About the job

Job summary

As a Senior Data Scientist you will be part of a dynamic national team responsible for delivering an effective health intelligence service supporting public health delivery.

You will work to promote the use of data science and help develop the HCAI & AMR (Healthcare associated infections & Antimicrobial resistance) division by identifying and developing opportunities for further automation and reproducible analyses, developing new data products, and pipelines enabling the service to take advantages of technological advances in UKHSA like High Performance Computing. You will work with others to identify opportunities and applying modern data analytical techniques including machine learning to the division and public health intelligence problems and issues.

You will advocate data science approaches and help develop data science capacity and capability in the division and wider local public health systems. This may include training, developing packages and tools.

Job description

This role involves the collation, analysis, interpretation, presentation and dissemination of public health information and work with others to develop and improve information flows and systems. You will be required to have good working knowledge of the practical application of statistical methods, be highly numerate and have good communication skills.

Specific duties of the role may vary depending on the site and teams/functions.

You will undertake analyses, interpretation and presentation of public health data to provide health intelligence to meet the needs of local and national stakeholders. You will lead the delivery of analytical and technical 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 analysis, pipeline development, data warehousing techniques, production of health indicators, quality assurance of health intelligence products, as well as the supporting the provision of training and translational support so that stakeholders can understand and act on health intelligence. You will work matrix style with colleagues across the country to develop and deliver national health intelligence outputs on a range of public health priority topics.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1.    Maintain and develop data products and database tools in the team using SQL, R, git and/or other languages. Work with colleagues from across Health Protection Operations to produce innovative and reproducible data products
2.    Develop scalable, innovative approaches to extract, manage, and analyse epidemiological surveillance and outbreak data
3.    Develop, manage and maintain databases and data pipelines involving ingress and egress of data from disparate systems using data warehousing techniques
4.    Support the development and use of dashboards (eg PowerBI, R Shiny, SSRS) to facilitate the visualisation and dissemination of data to key stakeholders and the public
5.    Planning, managing and delivering on a range of projects requiring potentially complex analytic input, including negotiating and agreeing the most appropriate data output, initiating and planning workloads and setting delivery timescales
6.    Analyse and interpret complex data and undertake statistical analyses and exercise judgement in interpreting statistics appropriately, especially where the data indicates a negative or contentious situation
7.    Carrying out innovative analysis to determine the return on investment of preventive interventions and programmes
8.    Supporting the analytical work of Health Protection Operations, including epidemiological studies
9.    Support the implementation of Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) within the division, promoting reproducible analysis (i.e. analysis with a clear audit trail that explains how and why it was carried out) and the use of the software methods used to make analysis reproducible
10.    Use and develop database queries undertake complex analysis
11.    Have experience using code management software such as git 
12.    Check for data anomalies prior to and during analyses, considering corrective action or bringing to the attention of principle analysts as required
13.    Carry out quality assurance of other data. Take a lead in developing and promoting quality assurance procedures
14.    Liaising where necessary with colleagues concerning issues of data quality and effect on analysis
15.    Attending and actively supporting and participating in local and national networks and meetings with key stakeholders including public health intelligence specialists, health improvement and protection colleagues, and partner organisations for UKHSA
16.    Ensuring personal and promoting team, compliance with corporate policies in relation to security, confidentiality and release of information
17.    Performance management of relevant staff within your team as directed

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
•    The post holder will pursue a programme of continuous professional development in accordance with any relevant professional registration or statutory requirements, while maintaining appropriate awareness of service provider requirements
•    To participate in all mandatory training as required, i.e. safeguarding, fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training

OTHER DUTIES
•    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

Person specification

Essential criteria

•    Educated to first degree level or equivalent relevant experience, preferably in a numerate discipline such as   epidemiology, statistics, mathematics, coding/programming, sciences, social sciences, economics, geography or similar

•    Comprehensive skills in the use of at least some of the following: coding/programming (R, Python), SQL, databases, GIS, statistical software (e.g. R, Stata, SAS, SPSS)

•    Experience of working with public health or health care data

•    Experience of writing reports and communicating analytical/statistical matters to non-analytical/statistical professionals

•    Experience of developing and using data visualisation tools including dashboards (e.g. PowerBI, R Shiny) for presenting and interpreting complex public health analysis and findings to key stakeholders

•    Knowledge of data security and confidentiality issues

•    Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software methods and packages

•    Ability to demonstrate high degree of literacy, numeracy, accuracy  and attention to detail

•    Ability to create and deliver written and oral presentations, drawing on complex health intelligence as well as presenting findings of your own analyses to a varied group of internal and external stakeholders

•    Ability to accurately analyse, interpret and present quantitative data

•    Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary steam, working to instruction and independently, and to use initiative

•    Ability to demonstrate capabilities to manage own workload, make informed decisions in the absence of required information, work under pressure to tight and often changing timescales to meet deadlines

•    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

•    Post-graduate degree or equivalent experience in public health, epidemiology, health intelligence, statistics, computer science or data science
•    Line management experience and an understanding of the principles of good employment practice
•    Ability to manage a project team without direct line management responsibility of project team members (matrix working)

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

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your knowledge and experience and/or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

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:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1250 word Statement of Suitability

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.  

The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

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

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

You will be invited to a single remote interview if successful at sift.

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

There will be an assessment and presentation at interview. Further details will be provided if successful and invited to interview.

Interviews dates TBC.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Additional 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 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ.

Eligibility Criteria 

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

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.

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

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.