The Deputy Director is a core member of the leadership team of the Scientific Facilities and Performance directorate. The role holder will also be a member of the Public Health Microbiology directorate (PHM) leadership team.

The DD provides leadership for the operational performance and service delivery of the PHM laboratories at UKHSA. This includes its clinical microbiology laboratories, Food Water and Environmental Microbiology laboratories, national reference microbiology laboratories and Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory. Microbiology in context encompasses bacteriology, mycology, parasitology and virology and supporting laboratory technologies.

The DD is also responsible for monitoring the operational performance of the CSO Group as a whole, working with the Science Strategy & Evidence; Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental Hazards; and Scientific Facilities & Performance directorates to provide a combined operational performance scorecard for the group. To do this, the role-holder will be required to implement enhanced operational metrics and group performance scorecard.

The Deputy Director is responsible for overseeing enduring operations and performance areas to ensure our laboratories deliver efficient and high-quality services. The role-holder will also develop improved tracking and management of PHM income to ensure that the cost of services is fully recovered., The Deputy Director will oversee business and commercial activities for Public Health Microbiology (PHM), ensuring services are delivered to plan and within agreed turnaround times. The role holder is responsible for ensuring non-pay expenditure is within budget and shall lead response planning and workforce development.

In ensuring efficient and high-quality services are maintained and enhanced, the Deputy Director is responsible for continuous improvement and will also support the group-wide transformation and modernisation programme leading projects as required.

Importantly, the post-holder will ensure that PHM is prepared and ready to respond to outbreaks and incident response. They will also oversee business continuity arrangements for PHM including ensuring adequate capacity and surge arrangements as required.

Key responsibilities include the direct management of a team of senior specialists and joint leadership of a much larger multidisciplinary team and acting as a spokesperson and champion for UKHSA on matters pertaining to public health microbiology laboratories and CSO group. The Deputy Director will develop strategic partnerships with local, national and international organisations, academia, industry and research funding bodies to maintain and develop world-class scientific and public health microbiology functions and services.

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.