Senior Scientific Support Officer

Job summary

We are seeking a highly skilled specialist to lead a dedicated team responsible for supporting the National Transplant Database with expert guidance on immunogenetics and histocompatibility. In this role, you will ensure the accuracy, integrity, and quality of HLA and sensitisation data by investigating and resolving issues or conflicting information.

You will work closely with the Duty Office, Data Services, Database and Applications Development teams, and a wide range of internal and external stakeholders providing clear scientific interpretation and advice using your expert knowledge. The role also includes participation in the on call rota to support the organ allocation process, quality assurance of HLA data, and the investigation and reporting of allocation incidents.

Main duties of the job

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Undertaking the management of projects relating to the transmission, receipt, management and validation of HLA data, liaising with external and internal users and all areas of the Authority as required to achieve agreed objectives.
• Providing support and basic training to the staff throughout the Authority who may have need to secure a basic understanding of histocompatibility and immunogenetics.
• Consulting with users both internal and external, regarding the development of rule sets for the validation of HLA data input into the National Transplant Database and participate in the validation of data currently held on the database.
• Encouraging and participating in the development of a positive and proactive relationship between the Authority and the transplant community.
• Liaising with the members of the Authority's Information and Technology Support Services team to ensure that the needs of external users and the Data Executive Section are met with regard to HLA data transmission and processing.
• You will be required to travel and spend time away from base, which will involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice You will be required to participate in the shift rota and on call rotas and to provide cover during operational emergencies.

About us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you'll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.

Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do. By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too.

Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever. You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.