About the job

Job summary

Introduction

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences, and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

Job description

UKHSA Data Operations Directorate

Data Operations provides strategic leadership and oversight for developing and managing a common and bespoke suite of performant, modern, secure, data and analytical tools, services, platforms, and applications, ensuring access to high quality data and analytics services, internally and externally.

As a Data Curation Lead, you will lead a dynamic team responsible for delivering effective data management services supporting public health delivery.  Specifically, this will involve arranging to receive data in various formats and providing access to meet the needs of local and national stakeholders. Also producing data products for onward use and ensuring those data flow through interfacing systems.

You will lead the delivery of data management work on a wide range of public health priority topics driven by the needs of internal UKHSA colleagues and external stakeholders.

Your role will include data management, production & support of automated pipelines, Standard Operating Procedures, dynamic quality assurance of data (i.e. data quality dashboards), as well as supporting the provision of training and translational support so that stakeholders can understand how to use those data.

Working for your 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.  

This role supports the Surveillance Data Lead in leading and managing the team responsible for data management and integrity across the Second-Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) Infrastructure. The role involves the collation, interrogation, interpretation, and presentation of public health information. You will be required to have good working knowledge of database technologies for reproducible pipelines, be highly numerate, have excellent communication skills and must be data curious.

The role requires excellent leadership skills with an ability to effectively prioritise workloads within own team but to also contribute to discussions across the division that require data expertise and direction.

In this role you will ensure that the data products curated are fit for purpose and have appropriate data governance controls in place to ensure essential data maintenance and data flow management.

The role is pivotal in ensuring adherence to information governance responsibilities and considers the implications of any changes and how data are managed and utilised within the Laboratory Data Management Systems landscape.

This role requires a high degree of expertise and experience in database management, using database coding languages such as SQL for data processing, data queries, complex analysis of data quality concerns and introducing, recovering, or automating code within the system(s) as required.

The post requires an ability to develop and deliver against integrated plans for small, medium, and large projects related to data enhancements and new initiatives. The plans should be aligned to business objectives whilst also considering timeframes, resources, risks, impacts and stakeholder requirements.

The post has a responsibility contribute to Business Continuity and Recovery planning. Where is it unavoidable, to also lead and/or contribute to incidents impacting SGSS.

The post holder will:

• ensure all processes, reference data, metadata and code are documented and refreshed regularly using documents such as: Standard Operating Procedures, Process flows and Data Flow Maps
• develop a newly formed team into a high performing team delivering an exemplary service to its users
• work closely with the Data Quality Lead on any Data Quality initiatives, enhancements, and risks to ensure, together, you apply sensible and workable solutions that are thoroughly thought through and impact assessed.

Other responsibilities

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 

Identify, discuss, and action own professional performance and training/development needs with your line manager through appraisal/individual development plan. 

Attend internal/external training events.

To complete all mandatory training as required, i.e., fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Strong Leadership skills with an ability to lead and direct a team to achieve goals, respond to changing priorities and to ensure business continuity. 
• Strong technical background in Microsoft SQL Databases, Microsoft Reporting Tools (SSRS, PowerBI) and Microsoft data extraction methods (SSIS).
• You have a good knowledge of SQL Data Warehouses and have experience working with multi-dimensional data
• Comprehensive skills in the use of the following to produce Reproducible Analytical Pipelines: SQL, SSIS, APIs, R and Python
• Experience in the use of data management methods for extracting, transforming, and loading large data sets.
  Ability to analyse, provide and synthesise highly complex data and information and provide and present timely and accurate information and advice to those at a senior level, e.g. for incident response teams.
• Well-developed problem-solving skills and a flexible approach to developing solutions.
• Knowledge of data security, information governance and confidentiality issues.
• Ability to define, interpret, review and document data flows within a complex database environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,824, UK Health Security Agency contributes £13,992 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

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

Stage 1: Application & Sift 

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)
• 1250 word Statement of Suitability. 

The statement of suitability should outline your skills, experience and knowledge and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. 

The CV/Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately, and you must pass both to move forward to interview

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist against the essential criteria of:

• Strong technical background in Microsoft SQL Databases, Microsoft Reporting Tools (SSRS, PowerBI) and Microsoft data extraction methods (SSIS).

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the essential criteria of:

• Strong Leadership skills with an ability to lead and direct a team to achieve goals, respond to changing priorities and to ensure business continuity.
• Strong technical background in Microsoft SQL Databases, Microsoft Reporting Tools (SSRS, PowerBI) and Microsoft data extraction methods (SSIS).

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

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

Please do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote via MS Teams.

Behaviours, technical, experience, abilities and strengths will be tested at interview. 

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Leadership (lead behaviour)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making effective decisions
• Changing and improving

Interviews will be held week commencing 3rd June.  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 one of UKHSA's locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site.

Eligibility Criteria

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

Disability Confident scheme 

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. 

Reserve List clause 

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.  

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 

New 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 

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.