About the job

Job summary

Deputy Head of Standards Unit / Healthcare Scientist Principal (Research)

Grade 7 Inner £55,799 - £65,089

Based at UKHSA Colindale

Permanent Contract

Do you have a strong background in clinical and public health microbiology? Do you enjoy conducting and leading research projects to develop and improve UK Standard for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMIs)? Do you want to work with a diverse and collaborative team of professionals at the UKHSA Colindale?

If yes, then you might be the perfect fit for the Healthcare Scientist Principal (Research) role in the Standards Unit, part of the Quality and Regulatory Affairs (QRA) and Specialist Microbiology Laboratories (SML) Directorate of Science Group at UKHSA Colindale.

You will:

• Lead and manage research activities for UK SMIs and the Standards Unit team, ensuring high-quality outputs and outcomes.
• Design and develop new and innovative activities and UK SMIs, in line with the latest scientific evidence and best practice.
• Develop and implement databases for UK SMIs, facilitating and supporting research into new practices and the development of forward planning activity.
• Lead and deliver training and maintain the quality and accreditation standards for the service, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and policies.
• Research, write, review, and edit UK SMIs, liaising with users and experts across the UK, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and consistency.
• Provide line management support for junior staff and operational management as required, fostering a positive and supportive work environment.
• Contribute to other work in QRA and SML as needed, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Post graduate qualification to PhD and/or post graduate qualification with significant experience microbiology or biomedical sciences
• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master’s level equivalent.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• Member of relevant professional body
• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
• Ability to negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.

Location

Based at UKHSA Colindale with an expectation of at least 3 days per week 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, Flexible Working, Hybrid Working,

Job description

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

Take delegated responsibility from the Head of Unit in accordance with UKHSA and SML policies and procedures for the following:

Staff Management       

• Manage line reports in Standards Unit using sound management practices to communicate, motivate and support changes that impact on the work of the Unit.

Service Delivery:

• To take responsibility for research and development of UK SMIs including the writing, reviewing, and editing of draft and completed documents

 Customer Relationships

• Take a lead role in the customer interaction and ensure that customer needs are met without detriment to UK SMIs.

Budget Responsibilities

• To take delegated responsibility for monitoring the Unit budget, preparing forecasts, income generation, consumables, and equipment expenditure.

 Strategy, Policy and Service Development:

• Contribute to the development of the Unit’s strategic policy and contribute to the departmental, SML and UKHSA national strategy.

 

Information Technology

• Ensure the IT systems are appropriately managed in support of the needs of the Unit including the application of computer software packages, databases, word processing, and other software packages to all relevant aspects of the work of the Unit.

 Quality

• To ensure the Unit complies with and works within the relevant standards, governance and statutory requirements, including NICE accreditation standards and BS ISO 9001.

 

Health and Safety

In collaboration with the Unit Head and Department Safety Officer:

• Maintain health and safety competence to the national occupational standard for self and unit.

 

Research and Development

• Establish links and collaborations within and outside the UKHSA as necessary to benefit the work of the unit.

 

General Employment Responsibilities

• Ensure confidentiality and conformity to the requirements of the Data Protection Act in collaboration with the designated Laboratory Caldicott Guardian, Data Protection Officer and Security of Information Officer

 

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

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1500 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

 

• Post graduate qualification to PhD and/or post graduate qualification with significant experience microbiology or biomedical sciences
• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master’s level equivalent
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• Member of relevant professional body
• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
• Ability to negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.

 

 

Desirable

 

• Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
• Have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this engagement.
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care and commissioning organisations
• Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects

 

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 £55,799, UK Health Security Agency contributes £15,065 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

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 an interview by video. 

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. 

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.  Candidates will also be asked to participate in a session where they will be required to prepare and deliver a 5-minute presentation to the panel.  This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment.  The presentation will be designed to assess each candidate’s experience in line with the requirements of the role.  Full details will be provided prior to the interview.

The Competency-Based framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following will be used at the interview:

• Knowledge
• Experience

 

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 26th February 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: 7th March 2024

Interviews: w/c 18th March 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 Basic Personnel Security Standard.  People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

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.