable disease surveillance (or similar)
  • Knowledge of infectious disease surveillance and significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports.
  • Significant experience of data management, analysis and producing reports.
  • Experience of graphics and web-editing software packages, including web-site design and development.
  • Good organisation, prioritisation and time management skills.
  • Data processing skills (Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and other software applications).
  • Ability to identify and solve practical problems and to work to tight deadlines.
  • Prepared to work flexibly and to multi-task with good attention to detail.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to communicate with a range of people from different backgrounds.
  • Awareness of data protection and confidentiality requirements.
  • An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
  • Experience in preparation of written reports and published work.

Desirable

  • Working in an NHS environment and/or in communicable disease epidemiology

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).

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.

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

UKHSA Colindale, London

Colindale, London

NW9 5EQ


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

UKHSA Colindale, London

Colindale, London

NW9 5EQ


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Resourcing

Gurkamal Bhambra

gurkamal.bhambra@ukhsa.gov.uk

Details

Date posted

07 March 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£36,187 to £43,552 a year Per annum, Pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

919-GB-305018-EXT

Job locations

UKHSA Colindale, London

Colindale, London

NW9 5EQ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

UK Health Security Agency's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)