About the job

Job summary

Microbial Archivist

Grade SEO (Inner) - £42,716 to £48,068

UKHSA Colindale

Permanent Contract

Are you interested in joining a team that is dedicated to public health research? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you! The Culture Collections Team is looking for a new member to join our team. We are a Biological Resource Centre that provides a service maintaining and supplying strains of cultured cells and microorganisms for public health research. Our fully integrated service is structured to underpin science with significant scientific, manufacturing, and business activities. We operate from laboratories across UK Health Security Agency and from a specialist cryo-storage facility on the Porton site.

Are you passionate about microbiology and looking for a new challenge?  As a Microbial Archivist, you will be responsible for planning, organizing, and carrying out the many and complex day-to-day activities involved in maintaining microbial archives. You will advise the NCTC Operations Manager, the Biobank Manager, and other reference microbiology staff on samples and specimens that require long-term archiving. Additionally, you will develop biological sample archiving and disposal policies in line with ISO:9001, ISO:20387, and ISO17025 Quality Management Systems.

UKHSA Colindale – 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:

• Responsible for day to day people management in NCTC and Biobanking Teams.
• Develop professional/Management expertise by undertaking further appropriate training as required.
• Actively involved in Team Building activities to facilitate interaction and optimise group performance
• Ensure that health, safety and welfare is an afforded priority over other issues and demonstrate a commitment to health, safety and welfare regarding self, staff and visitors
• Participate in the internal and external safety audits, as required
• Assist with the development and authorisation of COSHH and Risk Assessments.
• Comply with safety policies, procedures, COSHH and risk assessments.
• Assist compliance with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17025:2017 and other accreditation and certification standards.
• To deputise for the Quality Assurance and Regulatory Manager in quality activities relating to NCTC and Biobanking work.
• To organise and review a range of biological collections (including clinical specimens and microbial cultures) and associated metadata and to introduce long term archiving plans.
• Where appropriate to organise, freeze-dry and QC microbial cultures (including Hazard Group 3 material, fungi and bacterial phage) to ensure long term preservation of material.

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 full duties and responsibilities attached

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

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

• Educated to degree level in biomedical science or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Evidence of several years’ laboratory experience in clinical diagnostic or bacteriology field e.g. Food or pharmaceutical.
• Experience/competency in working with Hazard Group 2 and 3 organisms
• Evidence of interest in laboratory safety
• Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence

Desirable

• Appropriate MSc in field of Biological Sciences
• NEBOSH or equivalent Health and Safety experience e.g. Safety Officer role
• Evidence of supervisory/management experience of staff

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,716, UK Health Security Agency contributes £11,533 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. 

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 10-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.

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:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leading and Communicating
• Collaborating and Partnering
• Building capability for all
• Managing a quality service

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 7th February – 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: 21st February 2024

Interviews: w/c 4th March

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.