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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

Find out more

Jobs Website

Open

Ref: 919-GB-301120-EXT Vacancy ID: 7435566

Food Water and Environmental Microbiology Service (FWEMS) Scientist

Accepting applications until: 21-Sep-2025 23:59

Vacancy status: Open

Accepting applications until: 21-Sep-2025 23:59

Location

Site: Porton Down
Town: Porton
Postcode: SP4 0JG
Major / Minor Region: London

Contract type & working pattern

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Salary

Salary: £54,416 - £64,485 Per annum Pro Rata
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: (Civil Service: Grade 7)

Specialty

Main area: Science

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.

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The post holder will provide leadership and expertise in developing and implementing FW&E Microbiology service delivery.

The post holder will provide scientific expertise and project management support to the Laboratory Unit Head for Food, Water & Environmental Microbiology activities and relevant major grant-funded projects.

The post holder will communicate effectively and accurately by oral and written means, and ensure full and effective communication throughout FWEMS, making certain that all staff are included where appropriate. They 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
• Unit Head and other Senior Staff within the team
• Lead FW&E Microbiologist
• Senior management, clinical or scientific staff from across UKHSA engaged in FWEMS or other project activities, as appropriate.
External
• FWEMS customers, stakeholders, suppliers, including Local Authorities, Port Health Authorities, FSA, NHS, and other users
• International: staff of international institutes as appropriate, including reference laboratories, EFSA, WHO, ECDC, CDC etc.
• Commercial companies, and professional groups as required.

To ensure effective and timely delivery and advice on reference, specialist, and research activities within remit.

Strategy and Leadership
Provide effective scientific leadership with respect to implementation and provision of end-to-end services for FWEMS. Maximise efficient and flexible use of resources for service delivery. Plan, develop, implement and direct with the Lead Food, Water & Environmental Microbiologist and FWEMS Unit Heads a long-term strategy and programme of research for the specialist area. Adopt new technologies and quality innovations, as required, to maximise the effectiveness of FWEMS

Scientific and Epidemiological
Within the defined specialist area(s) to undertake the following scientific and epidemiological functions:
advise, as appropriate, FWEMS Senior Staff on all aspects of work associated with specialisms, especially implementation of new methods and technologies for service delivery; assess methodologies regularly to provide on-going improvement in services and to provide expert advice and knowledge on the scientific basis of reference service tests and results; develop, evaluate and implement methods relevant to the specialist area; produce peer-reviewed publications on the results of research activities. To develop, review and edit manuscripts, documents, protocols, procedures, guidelines, and other measurable outputs; provide scientific advice and support in relation to internal quality controls and, where relevant, external quality assessment; present research findings at local, national and international scientific meetings.

Other Managerial
Within defined specialist areas, support Unit Head by undertaking the following functions as required:
participate in FWEMS’ Senior Management Team meetings and, as required, in higher level meetings; develop professional/management expertise by undertaking further appropriate training as required; support career and professional development of staff within the team; manage staff, conduct staff appraisals of direct reports and manage performance issues as required; ensure the provision of a safe working environment for all staff and visitors; contribute to maintaining a high profile for the specialisms amongst key stakeholders in the UK and abroad; help to maintain laboratory accreditation with UKAS and other agreed national and international standards; act as an advisor and a source of expert and specialist information for the Unit and UKHSA and deputise for Unit Head as required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical/Professional
Ensure robust arrangements for Research Governance for activities relating to the specialist areas. Ensure the probity and integrity of research undertaken. Provide cover for the Unit Head by validating reports on the FWEMS Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).

Teaching/Training
Promote the personal and professional development of staff through creation of personal development plans, regular performance review, and identification and meeting of training needs. Ensure junior staff and assigned visitors or trainees are competent to carry out the tasks given to them, ensuring that levels of supervision are sufficient. Develop and supervise postgraduate research projects and support the organisation of, and participating in training programmes for staff and visitors.

Quality
Work in collaboration with the Quality Team, to: maintain a high standard of work, and appraise and contribute to developing services so that they are safe, effective and economical and follows best practice; work towards ensuring an efficient quality management system; contribute to internal and external quality assurance programmes; ensure compliance with UKAS and other accreditation and certification standards; ensure the continual development and compliance of internal and external audit programmes and corrective actions.

Information Technology
Contribute to the development of efficient and user-friendly information technology systems and databases as required, including appropriate databases and tools for analysis of WGS data and extraction of key information for clear, concise reports for service delivery. Use software packages as appropriate for word processing, presentations, data analysis, as well as specialist bioinformatics packages as required. Liaise with LIMS team on the introduction of new tests, as required.

Health and Safety
Agree safety objectives with managed staff and to review performance at appraisal and support Senior Management Team in carrying out duties with respect to ensuring health, safety and welfare of self, staff and visitors. Ensuring relevant UKHSA health and safety policies and laboratory safety committee recommendations and actions are implemented. Ensuring implementation of remedial actions resulting from safety inspections and audits.

Other
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by the directorate. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.

Professional Development
You should pursue a programme of continuous professional development in accordance with any relevant professional registration or statutory requirements, whilst maintaining appropriate awareness of service provider requirements.

Essential role criteria:

PhD or equivalent postgraduate degree in relevant subject, i.e., microbiology or biological science
Educated to degree level in relevant subject, i.e., microbiology, or biological science
Eligible to be a Food examiner
Extensive (post-doctoral) expertise in food, water and environmentally transmitted infections and/or
public health microbiology in reference and/or diagnostic settings
Knowledge of food, water and environmental / public health surveillance, WGS and downstream data analysis
Experience of molecular microbiological techniques and their application
Demonstrable experience of leading complex projects and project management skills
Proven record of research in relevant areas including significant/relevant publications
Ability to provide/receive highly complex information, negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change, and present to peers/others
Problem solving skills - ability to anticipate and resolve problems and respond to sudden unexpected demands
Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
Ability to take decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action
Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
Able to prioritize own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others. Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing individual performance
An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change; used to a busy working environment
Evidence of continuing professional development, and willingness to engage with and learn from peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support appropriate interventions
Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals

Desirable role criteria:

Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools

Selection Process Details:

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (18) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
up to 1500 word supporting statement

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 supporting statement will be marked together.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

Meets all essential criteria
Meets some essential criteria
Meets no essential criteria

The following will be taken through to the next stage:

Meets all essential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

Extensive (post-doctoral) expertise in food, water and environmentally transmitted infections and/or public health microbiology in reference and/or diagnostic setting

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Please do not exceed 1500 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview at UKHSA Porton. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Behaviours,, experience, ability and strengths will be tested at interview.

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5–10 minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

Changing and improving (Lead behaviour)
Communicating and influencing
Working together
Leadership

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 - External 

 Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).  

Location

This role is being offered as lab based at our Scientific Campus in Porton.

If based at one of our scientific campuses, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. 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) clearance. In exceptional circumstances 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.

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) 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. 

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers

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

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.

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.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Person specification

Application form and supporting statement

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Behaviours

Essential criteria

Changing and improving (Lead behaviour)
Communicating and influencing
Working together
Leadership

Presentation

Essential criteria

Presentation

Documents

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Gurkamal Bhambra
Job title: Resourcing
Email address: [email protected]
Additional information: For information regarding the role please contact Sally Goff at [email protected]