Healthcare 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., We are looking for a Healthcare Scientist to work within the Respiratory Virus Unit (RVU Team), which is part of the Virus Reference Department based in Colindale, London. The Respiratory Virus Unit is the World Health Organisation (WHO) National Influenza Centre (NIC) for the UK and is the National Reference Laboratory for a range of respiratory virus pathogens. The unit is one of four WHO global respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) Reference Laboratories, and as such collaborates with WHO, providing technical support and advice to national laboratories, and a WHO Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) Reference Laboratory, providing confirmatory and reference services for MERS CoV., The post holder will take delegated responsibility from the Unit Head / Scientific Leads and Technical Manager to:

• Provide laboratory support for the detection and genetic characterisation of influenza viruses (human, avian and mammalian), respiratory syncytial viruses and coronaviruses.
• Provide laboratory support for the identification, growth and characterisation of clinical influenza and other respiratory virus isolates.
• Provide laboratory support for antiviral susceptibility surveillance by genotypic and phenotypic methods.
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. Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers, To take delegated responsibility from the Unit Head and Technical Manager through the unit scientific lead in accordance with UKHSA and RSDC policies for the following:
• Technical/ Scientific/ Reference services/ Research and Development
• Growth and maintenance of mammalian cell culture lines.
• Growth, amplification, and characterization of clinical virus isolates.
• Extraction of viral nucleic acid from clinical samples by manual and automated methods.
• Performance of RT-PCR for surveillance and diagnosis of influenza and other respiratory viruses.
• Propagation of respiratory viruses and quantitation by methods such as determination of titre by plaque assay.
• Support for serological analysis using neutralization, ELISA and haemagglutination inhibition.
• Genetic characterisation of respiratory viruses.
• To be responsible for the reading and analysis of test results generated and entry of results onto the LIMS system.
• Collate and present data for discussion.
• Adhering to external and internal quality control practices.
• Attend meetings, plan and implement project plans.
• Monitor safety cabinets and carry out routine quality control procedures in order to maintain set standards.
• Supporting the scoping and prioritisation of new requirements as they emerge in your area - where applicable representing transformation in operational and governance forums.
• Undertaking concise packages of delivery work which may consist of undertaking analysis, facilitating or leading solution design, co-ordinating operational delivery or creating handover materials.
• Supporting your manager in planning across the workstream.
• Building collaborative relationships with operational stakeholders, conducting handover to operational run teams at an agreed, appropriate point of delivery.
• Input into regular reporting relating to initiatives you are leading in line with the agile methodology used across the TDU Team, as well as feeding into general governance processes.
• Building up expert knowledge of operations, stakeholders, digital solutions and data
For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, as well as all Essential and Desirable Criteria, please refer to the attached Job Description. Selection Process: This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and 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 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
• Application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application)
• 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 essential criteria. The application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately, and you must pass both to move forward to interview. In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the lead criteria: Post-qualification laboratory experience in microbiology or virology, cell culture and virus isolation and characterisation. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and 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 You will be invited to a single face to face interview. Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview Interview dates 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. This role is based at Colindale . Please note hybrid working is not available for this role. 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 Counter-terrorist Check. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC). UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. 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.Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). 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. 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

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.