Global Health Consultant Microbiologist

Job responsibilities

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS STRENGTHENING PROJECT (IHR-SP)

The International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project is an Official Development Assistance (ODA) funded project designed to improve IHR capability in selected countries and regions with medium and long-term activities taking place through partnerships with National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in several countries in Africa and Asia. Currently the IHR-SP partner countries are Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zambia; the IHR-SP also has teams working with Africa CDC and with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These countries may change as project evolves. The overall delivery of the IHR-SP is overseen by the Head of Project and the Senior Leadership Team, with devolved responsibility to Country Leads and teams for delivery of all agreed country and region-specific work plans. The individual work plans are co-developed with our national public health and ministry of health partners and are based on identified areas within the JEE where technical support has been requested. The projects first implementation phase was between 2016 and 2021. The second funding cycle commenced in April 2022 and completed in March 2025. The current project cycle is funded until March 2026 with plans progressing for a further funding bid for the next three years.

The project has a triple mandate to strengthen technical capability, strengthen leadership and develop sustainable public health systems. It does this through working at national level in partnerships with NPHIs and Ministries and at a regional level with regional bodies such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) as well as regional WHO. Its work programmes are delivered in collaboration with other public health institutes and ministries and aligned to a One HMG approach.

IHR-SP aims to establish a portfolio of tailored technical support for selected countries and regions, to improve compliance with the WHO International Health Regulations 2005. These are a set of legally binding regulations aimed at strengthening national public health structures and global health security (see link below).

Project activities are closely aligned and supportive of country priorities for health system improvement and based on the specific IHR strengthening needs and requests by partner countries and regions.

The IHR-SP has three objectives

1. Build technical capability

2. Develop sustainable public health systems

3. Strengthen leadership

The post-holder will work in partnership with the members of the IHR-SP laboratory team, in-country colleagues and IHR-SP teams in other technical areas to implement the IHR project activities, supporting their engagement with national public health institutes (NPHI) and ministries of health (MoH) and other country partners, aimed at strengthening laboratory capability and capacity. The post-holder will advise on the delivery of continuing skills development for local laboratory personnel, focusing on traditional and molecular diagnostics tests and safe and quality assured use of laboratory equipment and including wider principles for laboratory diagnosis for public health emergencies, as well as encouraging and supporting the development of effective public health laboratory networks.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-holder will work with and advise the in-county team in their efforts to support public health institute/ministry of health laboratories in partner countries, with the aim of strengthening and building capacity in infectious diseases diagnosis and surveillance. This will involve developing strong relationships with key stakeholders from across UKHSA, with in-country partners and other relevant organisations to strengthen technical capacity, laboratory workforce leadership skills and public health microbiology and infection networks and surveillance systems in collaboration with IHR partner countries.

Working with the IHR-SP lead for laboratory strengthening, specific areas of work towards this aim may include (but are not necessarily limited to) provision of support and advice to UK based IHR laboratory scientists, IHR-SP in-country lead and technical advisors, NPHI/ministry of health laboratory leadership teams and key stakeholders from other relevant organisations.

The main duties and responsibilities include to:

• Strengthen quality-assurance methods of infectious disease diagnostics including antimicrobial susceptibility test
• Advise and influence senior stakeholders to ensure they have robust laboratory biosafety and biosecurity
• Advise senior stakeholders to ensure they have effective laboratory workflow design
• Provide technical expertise to develop laboratory data management and laboratory based surveillance
• Strengthen technical capability to develop laboratory standard operating procedures (SoPs)
• Influence senior stakeholders to create robust laboratory quality management and assurance systems, including development of internal and external quality assessment schemes
• Use technical expertise to strengthen laboratory staff training and development especially in the area of management and leadership
• To develop and maintain strong relationships in regional and national networks of public health laboratories
• To assist the IHR Senior Leadership Team or country teams in the further development and delivery of the IHR strengthening work programmes, which may includeline-management responsibilities (microbiology scientist),the production of training material; meeting with national and international public health leaders; co-ordination of training workshops, and delivery of other activities related to diagnosis of infectious diseases.

In addition, the post-holder will be expected to report on progress regularly to the IHR Project Team and IHR Senior Leadership.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the division and the UKHSA.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal, and external to UKHSA. This will include:

Internal

• UKHSA IHR Project team including staff based in partner countries
• UKHSA Global Health Protection and other teams across Chief Medical Advisor Group directorates
• UKHSA Chief Scientific Officer Group including Public Health Microbiology and other directorates

External

• Public Health Institutes and Ministries of Health in partner countries
• UK Government departments e.g. Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• International partners: Fleming Fund, Africa CDC, WHO and WHO Africa Regional Collaborating Centres, US CDC and other partners

Other duties

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. Please refer to the Job Description.

You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of UKHSA

External

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

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of an Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) up to 500 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.

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

The Application Form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered

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

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

You will be invited to a remote interview held by MS Teams with camera on. Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

Interviews will be held week commencing 21 July 2025. Please note, this date is subject to change.

A 10 minute presentation will be required, the subject will be provided prior to interview. Slides can be used.

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

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Hybrid working

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. 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) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London) or at one of our scientific campus sites (Colindale, Porton and Chilton).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).

Qualifications

Essential

• MBBS or Equivalent AND full and specialist registration (and a licence to practise) with the GMC (or eligible for registration within 6 months of interview). Applicants that are UK trained, must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview. Applicants that are non-UK trained, will be required to show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT
• FRCPath or equivalent training and experience in Medical Microbiology or Virology
• Qualifications and experience commensurate with an Agenda for Change Band 8D Clinical Scientist of equivalent standing (inclusive of a PhD, FRCPath and substantial appropriate post-doctoral experience and state registration with the HPC)

Desirable

• MRCP or evidence of equivalent training and experience
• Appropriate management qualification
• Postgraduate qualification in Public Health

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Evidence of continuing medical education (existing consultants must be able to demonstrate active participation in a recognized CPD scheme, e.g. RCPath)
• Recent experience of working in an acute hospital environment and delivery of specialist and diagnostic microbiology and/or virology services
• Experience in the management of microbiology and/or virology services
• Demonstrable success in leadership of teams
• Experience of policy development, planning and management
• Understanding of roles and inter-relationships between Government Agencies and UKHSA
• Experience of Public Health Microbiology/Virology
• Understanding of clinical laboratory services and clinical infectious diseases services
• Understanding of epidemiological methods and surveillance systems with respect to lab data flows and reporting results
• Experience in teaching undergraduates, junior staff, postgraduates, nurses, and other staff

Desirable

• Understanding of Workforce Development, including changes and developments within occupational categories and related training and development issues
• Experience and demonstrable competency in developing laboratory quality assurance and accreditation systems
• Experience of working at a regional and/or national level on guidelines, policies and other matters that influence microbiology/virology practice
• Understanding of context and experience of working in lower- or middle-income countries
• Research experience and a good record of publications

Skills and Capabilities

Essential

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Well-developed networking, negotiating and strategic influencing, and decision-making skills
• Ability to build rapport, working in a multi-disciplinary team and maintain good relations with contacts both within and outside UKHSA
• Must be willing and able to travel to partner countries of the IHR Strengthening Project, as and when required: these countries currently include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, Pakistan, but the countries may change over time
• Active interest in research and developments in diagnostic medical microbiology/virology and infection control
• Ability to take responsibility, show leadership, prioritise and make decisions
• Sense of responsibility
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines and to be punctual
• Have a high motivation to succeed and to progress

Equality and Diversity

Essential

• Appreciation of the range and complexities of diversity; self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers; Cultural competence - cultural sensitivity and awareness.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).