Swydd wag: Senior Biomedical Scientist, UK Health Security Agency, Sailsbury

Crynodeb o'r swydd

Prif leoliad

Biomedical Scientist

Gradd

NHS AfC: Band 7

Contract

Parhaol

Oriau

Llawnamser
Rhan-amser
Rhannu swydd
Gweithio hyblyg

37.5 awr yr wythnos

Cyfeirnod y swydd

919-CJ-301849-EXT

Cyflogwr: UK Health Security Agency
Math o gyflogwr: Public (Non NHS)
Gwefan: Porton Down
Tref: Sailsbury
Cyflog: £43,742 - £50,056 per annum pro rata
Cyfnod cyflog: Yn flynyddol
Yn cau: 11/08/2024 23:59

Senior Biomedical Scientist

NHS AfC: Band 7

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Swydd ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl

The post holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

take a leading role in the delivery of the laboratory’s national reference activities
represent the laboratory at relevant meetings and seminars in the absence of the laboratory manager
identify to management any potential conflicts of interest which may impinge on their ability to perform their duties effectively as defined by UKHSA Conflict of Interest Policy
undertake a range of diagnostic assays and techniques as required, meeting the needs of RIPL service provision
undertake microbiological analysis of environmental samples.
troubleshoot assays and processes which cannot be resolved by junior staff
produce and maintain reagents to support current testing strategies and for the development of new assays
play a leading role in the identification, evaluation and adaptation of new technologies and diagnostic tests to enhance the laboratories capabilities and to ensure the project area works to a high scientific standard
supply data to agreed timescales required by RIPL service level agreement
undertake general laboratory duties including disposal of waste, equipment maintenance, stock control and ensuring a safe working environment
undergo any training requirements as required for the post.
participate in the RIPL on-call rota to provide 24/7 cover
ensure all work in undertaken in accordance with the UKHSA’s Code of Safety Practice
comply with UKHSA policy and procedures
prioritise, co-ordinate and organise specialist investigations and supervise the workload of a team of staff
maintain HCPC registration as a condition of employment
take a leading role in quality, health and safety and training within the laboratory
play a supporting role in the delivery of the laboratory’s Quality Management System to maintain UKAS ISO:15189 accreditation
maintain high professional standards by continual professional development keeping up to date with advances in medical microbiology
maintain a positive attitude to the work of the laboratory and other members of the team
ensure health, safety and welfare are afforded priority and to demonstrate commitment to health, safety and welfare of self, staff and visitors and comply with relevant UKHSA health and safety policies at all times
escalate risks that cannot be controlled to the Laboratory Manager.
work to the highest scientific standards at all times
perform any other duties required by the line manager commensurate with grade

Essential Criteria:

Please be aware that we will assessed on the below 8 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description:

MSc or higher qualification in an appropriate medical/microbiological/biological science or equivalent experience
educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as Biomedical Scientist
experience of diagnostic molecular biology testing methods including real time PCR
recent experience in a diagnostic or reference virology laboratory
good knowledge and experience of serological methods including ELISA and IFA
working knowledge of LIMS
experience of working in a regulated environment with quality systems and knowledge of UKAS

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 capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.

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 a:

CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
1250 word Statement of Suitability

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

The CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately, and you must pass both to move forward to interview.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

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

Please do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

You will be invited to a single face to face interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

There maybe a presentation, details of which will be provided to you nearer the time.

If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

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

Location Information

This role is based at Porton Down, Salisbury. Please note hybrid working is not available for this role.

Eligibility Criteria

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

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.

Manyleb y person

Qualifications

Meini prawf hanfodol

MSc or higher qualification in an appropriate medical / microbiological/biological science or equivalent experience
Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
Registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as Biomedical Scientist

Knowledge and Experience

Meini prawf hanfodol

Experience of diagnostic molecular biology testing methods including real time PCR
Recent experience in a diagnostic or reference virology laboratory
Good knowledge and experience of serological methods including ELISA and IFA
Working knowledge of LIMS
Experience of working in a regulated environment with quality systems and knowledge of UKAS

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

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

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.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan.  If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles (attached as a supporting document).

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates 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 usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/