Higher Toxicologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards Directorate (RCE) provides evidence and advice to protect health from Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards. To support evidence-anchored advice for Health Security, RCE undertakes research work with various university partners and other organisations including within Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) supported by the National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR).

The Toxicology Department provides public health advice to other parts of RCE, the Department of Health and Social Care and other Government departments and agencies, Local Authorities and other stakeholders including members of the public on the risks to health from environmental hazards (chemicals, particles and bioaerosols). The Toxicology Department undertakes research that underpins chemical regulation and policy development. All of the research underpins the UKHSA role in public health protection from environmental hazards.

General Toxicology and Biomonitoring Programme

The General Toxicology and Biomonitoring Programme is within the Toxicology Department. It consists of toxicologists, who provide public health advice on a variety of different chemicals to colleagues within UKHSA, Government agencies and departments, and to the public. This advice focuses on the health effects of chemicals in water, soil and waste processes. We also advise on the public health aspects of the approval and use of pesticides, veterinary medicines, cosmetics and consumer products. The Group provides the Secretariat, jointly with the Food Standards Agency, for three important Government expert advisory committees: the Committees on the Toxicity, Carcinogenicity and Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT, COC and COM). The Group has an active biomonitoring research programme.

JOB SUMMARY

The job entails working within the General Toxicology and Biomonitoring programme to provide advice on the health effects of chemicals in drinking water, contaminated land and from waste processes. The team works closely with the regional RCE chemicals teams in England and Wales, providing advice and support during contamination incidents involving chemicals. The postholder will support various areas of the work of the programme and be required to specialise in a designated area after a period of development in post. They may also be required to provide toxicological advice in other areas as necessary to support the work of UKHSA.

Selection process details

Your Statement of Suitability (no more than 1,000 words) should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT:

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the advertised essential criteria please do provide evidence of how you meet this.

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

STAGE 2 INTERVIEW

This competition will involve an interview on-site.

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates will also be asked to participate in a session where they will be required to prepare and deliver a 10min presentation to the panel. This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment. The presentation will be designed to assess each candidates experience in line with the requirements of the role. Full details will be provided prior to the interview.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 08/09/2023 unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews: TBC

Please note these dates could be subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

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

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

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.

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.

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

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. 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:Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. 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.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

• Relevant Bachelors or Masters qualification in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in a relevant toxicology area
• Awareness of broad public health and environmental issues
• Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences.
• Ability to critically assess literature data and other information relevant to assessing the toxicity of chemicals.
• Ability to establish good working relationships.
• Ability to meet deadlines and plan work over short, medium and long-term timeframes
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable

• Experience of working in toxicology, or other relevant area
• Experience in Industry or public health
• Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations.
• Skills for nurturing key relationships and maintaining networks.

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

Chilton

Didcot

OX11 0RQ

Employer's website

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