About the job

Job summary

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.  

The Emerging Infections and Zoonoses team is recruiting two new Lead Epidemiologist post. This is an exciting opportunity be at the forefront of national, and international, incident and policy work in this high-profile field. This is a challenging and rewarding specialist epidemiologist role with a balanced portfolio of proactive core epidemiology functions, and reactive outbreak and incident response. 

The Emerging Infections and Zoonoses team sits within the TB, Acute Respiratory, Zoonoses, Emerging infection, and Travel health division (TARZET), whose mission is to protect the public from respiratory, imported, emerging, and novel infections through world-leading public health microbiology and virology, outbreak response, surveillance, research and interventions. We are a multidisciplinary team delivering surveillance, epidemiology, public health and clinical advice, microbiology and virology, incident and outbreak response, and advice to government. We work closely with NHS England and NHS Trusts, with international agencies and colleagues, and in a fully integrated way with multiple academic partners, with associated research opportunities.

Job description

• The senior epidemiologist role will provide expert epidemiological leadership in emerging, zoonotic, international and high consequence infections within the Emerging Infections and Zoonoses team. They will support collaboration within UKHSA and across Government and with other key partners, including academic and international collaborators. They will also play a key role in ensuring delivery of UKHSA commitments to the prevention of, and response to, emerging infections. The post holder will take a leading role in infectious disease epidemiological and public health scientific analyses and writing reports on specific projects, regular and ad hoc commissions and publications. The postholder will contribute to the teaching activities of EIZ and TARZET at local, national and international level.
• The post-holder will be expected to work closely and develop further collaborations with colleagues in other parts of UKHSA, particularly with colleagues across the TARZET division, as well as cross-government and academic collaborators both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The post-holder will be expected to coordinate applied research in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Line management is an essential component of this role and the post holder may be expected to directly line manage a small team of epidemiologists/scientists.

Please read all the information on this page carefully - The main duties and responsibilities for the role are displayed below. 

The main duties and responsibilities are:

Surveillance and Prevention Monitoring

• Develop and utilise information and intelligence systems to underpin public health action across disciplines and organisations, and lead collation and interpretation of relevant data to develop the most appropriate analyses from a range of sources.
• Have responsibility for the synergistic development of information systems in partnership with epidemiologists in TARZET and the Data and Analytics Service;
• Undertake, and facilitate teams responsible for, the specialist and complex analyses of quantitative and/or qualitative datasets which will require selection of the best option from a range of possible solutions.
• Analyse and evaluate quantitative and qualitative data and research evidence from a range of sources to make recommendations and inform decision making which may have long term impacts.
• Receive, interpret, provide and advise on highly complex epidemiological, microbiological and statistical information about the health of populations of the UK and international populations.

Outbreak Support and Epidemiological Investigations

• Lead and manage multidisciplinary Incident Management teams and contribute to a range of national and international outbreak responses. This may include the technical and analytical aspects of epidemiological outbreak investigations including advising on study design, writing protocols for analytical studies, overseeing questionnaire design and study database development, training interviewers, preparing outbreak reports and supervising and supporting investigations into exceedances and assigning and managing team resources during outbreaks.
• Lead the collection and statistical analysis of epidemiological data, coordinate the incorporation of qualitative information to inform risk assessments and production of reports and publications. Liaison with internal UKHSA stakeholders, including the Data, Analytics and Surveillance group, on appropriate data architecture and analytics development. 

Expert advice and Evaluation

• Provide expert public health advice and leadership in emerging infections to support and inform an evidence-based approach within ethical frameworks, across sectors including local authorities, voluntary organisations, etc, in potentially contentious and hostile environments where barriers to acceptance may exist.
• Influence external agencies in their public health policy decisions by working with complex professional, managerial and population groups and other organisations in the statutory, non-statutory and private sectors.
• Communicate effectively and diplomatically with a wide audience including the media and the public in sometimes highly challenging circumstances relating to emerging infections.
• Act in an expert advisory capacity on public health knowledge, standards and practice, to national and international advisory committees and similar expert panels. Deputising for the senior colleagues as and when necessary both at external forums and within the UKHSA. Chair or be a member of these groups as required.
• Write and/or contribute to national policy setting reports on the health of the population in relation to emerging infections.

Leadership and Management

• Be a member of the  Emerging Infections and Zoonoses senior management team, with involvement in business planning and development of surveillance, research and training strategies. Support senior managers within TARZET to ensure day-to-day operational delivery of the service, its responsibilities and resources are fully equipped and fit for purpose. Deputize where appropriate, using leadership approaches and skills.
• Be responsible for the development and implementation of multi-agency long-term public health programmes as required, based on identification of areas of potential health improvement, the diversity of national and local needs and the reduction of inequalities; providing emerging infections and expert international epidemiology and public health advice on and leadership to support and inform an evidence-based approach to compare, analyse and interpret highly complex options for running projects identified as key public health priorities, and communicate this information across organisations.
• Compare, analyse and interpret highly complex options for running projects identified as key public health priorities, and communicate this information across organisations and the local community.
• Oversee a team of staff including their day to day management.

This is not an exhaustive list please see the Job description document for full list of duties.

Person specification

Essential criteria

 Education and Experience

• First degree in science subject or related field
• Higher degree (MSc or equivalent) in related discipline
• PhD in epidemiology/public health/health promotion or equivalent from experience
• Training in research methods, infectious disease epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and/or public health

Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience of data management and analysis of large and complex datasets and reporting, with advanced knowledge of computers and database software packages
• Significant experience of scientific report writing and scientific publication including presentation of papers at conference etc.
• Extensive practical experience of facilitating change, managing staff and budgets
• Working at a senior level in coordination of multi-centre projects, developing and managing projects, managing research programmes and/or sections
• Extensive knowledge and experience of communicable disease epidemiology, surveillance and/ or prevention

Skills and capability

• Understand information governance, including data protection and the need to maintain required levels of confidentiality
• Liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service, academic and international professionals
• Lead and facilitate effective team working; plan strategically and work to a consistently high standard and to deadlines
• Communicate ideas and methods clearly and succinctly, both orally and in writing

Equality and Diversity

• 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. 

Desirable criteria

• Advanced knowledge and experience of epidemiological and statistical research methods (i.e. post-doctoral level)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £69,275, UK Health Security Agency contributes £18,704 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 will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.  

Stage 1: Application & Sift  

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed (14) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of   

• a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) 
• a Statement of Suitability of no more than 1500 words.  

 This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. Please do not exceed 1500 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number. 

The CV/ Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

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

Feedback will not be provided at this stage. 

Stage 2: Interview 

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

As part of interview, you will also be asked to prepare a presentation prior to the interview - further details of this will be confirmed to you nearer the time.

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 

Option 1 - 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.