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UK Health Security Agency
About
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, and providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA will ensure the nation can respond quickly and at greater scale to deal with pandemics and future threats.
Principal Scientist (Epidemiology)
Closed for applications on: 2-May-2024 00:05
Vacancy status: Closed
Closed for applications on: 2-May-2024 00:05
Key details
Location
- Site
- 61 Colindale Avenue
- Town
- London
- Postcode
- NW9 5HT
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
Salary
- Salary
- £55,799 - £65,089 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (Civil Service: Grade 7)
Specialty
- Main area
- Epidemiology
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.
Job overview
We are looking for two principal epidemiologists to take leading roles in maintaining and developing surveillance systems for vaccine preventable diseases and have oversight of the transition of surveillance data within the division to a new SQL and R-based environment. They will oversee the epidemiological evaluation of vaccine preventable diseases using national datasets, including laboratory data, and lead on the annual reporting of vaccine preventable disease epidemiology to WHO and project manage specific research studies of vaccine preventable diseases. In addition, the post holder will contribute to the investigation and control of outbreaks including development of new analyses and the support of other scientists and colleagues working directly in these areas.
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Key responsibilities include:
- Develop processes for streamlining analysis of surveillance data, production of outputs. Lead on transfer of existing vaccine preventable disease surveillance systems into SQL and R-based environments
- Lead continued provision of data from different central datasets used alongside laboratory testing data for surveillance of vaccine programmes
- Lead development of existing surveillance systems, manage scientific staff responsible for data collection to improve and enhance quality of data collected and disseminated
- Lead collaborative surveillance within UKHSA between the Immunisation Department and UKHSA specialist and reference laboratories, providing epidemiological expertise to regular meetings with virology staff from UKHSA Specialist Microbiology and Laboratories Directorate
- Supervise routine surveillance and related reporting for Health Protection Report, WHO reports and other internal/external communications
- Provide specialist advice on epidemiology and interpretation of available statistics on vaccine preventable/respiratory virus diseases in response to requests for information from NHS, DHSC, WHO and other organisations
- Participate in investigation of incidents and outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in England as requested by lead consultant or deputy director of the Division
- Write and publish results of research and surveillance studies in peer-review journals, present these papers at national & international meetings/conferences
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Vaccines have been identified as a key strategic priority for UKHSA. The Immunisation and Vaccine-preventable Diseases Division (in the Public Health Programmes Directorate of the Clinical and Public Health Group) is responsible for the national surveillance of most vaccine preventable infections and in providing technical support and clinical expertise to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and to the NHS in planning and delivering the national immunisation programmes. These programmes provide millions of vaccines per year, across the whole life course, and are delivered in a range of NHS settings. The division also provides secretariat to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation who recommend any changes to the national immunisation programme and publish “Immunisation Against Infectious Disease” – the single authoritative source of immunisation advice for health professionals.
The division evaluates the national programme by generating high quality data on disease incidence, vaccine coverage, age-specific immunity, vaccine efficacy and safety and analysis of vaccine policy options (with the statistics and modelling divisions). Surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases and vaccine coverage data are vital components of the evaluation of vaccination programmes in the UK. These data inform the understanding of the epidemiology of different infections and the public health impact of vaccination programmes and help develop and improve control strategies.
The Immunisation and Vaccine-preventable Disease Division is looking for an experienced and highly-capable public health / epidemiology scientist with advanced data skills and well-developed skills in epidemiological assessment to join a team working on the surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases. They are expected to achieve the specific duties with a high degree of autonomy and through working with staff from a wide range of disciplines in the NHS, UKHSA, and other organisations. They will provide leadership in the production development and enhancement of surveillance systems and production of surveillance reports. The post holder will represent the Immunisation & Vaccine Prevention Diseases Division, UKHSA as appropriate, in local, national and international initiatives and meetings. S/he will deputise for the Divisional consultant/ Grade 6 scientific staff when appropriate.
Essential criteria
- First degree in a science subject or equivalent experience in the subject matter
- Higher degree in epidemiology or an allied subject (MSc or PhD)
- Extensive experience in infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance.
- Ability to analyse, summarise and interpret complex epidemiological and situational awareness data. Extensive experience of collating, understanding and reporting situational analysis outputs.
- Effective communication of epidemiological assessments to colleagues and external agencies, including high level stakeholders.
- High level abilities in statistical and graphics packages/environments, and use of databases and spreadsheets (e.g. R and SQL)
- Presenting scientific papers at national and international meetings and conferences.
Desirable criteria
- PhD in epidemiology or an allied subject
- Experience of supporting the delivering of change and transformation initiatives from end to end, into a live operation
Selection Process
Stage 1: Application & Sift
Competency-based assessments
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of
- a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- a 750 words 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 CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked together, and you must pass both to move forward to interview
Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist.
Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on having extensive relevant experience in infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance
Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment
Please do not exceed 750 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 face to face interview
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview
There will be a Technical Test and a Presentation.
Interviews are scheduled to be held week commencing 13th May 2024. Please note, these dates are subject to change.
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 your contractual location - Colindale. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs.
Eligibility Criteria
External
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 (BPSS).
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
It’s 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 is determined by whichever is the highest.
For further details please refer to the Information Sheet - Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment
Face to Face interviews
If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
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. 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:
- Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-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/
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Essential criteria
- First degree in a science subject or equivalent experience in the subject matter
- Higher degree in epidemiology or an allied subject (MSc or PhD)
- Extensive experience in infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance
- Ability to analyse, summarise and interpret complex epidemiological and situational awareness data. Extensive experience of collating, understanding and reporting situational analysis outputs
- Effective communication of epidemiological assessments to colleagues and external agencies, including high level stakeholders
- High level abilities in statistical and graphics packages/environments, and use of databases and spreadsheets (e.g. R and SQL)
- Presenting scientific papers at national and international meetings and conferences
Desirable criteria
- PhD in epidemiology or an allied subject
- Experience of supporting the delivering of change and transformation initiatives from end to end, into a live operation
Documents
- Job Description (PDF, 920.2KB)
- Functional Requirements (PDF, 192.3KB)
- Civil Service Recruitment Principles (PDF, 2.6MB)
- Civil Service Nationality Rules (PDF, 345.1KB)
- Application Form Guidance Notes (PDF, 77.3KB)
- Information Sheet - Starting salaries and benefits (PDF, 129.4KB)
- Information Sheet - Selection Process (PDF, 110.1KB)
- Working at UKHSA and your benefits (PDF, 219.2KB)
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julia Stowe
- Job title
- Lead Epidemiologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
For information regarding the role please contact Julia Stowe - Lead Epidemiologist - [email protected]
No longer accepting applications
Sorry, this vacancy is no longer accepting applications.
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