About the job

Job summary

Technical Operations Manager (Physics Background/Graduate)

HEO Outer London £32,469 - £39,532

Based at UKHSA Chilton, Oxfordshire

Permanent Contract

Technical Operations Manager for Personal Dosimetry Service

Are you a physics graduate or a professional with a physics background? Do you have strong technical skills and excellent communication abilities? Do you want to join a dynamic team that provides a vital service to thousands of employers and workers in the radiation industry?

If yes, then you might be the perfect fit for the role of Technical Operations Manager at the Personal Dosimetry Service (PDS) of UKHSA Chilton.

PDS is a commercial service, approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), that measures and reports the radiation doses to employees working with ionising radiations in various sectors, such as industrial, research and medical. PDS uses passive personal dosemeters, which are worn by the workers and then sent back to PDS for analysis. PDS also contributes to UKHSA’s expertise and advice on radiation matters and generates a significant income for UKHSA. PDS has a staff of around 25 people and serves over 80,000 workers in the UK and abroad.

As a Technical Operations Manager, you will be part of the operations team that supports PDS with specialist equipment, supplies and software. You will be responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning and development of these customised systems, which are essential for PDS’s performance and quality standards. You will also help PDS maintain its status as an Approved Dosimetry Service and an ISO17025 accredited Laboratory.

Your main duties will include:

• Communicating with customers to answer and solve their technical dosimetry questions.
• Analysing and investigating the performance of dosemeters using intercomparisons and performance tests
• Participating in the general work of the group and attending internal and external meetings to provide feedback on Intercomparisons and Performance Tests
• Being involved in internal audits and other activities to ensure PDS’s ISO 17025 accreditation.
• Taking part in various technical projects related to quality assurance, software, hardware, type testing, bespoke equipment, etc.

Location

 

Based at UKHSA Chilton – due to the nature of the role, you will be expected to be based on-site on a full-time basis

*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, Part Time, Flexible Working

Job description

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

Use excellent communication skills:

• to work effectively as part of the PDS team to help provide excellent customer service
• to build excellent working relationships with colleagues and suppliers

Contribute to the general work of the group:

• Liaising with other colleagues, customers and suppliers as necessary.
• Providing information and advice to external customers (verbally and in writing)

 

Promote progress in, and contribute to planning and execution of, technical developments:

• Type testing and validation of existing and new methods of dosimetry.
• Software (via external support providers, for existing or new databases – all bespoke)
• Hardware (upgrading or replacing existing equipment, identifying new needs). Most PDS equipment is bespoke and involves liaison with internal & external suppliers.

This will involve:

• Decision making, e.g. on assessing depth and detail of specifications required, drafting these, contributing to choice of supplier, assessing compliance
• Addressing problems e.g. in project delivery, slippage, variation from specification, or quality - by liaison with external suppliers and UKHSA colleagues and proposing solutions.

Additionally to:

• Represent UKHSA at meetings, exhibitions, and conferences, maintaining a professional approach to establish good relationships with potential/existing customers and industry colleagues.
• Present short lectures on UKHSA training courses

 

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.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1200 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

• Level 6 qualifications (e.g. bachelor’s degree), in a science, or equivalent experience – Physics based qualification or experience essential
• Experience of delivering technical work to meet deadlines
• Experience of working in a team
• Ability to understand technical systems and logic
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills; with the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people
• Excellent organisational and prioritising skills

 

Desirable

• Experience of project management
• Experience of working in a commercial environment to include direct contact with customers
• Completed formal training on customer care
• Experience of writing/reviewing technical documents/scientific papers

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,469, UK Health Security Agency contributes £8,766 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 in-person 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. 

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 Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

• Seeing the big picture
• Changing and improving
• Leading and communicating
• Collaborating and partnering
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace

 

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 19th 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: 23rd February 2024

Interviews: w/c 4th 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.