Senior Health Economist and Infectious Disease Modeller

Job description

Job responsibilities

Your key responsibilities will include to:

• Develop health economic models of infectious diseases to understand epidemiology and assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
• Lead the parameterisation of models by analysis of appropriate data and critical review of relevant literature, synthesising multiple evidence sources, including leading the identification, use and analysis of complex and often large datasets.
• Develop methods to make better use of data to inform models and to take advantage of increases in the volume and richness of datasets.
• Design modelling and economic studies to address identified HCAI & AMR knowledge gaps, including scoping and understanding both the data needs and sources, leading to clinically relevant insights to directly inform national policy.
• Provide leadership and management for AMR & HCAI modelling and health economics project work: planning, developing, managing and co-ordinating projects to ensure deliverables are met.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of protocols for managing development of models, including quality assurance and version control.
• Lead or contribute towards research grant applications for funding (from internal and external sources) where additional resources are required to implement the programme of research.
• Provide management and supervision of both post-doctoral mathematical modellers and PhD students as required, and provide scientific advice and supervision to staff within the Modelling and Economics Unit, and to be responsible for the scientific development of staff.
• Establish and strengthen collaborative networks with staff in the Modelling and Economics Unit and HCAI & AMR Division to enable cross fertilisation of ideas and expertise in order to maximise opportunities.
• Take responsibility for instigating and coordinating research with economists, modellers, healthcare professionals etc. from other institutions.
• Disseminate research through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and give presentations at national and international conferences and meetings as appropriate.
• Manage competing priorities arising through involvement with multiple projects and multiple stakeholders, asking for support where necessary. This will include the planning and management of delivery of projects with support from within the team, the postholder will need to work independently to take forward agreed projects, including agreeing specifications and definitions, developing project plans, and planning workloads for themselves and any analysts/modellers/economists they may be leading in delivery of the project. This will require communication with colleagues at all levels, often negotiating with internal and external colleagues over access to data, project deliverables etc.

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your knowledge, technical experience, skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 9 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

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

• 750 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 Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essentialcriteria

• Meets some essential criteria

• Meets no essential criteria

Piles Meets all essentialcriteria and Meets some essential criteriawill be moved through to the shortlisting stage.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• PhD in Health Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Epidemiology, Public Health or similar or PhD-level experience with a focus on health economics/modelling relevant to infectious disease control

Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

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

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

There will be a 5-minute Presentation at interview on a relevant research topic. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to 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

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Canary Wharf. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using 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). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

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.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

• PhD in Mathematics, Health Economics, Statistics, Epidemiology, Public Health or similar or PhD-level experience with a focus on health economics/modelling relevant to infectious disease control. Degree in relevant subject
• Extensive relevant research experience with a recognized track record of research and significant health economic modelling/evaluations experience including experience of modelling applied to infectious diseases
• Experience in collating, managing and analysing large and complex data, from multiple sources
• Strong skills in scientific programming and model development (e.g. in R, python, C/C++)
• Experience working on multi-disciplinary projects which require collaborating with a wide range of health professionals/dealing with multiple stakeholders
• Publishing scientific papers reporting primary research (not literature reviews) relevant to this post, in which the candidate made a leading contribution, in relevant peer-reviewed journals, demonstrated by a publication list.
• Communication of complex ideas and methods clearly and succinctly to a wide range of audiences with differing technical backgrounds
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational and time management skills and the interpretation of a range of complex data and the use of judgement to identify, formulate and solve
• Work with both with considerable initiative and independence, planning own work programme, and as a team member (in a multidisciplinary team), coordinating with multiple stakeholders as required. Maintain required levels of confidentiality

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

UKHSA Canary Wharf

10 South Colonnade

London

E14 4PU

Employer's website

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