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.

HCAI, Fungal, AMR, AMU & Sepsis Division

This post is within the Healthcare Associated Infection, Fungal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Utilisation & Sepsis Division (Clinical & Public Health group) of UKHSA. The mission of the division is to protect people from healthcare-associated and antimicrobial resistant infections, through world-leading public health microbiology, outbreak response, surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, modelling, research and interventions.

Location

This role will be based in 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ.

UKHSA offers hybrid working for its employees – This role will be based at UKHSA offices in Colindale with opportunities for an element of working from home.

Currently this requires working from an allocated UKHSA base location for 60%, from the beginning of 2024.

The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job description

Job Summary

This post is within the Healthcare Associated Infection, Fungal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Utilisation & Sepsis Division (Clinical & Public Health group) of UKHSA. The mission of the division is to protect people from healthcare-associated and antimicrobial resistant infections, through world-leading public health microbiology, outbreak response, surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, modelling, research and interventions.

The post holder, working with Epidemiologists, Scientists, Clinical and operational colleagues, will identify business intelligence and reporting needs and be responsible for ensuring delivery from system specification through to implementation and output production.  This will include the delivery and management of a centralised data storage and reporting solution providing workload, financial and KPI data as a service for the entire HCAI & AMR division.

Through the application of advanced analytical and software skills, the post holder will support activities, develop solutions and undertake complex analytical and programming tasks both locally and on behalf of the division.

The post holder will provide information management expertise across the division and contribute to all project management and delivery activities across the study, working strategically with colleagues to ensure effective partnership working.

The role requires an ability to analyse how data is modelled and collected in current systems and identify where common data items and sources are used.  The postholder will be expected to work closely with scientists across the Divisions to identify where there are gaps in data and make recommendations to improve the data flows and models.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Maintain and develop data product tools using SQL, R, Python or other languages. Work with colleagues from across the HCAI & AMR division to produce innovative and reproducible data products.
2. Develop scalable, innovative approaches to extract, manage, and analyse epidemiological surveillance and AMR data.
3. Develop, manage and maintain databases and data pipelines involving ingress and egress of data from disparate systems
4. Support the development and use of dashboards (eg PowerBI, R Shiny) 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. Use and develop database queries undertake complex analysis.
8. Carry out quality assurance of other data. Take a lead in developing and promoting quality assurance procedures.
9. 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.
10. Ensuring personal and promoting team, compliance with corporate policies in relation to security, confidentiality and release of information.
11. Provide expert technical advice on the design, analysis and interpretation of databases and data
12. Responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining a high-level information management service to meet needs.
13. Be responsible for the quality of data collected, stored and extracted and contribute to the wider quality assurance work of the Division.
14. Manage and supervise information staff.
15. Manage delivery of agreed work programmes including timely reporting to stakeholders
16. Support the Division in the development of information system specifications for various studies and mandatory surveillance. Includes bespoke surveillance systems but also utilisation of “big data” e.g. Hospital Episode Statistics.

Information Governance

1. Advise on all aspects of information governance including information security and contribute to the development of new policy and protocols
2. Identify new areas for audit, produce recommendations and evaluate

Statistical skills

1. Prepare and present data for use within the Division, wider UKHSA and external stakeholders as required.
2. Support the Division in the preparation and analysis of data for production of business reporting and scientific papers.

Software skills

1. Use common statistical/database/mapping/web tools such as MS Access, SQL Server, SQL Server Reporting and Analysis Services, Select Survey, ArcGIS, SharePoint, PowerBI etc. in routine reports, surveillance activities and the development of solutions
2. Undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages for example R and Stata to support data extractions, analysis and validation
3. Develop outputs to demonstrate uses of data using modern business intelligence and reporting tools

Data architecture and analysis skills

• Undertake a review of information assets, cataloguing data items and their sources
• Identify candidate data assets for inclusion in the Dataset for HCAI and AMR
• Propose data models for the datasets for HCAI and AMR
• Recommend suitable terminology and metadata standards
• Make recommendations on technology platforms to enable near-real time data linkage
• Develop requirements specifications and business cases to support projects as required
• Evaluate technical proposals from external suppliers, and make implementation recommendations to senior stakeholders as required
• Work with appointed suppliers to develop appropriate data model on supported technology platforms

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1,250 words (max) that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following criteria:

See full list in the attached Job Description

Essential Criteria:

• Educated to first degree level or equivalent relevant experience, preferably in a numerate discipline such as statistics, mathematics, coding/programming, sciences, social sciences, economics, geography or similar.
• Post-graduate degree or equivalent experience in public health, epidemiology, health intelligence, statistics, computer science or data science.
• Substantial experience of information and data management including knowledge and understanding of information governance issues in relation to data collection, storage and sharing and research
• Experience of providing customer focused information services.
• Experience in all aspects if the design, development, implementation and maintenance of systems
• Experience of overseeing and ensuring the successful delivery of projects relating to information systems and management
• Experience in the operational testing, development and implementation of new information systems
• Ability and skills to develop automated routines and solutions as required and to oversee and respond to more complex or sensitive data requests
• 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 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
• Ability to undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages to support data extractions, analysis and validation
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relati

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of identifying needs or gaps in data or information
• Knowledge and experience of the NHS Information Governance Toolkit, The Data Protection Act and Caldicott and data protection and confidentiality requirements
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders

Benefits

Working for the UKHSA

For more information on the UKHSA please visit: UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

Things you need to know

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form and a statement of suitability. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, against the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section). Your Statement of Suitability must not exceed 1,250 words.

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 sift selection panel will only consider relevant career history information from the last 5 years.

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

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW:

This competition will involve an interview via Teams.  

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.

Strategic cluster – setting direction:	People cluster – engaging people:	Performance cluster – delivering results:
1.    Seeing the big picture   2.    Changing and improving	1.    Leading and communicating   2.    Collaborating and partnering	1.    Managing a quality service   2.    Delivering at pace

There might be a task you need to complete as part of your interview, information will be shared with you before your interview.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 29/01/2024 – 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.

Interviews: TBC

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

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&Cs 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/

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.