Principal Scientist (Epidemiology)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main responsibilities

Surveillance and Data Analysis

• Identify surveillance needs (including horizon scanning), create surveillance system specifications, conduct complex statistical analyses and interpret surveillance data, making appropriate recommendations, and translating it in to public health action, develop automated routines and solutions and supervise / assure on the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance reports.
• Authorise /manage complex or sensitive data requests and in the development of outputs and statistical analysis.
• Responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining a high level of surveillance and high quality epidemiology to meet needs, providing expert technical advice to PH practitioners on the design, analysis and interpretation of surveillance databases and data whilst assessing the current and future political /economic /scientific /technological /legal /environmental influences on team work.
• Experience of using Stata and / or R

Outbreak Support and Epidemiological Investigations

• Lead and manage the technical and analytical aspects of epidemiological outbreak investigations including advising on study design, writing protocols for analytical studies, overseeing questionnaire design and study database development, training interviewers, preparing outbreak reports and supervising and supporting investigations into exceedances.

Audit, Quality and Governance

• Evaluate existing surveillance systems (acting on results) and the acute response to incidents and outbreak, ensuring that it is used to improve standards and consistency across the team, evaluate teaching sessions and undertake and supervise audits as part of the team audit programme.

Research

• Identify research questions, project manage a research study, analyse datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research questions, and translate results into public health action.
• Perform systematic reviews of literature, co-author grant proposals/applications (including applying for ethical approval), present at scientific conferences, programme area meetings and other fora, and publish and present scientific papers on public health surveillance, outbreaks and infectious disease control in collaboration with health, public health, academic and other partners.

Management / workforce / HR

• Effectively manage others and yourself: lead, supervise and motivate scientific and information staff; effectively appraise, manage performance, and address HR/disciplinary issues for staff line managed; be recruiting manager for posts, update JDs, be responsible for managing own workload, including developing objectives and reviewing progress against these.

Teaching/Training

• Teach colleagues and stakeholders on surveillance and epidemiology, supporting ongoing training activities within the department, develop teaching material and courses, assess teaching requirements of team and colleagues and supervise MSc and other short term team attachments.

Strategic thinking / partnership working

• Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders and partners, manage delivery of agreed work programme including timely reporting to stakeholders and work in partnership to ensure needs of stakeholders are met.

Selection Process:

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess yourskills and capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Application & Sift competency-based assessments

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 5essential criteria, and this will be in the form of

• a CV/ Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

• a (1000) word Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the (5)essential criteria.

The CV / Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on (lead criteria) - Experience of interpreting and evaluating complex epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology and concepts in outbreak situations

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.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

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

There will be a Presentation task and details will be sent to applicants.

Interviews will be held week commencing TBC. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Please note all the essential criteria listed in the job description will be assessed at interview stage.

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

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 be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at our London 10SC site.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (includingby definition internalapplicants).

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.

Working for the Civil Service

TheCivil Service Codesets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.We recruit by meriton the basis offair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission'srecruitment principles.

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

Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:

• life sentences

• arson

• sexual offences

• hate and terror offences

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available

Starting Salary

Entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants,i.e.level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase.

Either case isdeterminedby whichever is the highest.

For further details please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment

Person Specification

Knowledge and experience

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 complex epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology and concepts in outbreak situations
• Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology including epidemiology for outbreak investigations
• Proficient and/or expert in common statistical/ database/mapping tools such as Stata, R, GIS, network analysis, SQL, etc.

Desirable

• Experience of research activities with a suitable publication record (3+ papers including 1+ first author) and grant writing experience

Skills / capabilities/ behaviours

Essential

• Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups

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

Colindale

London

NW9 5EQ

Employer's website

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