About the job

Job summary

Animal Technician

Grade AO (Inner) - £26,392 to £26,994

UKHSA Colindale

Permanent Contract

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the Biological Services departments within High Containment and Biological Services. The primary aim of Colindale Biological Services is to protect the UK public from a variety of health risks through the provision of support to internal and external laboratories. The areas of work that are ongoing include diagnostics for bacterial infections, the supply of normal blood cells, as well as the production of antisera against influenza and other pathogens

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As an Animal Technician, you will play an important role in providing high quality animal care and environmental enrichment for poultry, rodents, and ferrets. In this role, you will be responsible for maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare and ensuring that the practices and facilities are Home Office compliant. This role is primarily a physical role, ensuring the environment is clean, and health and wellbeing requirements for the animals are fulfilled. Weekend work (paid as overtime) is on a rota and will be introduced after a period of induction to the facility.

UKHSA – On-site

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.* 

Working Pattern – Full Time

Job description

Responsibilities section:

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Work within BSD performing routine animal husbandry and working with a variety of species.
• Conducting experimental procedures under Home Office licence including the removal of specified tissue and blood.
• To recognise, report and record ill health in species held within BSD.
• Perform all duties within guidelines laid down by the Home Office, Health and Safety Executive and other regulatory bodies as applicable.
• Record all information regarding duties performed in relevant documentation and within specific guidelines.
• Be capable of working efficiently in a team and alone.
• Work at ACDP (Advisory Committee of Dangerous Pathogens) Containment Level 2 and above if required, undertaking associated safety precautions.
• Ensure equipment used within BSD is fit for purpose and is usable at all times, reporting faults as identified and moving equipment as required.
• Take part in a rota system for weekend and public holiday working.
• Undertake all work in accordance with UKHSA Code of Safety Practice and Quality System

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Please see job description attached for full list of duties and competencies associated with the post.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 750 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):

Essential

• Good general education with GCSE (or equivalent) in one scientific subject
• Can demonstrate reliability and the ability to work as part of a team
• Keeping detailed and accurate records
• Understanding of why animals are used for research purposes.
• Working in an animal-based environment to a high standard of husbandry.
• Working in a safety critical environment including awareness of ACDP containment
• Understanding of the need for and purpose of bio containment when working with dangerous pathogens
• Understanding of the need for thorough documentation systems
• Awareness of the need to continually develop and improve animal welfare

Desirable

• IAT Certificate (or equivalent)
• Personal Licence Holder

Please ensure that your statement of suitability does not contain any personal identifiers such as Name, Gender, Location, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation or Religion. The UKHSA operates a fair and open recruitment policy.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,392, UK Health Security Agency contributes £7,125 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description – please do provide evidence of how you meet this. 

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

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This competition will involve a face to face interview. 

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. 

Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

The Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

• Seeing the big picture
• Communicating and influencing
• Working together
• Delivery at pace

 

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 10th March 2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Shortlist: 15th March 2024

Interviews: w/c 8th April 2024

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Eligibility Criteria

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

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

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 embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

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 UK SC Clearance.  People working with government assets must complete UK Sc Clearance.

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. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Complaint process:

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: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. 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. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.