Job summary
We are looking for a Senior Scientist within the Laboratory Surveillance team which forms part of Field Services in Health Protection Operations. The Laboratory Surveillance team have responsibility for managing and supporting infectious disease reporting from both the NHS and Private sector. The team is responsible for ensuring all results which form part of the Health Protection notification regulations are being reported and meet the minimum standard required for epidemiology surveillance. The team is responsible for ensuring any new and emerging threats in infectious disease are configured for reporting by laboratories.
You will undertake analyses, interpretation, and presentation of infectious disease data to provide health intelligence to meet the needs of local and national stakeholders. You will lead the delivery of analytical work on a wide range of public health priority topics driven by the needs of internal UKHSA colleagues and external stakeholders.
Main duties of the job
Location
Role available at all core and scientific locations with home working available
Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Porton Down, Colindale, Chilton or home working subject to approval.
You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.
*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.*
Working Pattern - Full Time, Part Time, Job Share, Flexible Working, Hybrid Working
About us
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Range of health and wellbeing support
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Senior Scientist your main responsibilities will include:
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Lead on work to ensure NHS and Private sector laboratories are reporting all mandatory infectious disease results to UKHSA.
- Identify surveillance needs within given lead areas, create surveillance system specifications, conduct complex statistical analyses, and interpret surveillance data, making appropriate recommendations, develop automated routines and solutions and supervise / assure on the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance reports.
- Respond to complex or sensitive data requests.
- Use common statistical/database/mapping/web tools such as Stata, R, ArcGIS, network analysis, SQL and SharePoint in routine reports, surveillance activities and the development of solutions and undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages to support data extractions, analysis and validation
- Use and develop database queries and spreadsheets to undertake complex analysis.
- Lead and manage quality assurance of results being fed into UKHSA national laboratory surveillance system (SGSS). Take a lead in developing and promoting quality assurance procedures.
- Advise on quality and governance issues including information security for all aspects of Field Service work, evaluating existing systems and acute response to incidents and outbreak, and use to improve standards and consistency across the team. Contribute to the Field Service quality programme such as through audit and be responsible for the quality of data collected, stored, and extracted and transferred.
- Performance management of relevant staff within your team as directed.
- Attending and actively supporting and participating in local and national networks and meetings with key stakeholders including NHS, health protection colleagues, Data and Analytical Services, and partner organisations for PHE.
- Implement and manage a risk register for all laboratory surveillance activities, identifying new and emerging risks alongside mitigations in place. Develop a lesson learnt log on incident response to help build in processes to reduce risks going forward and ensure repeated mistakes are not being made.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As a Senior Scientist your main responsibilities will include:
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Lead on work to ensure NHS and Private sector laboratories are reporting all mandatory infectious disease results to UKHSA.
- Identify surveillance needs within given lead areas, create surveillance system specifications, conduct complex statistical analyses, and interpret surveillance data, making appropriate recommendations, develop automated routines and solutions and supervise / assure on the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance reports.
- Respond to complex or sensitive data requests.
- Use common statistical/database/mapping/web tools such as Stata, R, ArcGIS, network analysis, SQL and SharePoint in routine reports, surveillance activities and the development of solutions and undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages to support data extractions, analysis and validation
- Use and develop database queries and spreadsheets to undertake complex analysis.
- Lead and manage quality assurance of results being fed into UKHSA national laboratory surveillance system (SGSS). Take a lead in developing and promoting quality assurance procedures.
- Advise on quality and governance issues including information security for all aspects of Field Service work, evaluating existing systems and acute response to incidents and outbreak, and use to improve standards and consistency across the team. Contribute to the Field Service quality programme such as through audit and be responsible for the quality of data collected, stored, and extracted and transferred.
- Performance management of relevant staff within your team as directed.
- Attending and actively supporting and participating in local and national networks and meetings with key stakeholders including NHS, health protection colleagues, Data and Analytical Services, and partner organisations for PHE.
- Implement and manage a risk register for all laboratory surveillance activities, identifying new and emerging risks alongside mitigations in place. Develop a lesson learnt log on incident response to help build in processes to reduce risks going forward and ensure repeated mistakes are not being made.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.
Person Specification
Essential/Desirable criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of principles and practice of surveillance, including data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and graphics and data reporting.
- Experience of interpreting and evaluating data (e.g. epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology in outbreak situations).
- Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology including epidemiology for outbreak investigations or data using management techniques.
- Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software packages.
- Knowledge of health and social care environment, and roles and responsibilities within it including information flows in the NHS and allied services.
- Understand of information governance including data protection and confidentiality requirements.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills.
- Proficient in common statistical/database/mapping tools such as SQL, STATA, R, GIS, network analysis etc.
- Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders.
- Able to work under own initiative, respond to sudden unexpected demands whilst maintaining a professional calm and efficient manner.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching epidemiology, surveillance, or data management.
- Experience of effective line management.
Person Specification
Essential/Desirable criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of principles and practice of surveillance, including data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and graphics and data reporting.
- Experience of interpreting and evaluating data (e.g. epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology in outbreak situations).
- Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology including epidemiology for outbreak investigations or data using management techniques.
- Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software packages.
- Knowledge of health and social care environment, and roles and responsibilities within it including information flows in the NHS and allied services.
- Understand of information governance including data protection and confidentiality requirements.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills.
- Proficient in common statistical/database/mapping tools such as SQL, STATA, R, GIS, network analysis etc.
- Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders.
- Able to work under own initiative, respond to sudden unexpected demands whilst maintaining a professional calm and efficient manner.
Desirable
- Experience of teaching epidemiology, surveillance, or data management.
- Experience of effective line management.
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
