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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Surveillance and Data Analysis

1. Identify surveillance needs within given lead areas, create surveillance system specifications, conduct complex statistical analyses and interpret surveillance data, making appropriate recommendations, develop automated routines and solutions and supervise / assure on the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance reports.
2. Respond to complex or sensitive data requests.

Outbreak Support and Epidemiological Investigations

3. Where appropriate, lead and manage the technical and analytical (including data management) aspects of epidemiological outbreak investigations, including the supervision of the investigation of exceedances, e.g. write protocol of analytical studies, contribute to the production of outbreak control team reports and train interviewers.

Statistical and Software Skills

4. Apply a range of common statistical tests and algorithms including time trend analysis and translate statistical processes into automated solutions where appropriate
5. Use common statistical/database/mapping/web tools such as Stata, R, ArcGIS, network analysis, SQL and SharePoint in routine reports, surveillance activities and the development of solutions and undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages to support data extractions, analysis and validation

Audit, Quality and Governance

6. Advise on quality and governance issues including information security for all aspects of Field Service work, evaluating existing systems and acute response to incidents and outbreak, and use to improve standards and consistency across the team.
7. Contribute to the Field Service quality programme such as through audit and be responsible for the quality of data collected, stored and extracted and transferred.

Research and project management

8. Support/lead and facilitate the delivery of projects using a framework to ensure they are well planned, efficiently implemented, predetermined benefits are realised and associated risks mitigated
9. Project manage research studies, analysing datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research questions, supported by the systematic review of literature and with knowledge of how to develop a grant proposal, and apply for ethical approval.
10. Present at scientific conferences, programme area meetings and other for a and publish and present scientific papers on public health surveillance, outbreaks and infectious disease control in collaboration with health, public health, academic and other partners

Management and Leadership

11. Contribute to specified quality improvement and governance initiatives as agreed.
12. Actively engage in meetings with internal and external colleagues, identify potential problems and seek to resolve and undertake a lead role for a specific topic or function area, on behalf of the service as a whole
13. Support defined areas of work as agreed with line manager as well as the development of policies and protocols for use within the team/departments
14. Undertake line management responsibilities as agreed, contribute to the supervision and training of junior staff allocated to the team and act as a role model adhering to UKHSA Values and Behaviours
15. Contribute to teaching/training programmes and activities (including to the development of teaching material and courses) on surveillance, epidemiology information science, data management, information governance and quality and support ongoing training activities within the team and Service.
16. Deal with at times, challenging and/or conflicting subject matter problems in day to day workload referring/escalating to line management as appropriate.

See attached job description for full details.

Essential Criteria:

Education and Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area (in the maintenance, analysis of data)
• MSc in Epidemiology, public health or allied discipline or equivalent level of experience/education
• Completion of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme or equivalent training and experience

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of principles and practice of surveillance, including data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and graphics and data reporting
• Experience of interpreting and evaluating epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology
• Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology
• Knowledge and experience of common statistical tests, modelling and analyses and interpret results appropriately, including for research purposes
• Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software packages
• Knowledge of health and social care environment, and roles and responsibilities within it including information flows in the NHS and allied services
• Experience of effective line management

Skills and Capabilities

• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders 
• Understanding of information governance including data protection and confidentiality requirements 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills
• Understand of information governance including data protection and confidentiality requirements
• Proficient in common statistical/database/mapping tools such as STATA, R, GIS, network analysis, SQL, etc.
• Able to work under own initiative, seek out new information and new ways to develop yourself as well as to respond to sudden unexpected demands whilst maintaining a professional calm and efficient manner.

Equality and Diversity

• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of research activities with one or more first author publications in peer reviewed journals
• Experience of teaching epidemiology and/or surveillance.

Selection Process:

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

Competency-based assessments

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

• an Application Form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

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

The Application Form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment. Please do not exceed 1000 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number. Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

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

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview. Interviews will be held week commencing 20th May. Please note, these dates are subject to change. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

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 your core location, Bristol.   Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs. 

Eligibility Criteria

External  

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.

Working for the Civil Service:

The Civil Service Code 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.  

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.  

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:  

• life sentences 
• arson 
• sexual offences 
• hate and terror offences 

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.  

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 

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