Job responsibilities
Main duties include:
- Managing projects and studies to meet agreed deadlines.
- Implementing and using a range of methods/assays in support of all activities associated with the project
- Monitoring direct reports objectives and performance to ensure project targets are met.
- Taking the responsibility for checking, compiling and reporting project data to stakeholders including external customers.
- Leading a project team in identifying, evaluating, and adapting new technologies and methods where appropriate and to ensure that the project operates to a high scientific standard using current methods.
- Establishing links and collaborations within and outside UKHSA as necessary to benefit the project and/or department.
- Supporting members of the project team to meet their PDP objectives and take lead responsibility for the supervision and training of junior staff allocated to the project.
- Ensuring that the project team undertakes work in accordance with UKHSAs Code of Safety Practice and working within any Quality Systems that are applicable to the site.
- Maintaining health and safety competence to the national occupational standard Make sure your actions reduce risks to health and safety (NOS HSS1).
- Identifying, discussing, and actioning own professional performance and training / development needs with line manager
- Performing any other duties required by the Line manager commensurate with grade.
- Undertaking risk assessor role, with associated training and ongoing competency
Essential role criteria
- PhD, or BSc/MSc with several years experience in biological science/virology/immunology subject.
- Experience working with primary cells on transwells and/or organ-on-chip devices or in vivo models of infectious disease or developing and troubleshooting virology/immunological assays.
- Good understanding and experience of analytical methods that are relevant to the project area e.g., bioassays, immunological assays (flow cytometric/cellular) and/or virological assays.
- Experience of leading projects/project teams and training less-experienced members of staff.
- Knowledge and experience of practices and principles of working at ADCP containment level 3 or willing to undertake training to become competent to work at ACDP containment level 3.
- Strong communicator capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.
- Ability to prioritise the workload of the team and anticipate the needs of the projects you manage to ensure that project targets and deadlines are met.
- Ability to exercise good judgement in solving problems and making effective decisions, using knowledge, intuition and comprehensive situational awareness.
- Excellent team working skills with the ability to motivate and support the project team to effectively complete project objectives as well as their own personal development objectives.
- Ability to cope, and help others cope, with uncertainty, change and often tight timelines. Be adaptable and work flexibly to meet deadlines.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
- Experience of complex data analysis, presentations, reports, and publications.
Desirable role criteria:
- Experience in the use of organ-on-chip technologies/ex vivo 3D culture systems, delivering in-vivo studies or developing assays such as performing polychromatic flow cytometric assays.
- Demonstrable experience of having worked within a regulated environment (e.g., GCP, ISO9001) and undergoing audits
- Skills in networking with the ability to nurture and maintain key relationships both within the organisation and with external customers.
Selection Process Details:
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (12) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
- Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)
- up to 1000 wordsupporting statement.
This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
The Application form and supporting statement 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 some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
The following will be taken through to the next stage:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:
- PhD, or BSc/MSc with several years experience in biological science/virology/immunology subject.
- Experience working with primary cells on transwells and/or organ-on-chip devices or in-vivo models of infectious disease or developing and troubleshooting virology/immunological assays.
- Good understanding and experience of analytical methods that are relevant to the project area e.g., bioassays, immunological assays (flow cytometric/cellular) and/or virological assays.
- Experience of leading projects/project teams and training less-experienced members of staff.
Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & 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 (success profiles)
You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.
Behaviours, and experience will be tested at interview.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Leadership
- Making effective decisions
- Communicating and Influencing - Lead behaviour
- Developing self and others
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 an office based role at UKHSA Porton.Please note hybrid working is not available for this role.
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).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 theDepartment for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Security Clearance LevelRequirement
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 Security Clearance.
For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficientperiod of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance.UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
