Data Scientist

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., This post will provide critical scientific and data-management advice to individual system managers to ensure the highest standards in Health Equity and Inclusion surveillance and related research. The Data and Surveillance team will be led by the Head of Health Equity Intelligence as a standalone team alongside health and justice, inclusion health, ASC and inequalities and life course. While the initial work will be focused on Inclusion Health, the post holder will support other areas and will work closely with the data and Surveillance team in the department and will provide scientific support for the surveillance and evaluation of specific control activities in the populations served by the division.
The post holder will:
+ support tasks will help the Data and Surveillance team to identify and develop the means to answer key questions in the evaluation of public health programmes and to provide clear evidence-based advice
+ be expected to support on major epidemiological research programmes and to collaborate with external stakeholders where necessary., + As a Data Scientist, you will play a crucial role in enabling data-driven operations and decision-making within the public health domain. Your primary responsibilities will revolve around the collection, processing, and integration of data from various sources to build robust data pipelines and dashboards, reports and visualisations.
+ A key aspect of your work will involve designing and developing data models and schemas that facilitate efficient data storage, retrieval, and analysis. You will implement extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes to ensure data quality, consistency, and integrity throughout the data lifecycle.
+ Be responsible for collecting and processing and validating the data. This includes: liaising with data providers to help overcome any problems in reporting, referring to other scientific as necessary; following-up incomplete, inaccurate or missing surveillance data; ensuring data security is compliant with the required standard; assisting scientific colleagues in processes to reconcile the information collected; ensure completeness of data.
+ Receive, interpret, provide and advise on complex epidemiological and statistical information to internal and external stakeholders
For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Working for our organisation
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all., + Collation, analysis, interpretation and visualisation of public health information.
+ Implement data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes to ensure data quality and consistency.
+ Building and maintaining interactive dashboards and data visualisation tools to facilitate data exploration and reporting.
+ Participating in the "business as usual" operations of data products, and update existing databases where required; plan and establish new electronic surveillance schemes where need arises; write or update and develop reports
+ Liaising, where necessary, with colleagues concerning issues of data quality and effect on analysis.
+ Communicating analytical/statistical matters to non-analytical/statistical professionals.
+ Ensuring personal and promoting team compliance with corporate policies in relation to security, confidentiality and release of information.
+ Undertake regular reporting of the data and ad hoc specialist and complex analyses of quantitative and/or qualitative datasets which will require selection of the best option from a range of possible solutions.
Professional development
+ Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with your line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attending internal / external training event
+ To participate in all mandatory training as required, i.e. fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.
Key working relationships
The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include:
Internal
+ Collaborate directly with medical, nursing, scientific, statistical and administrative staff within UKHSA.
+ Deputy Director Health Equity and Inclusion Health
+ National Lead Consultants for Health and Justice, Inclusion Health, Adult Social Care and Inequalities and Life Course
+ Public Health Specialty Registrars
+ Data, analytics and surveillance
+ UKHSA Field Service, Health Protections Operations Group
+ Other members of the Clinical and Public Health Group
External
+ Regular liaison with colleagues at the Department of Health and Social Care, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS Digital, NHS England, and the national public health bodies for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland., This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess Behaviours and Experience.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
Behaviours statements
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed 7 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:
+ a CV/ Application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application)
+ Behaviour Statements
Please write 250 words per behaviour
The behaviours are:
+ Working Together
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Changing and Improving
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 behaviour statements will be marked together.
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on - A first or second class honours degree in a numerate subject (e.g. Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Business Studies, Psychology, Geography or similar) or a higher degree, e.g. a MSc or PhD, in a numerate subject or have worked in a data analysis field and are able to demonstrate Continuous Professional Development in data analysis at the same level as a foundation
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.
Please do not exceed 250 words per behaviour statement. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.
Behaviours and experience will be tested at interview.
There will be a Technical Test - You will be provided with a representative data science task and data set and have 90 minutes to construct a code-based solution. You will then have an interactive discussion with a panel. Here you will present your outputs and respond to questions interactively. This session is expected to last around 20 minutes. The assessment is predominately designed to test your coding and mathematical skills and the marking will align to the DDAT data science framework. If you pass this stage, you will proceed to the final interview stage.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be
+ Working together
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Changing and Improving
Interview dates are yet to be confirmed.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
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.
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 which you will need your department to agree. You can not take the post up as a fixed term. 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

Please be aware that we will assess on the 7 essential criteria stated below on the advert rather than the full list on the job description document.
+ Strong written and verbal communication skills, being able to tailor communications appropriately for a range of audiences including communicate the results of analysis to senior stakeholders and decision makers.
+ Experience with Python and/or R
+ A first- or second-class honours degree in a numerate discipline, computer science or IT equivalent which demonstrates core statistical skills or A higher degree, e.g., an MSc or PhD, in Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics (this is not a definitive list) or Have worked in a statistical/data science field and are able to demonstrate continuous professional development in statistics/data science at the same level as a foundation degree/HND (Level 5)
+ Experience in using Microsoft Power BI or other (e.g, R shiny, Tableau) to analyse data and build, develop, support dashboards
+ Experience of multi-variate regression modelling
+ Good understanding of mathematical and statistical approaches, being able to articulate the strengths and weaknesses of candidate approaches
+ Awareness of software best practice such as writing functions, modular code and using git-based version control systems.
+ Work well with others, building constructive relationships inside and outside of the immediate team

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/
International Police Check
If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.