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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.
Contact
- Address
- 10 South Colonnade
- London
- E14 4PU
Clinical Fellow (RIPL)
Accepting applications until: 31-Mar-2025 00:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 31-Mar-2025 00:59
Key details
Location
- Gwefan
- UKHSA Porton
- Tref
- Salisbury SP4 0JG
- Cod post
- SP4 0JG
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Until 31 July 2026)
- Oriau
- Full time - 40 hours per week
Salary
- Cyflog
- £61,825 - £70,425 per annum, pro rata
- Cyfnod cyflog
- Yearly
- Gradd
- (NHS Medical & Dental: Specialty Registrar)
Specialty
- Prif leoliad
- Public Health
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.
Trosolwg o'r swydd
The job is based at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL), UKHSA Porton Down, and is an opportunity to learn about the recognition, diagnosis, and management of a wide range of imported and zoonotic diseases.
The job is suitable for a trainee ideally towards the end of their training programme, but as a minimum at ST3 or above in microbiology, virology, infectious diseases in single or combined specialty training.
Candidates will be expected to have a basic knowledge of laboratory practice in microbiology and virology, and a good understanding of the pathological basis of disease and case management. Under the supervision of the RIPL consultants, the post-holder will form an active member of the clinical team and take part in all activities from selection of tests and initial advice on case management and infection control through to the interpretation and reporting of results of a wide range of assays for unusual diseases. They will also gain experience in laboratory management and quality systems and will be encouraged to undertake a project to develop our understanding of unusual diseases imported into the UK.
Advert
The Clinical Fellow will be expected to undertake the following:
Clinical Services
• To offer clinical and scientific advice to clinicians on the appropriateness and choice of testing and the interpretation of results.
• Interpret and report laboratory results using the Laboratory Information Management System.
• To liaise with clinicians and other healthcare professionals on all aspects of patient management (including treatment) and to act as a link between the laboratory and front-line medical professionals.
• To support the introduction of new diagnostic methodologies into the unit to ensure that a comprehensive service is provided for imported diseases.
• To contribute to incident or outbreak investigations.
Main Responsibilities
• Through example, discussion and daily working practice, educate and encourage junior members of staff in the interpretation and significance of laboratory work for patient management.
• Support the development of services for the detection, genotyping and reporting of novel pathogens within the department and NIS.
• Support and enhance compliance with ISO15189 and other accreditation and certification standards
• To participate in scientific research activities within the RIPL service
• Support the continual development and compliance of internal and external audit programmes and corrective actions.
• Contribute to internal and external quality assurance programmes.
Gweithio i'n sefydliad
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
Swydd-ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl
Candidates should refer to the Job Description for a full overview of the role and remit of the post prior to completing their application.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Other Information
This position is open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.
The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority.
Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)
If included in the GMC Specialist Register/ in a specialty other than public health medicine, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice
Public Health Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
At sift stage you will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the job advert, you will receive a score (the information entered into your application) and statement of suitability.
Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1200 word count.
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.
Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview and assessment
Stage 2: Interview
All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will progress to an interview and will be assessed on the essential criteria as advertised.
Interviews will be held face to face at UKHSA, Manor Farm Road, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG.
Interviews via MS Teams can be arranged in exceptional circumstances.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
UK Health Security Agency promoted diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunities employer.
Security Clearance Level Requirement
Successful candidates for this role must pass a disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.
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 Security Clearance 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.
For further information or an informal discussion about the post, please contact:
Dr Claire Gordon, Consultant Clinician
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. You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. 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 cannot 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
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.
The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. 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.
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/
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.
Internal Fraud check
If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.
Applicant requirements
Person specification
Qualifications
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Recognised medical degree meeting UK requirements for registration
- Registered for a UK or equivalent international medical specialist trainee programme in microbiology, virology, infectious diseases or a relevant combined programme
- GMC registration or eligibility for registration
Meini prawf dymunol
- Higher qualification in infectious diseases, microbiology, virology or relevant medical specialty e.g. MRCP, FRCPath, MSc, PhD
Knowledge and Experience
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Specialist training/experience in specific methods required for the post
- Experience in clinical interpretation of complex laboratory tests for infectious diseases, including molecular & serological methods
- Experience in the clinical presentation and management of infectious conditions
- Bacteriology experience
- Virology experience
Meini prawf dymunol
- Experience of laboratory safety requirements and procedures
Skills and Capabilities
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Good communicator and team worker
- Familiarity with Excel and PowerPoint
- Ability to assimilate varied information and solve complex problems
- Highly motivated and able to self-determine
- Decisive, with excellent analytical skills
- Able to work to tight deadlines
- Reliable and conscientious
- Good organiser
- Able to organise self
- Attention to detail
- Ambitious
- Able to set priorities and manage time effectively
- Ability to work under pressure from other staff and customers
Meini prawf dymunol
- Confident in presentation of ideas and information
- Experience of presentation of data at professional meetings
- Leadership skills
Equality and Diversity
Meini prawf hanfodol
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems
Documents
- Job Description (PDF, 680.3KB)
- Functional Requirements Form (PDF, 344.6KB)
- Civil Service Recruitment Principles (PDF, 2.6MB)
- Civil Service Nationality Rules (PDF, 195.3KB)
- 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
- Enw
- Claire Gordon
- Teitl y swydd
- Consultant Clinician
- Cyfeiriad ebost
- [email protected]
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