Job summary
- Main area
- Science, Public Health, Epidemiology
- Grade
- Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
- Contract
- Fixed term: 24 months (to 9 September 2027 only)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 919-CG-306863-EXT
- Employer
- UK Health Security Agency
- Employer type
- Public (Non NHS)
- Site
- Core HQ
- Town
- London (Canary Wharf)
- Salary
- £46,310 - £52,113 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Scientist
Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Job overview
The South East and London team provides epidemiology and public health microbiology advice and expertise to local, regional, and national stakeholders. This includes:
- Effective surveillance of infectious diseases.
- Leading epidemiological field response to infectious disease incidents and outbreaks across a large and diverse part of the country.
As a Senior Scientist you will:
- Require a sound understanding of infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance activities, including the application of these in outbreak situations.
- Will support the epidemiological investigation of incidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
- Be responsible for epidemiological and data management support across several topic areas, to be agreed on appointment, but it is likely to include responsibility supporting laboratory surveillance of infectious diseases, ensuring effective communication with laboratories and stakeholders to monitor and improve reporting.
Further topic areas may include specific infectious diseases such as respiratory viruses, tuberculosis or vaccine preventable disease. This role may involve travel to affected sites across London and the South East of England and contributing to response to national incidents. Further functions of the team include education and training, research, and evaluation, which this post will be expected to contribute to.
Main duties of the job
- Provide senior scientific input to identifying and evaluating surveillance needs, creating, and maintaining surveillance systems, the analysis and interpretation of data and production of reports for ad hoc requests. Requires knowledge of principles and practice of surveillance and data management, as well as analytical epidemiology.
- Lead and manage the technical and analytical investigation of outbreaks, including protocol development and report writing.
- Take an active role in research, identifying research questions and the planning and management of studies with appropriate methodology. Present at scientific conferences, meetings, and publish and present scientific papers.
- Use statistical/database/mapping/web tools such as R, PowerBI, SQL, ArcGIS and network diagrams/analysis for statistical analysis, routine reports, and surveillance activities.
- Contribute to teaching/training, as well as to quality programmes such as through audit, by providing leadership and support to junior colleagues.
- Build strong relationships and work effectively with epidemiological, clinical, and public health colleagues at local, regional and national levels.
- Responsible for laboratory surveillance across London and the South East by monitoring NHS and private sector laboratory reporting to UKSHA and maintaining effective relationships with laboratories to identify and resolve issues such as data quality or changes in reporting requirements.
Working for our organisation
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all. Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Surveillance and Data Analysis
- Within given topic lead areas, identify surveillance needs, create surveillance system specifications, conduct complex statistical analyses, and interpret surveillance data in order to make appropriate conclusions and recommendations to support public health action.
- As required, develop automated routines and solutions and lead the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance reports. Seek and act on feedback from stakeholders and actively seek opportunities to present information.
- Outside of lead areas, there may still be requirements to support complex or sensitive data requests across different topics.
Outbreak Support and Epidemiological Investigations
- Contribute to or lead and manage the technical and analytical (including data management) aspects of epidemiological outbreak investigations, including the investigation of exceedances.
- To include writing protocols of analytical studies, designing surveys, collecting data, analysing the results and writing outbreak control team reports. These may be for a wide variety of infectious disease incidents.
Statistical and Software Skills
- Confident in the use of a range of common statistical tests appropriate to surveillance and outbreak investigations
- Translate statistical processes into automated solutions where appropriate
- Be able to use common statistical/database/mapping/web software and tools such as R, Power BI, SQL, ArcGIS, network analysis and Stata, and work collaboratively when using these.
- Undertake complex analytical and programming tasks using common and specialist software packages to support data extractions, analysis and validation
Research and project management
- Maintain own scientific knowledge by engaging in conferences and reading scientific literature on relevant subjects.
- Taking an active role in research, including planning and management of studies
- 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.
- Present at scientific conferences, programme area meetings and other fora.
- Author, publish and present scientific papers on public health surveillance, outbreaks and infectious disease control in collaboration with health, public health, academic and other partners
Teaching and training
- Actively contribute to teaching/training in the team through informal and formal opportunities. This includes teaching to FS South East and London team colleagues, wider Field Service and UKHSA colleagues, and external partners such as those in clinical or local authority settings.
- Engage in relevant continuous professional development, seek out and attend training, conferences, etc to develop knowledge and skills.
Audit, Quality and Governance
- Advise on quality and governance issues including information security as the Local Information Governance Officer.
- 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.
Management and Leadership
- Contribute to agreed lead areas and responsibilities as required
- Actively engage in meetings with internal and external colleagues, identify potential problems and seek to resolve
- Undertake a lead role for a specific topic or function area, on behalf of the Field Service as a whole
- 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
- Deal with at times, challenging and/or conflicting subject matter problems in day-to-day workload referring/escalating to line management as appropriate.
Essential criteria
- Educated to MSc level in relevant subject (e.g. epidemiology, public health).
- Completion of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme or equivalent level of experience working at a similar level that involves the maintenance, analysis and interpretation of health data.
- 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 using appropriate software.
- Experience of interpreting and evaluating epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology.
- Knowledge and experience of common statistical tests, modelling and analyses and interpret results appropriately, including for research purposes.
- Knowledge of health and social care environment, and roles and responsibilities within it including information flows in the NHS and allied services.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders and demonstrate effective line management.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills with understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
- 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.
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 Detail
This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
Competency based assessment
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 11 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:
- An Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- 1250 word Supporting Statement
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.
Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.
The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.
Longlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
Those that 'Meet all essential criteria' will progress to shortlisting.
Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following essential criteria:
- Completion of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme or equivalent level of experience working at a similar level in specialist area in the maintenance, analysis and interpretation of health data.
- 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 using appropriate software.
Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.
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
Competency based
You will be invited to a face to face interview. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.
You will also be asked to prepare and present a 5 to 10 minute presentation during your interview. This will be based on:
- An outbreak investigation and surveillance of infectious diseases.
Interviews will be held week commencing 10th November. 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.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Location
This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Core HQ in Canary Wharf, London.
We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using 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). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)
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.
Person specification
Application Form and Supporting Statement
Essential criteria
- Application Form and Supporting Statement
Essential Criteria
Essential criteria
- Questions on experience, knowledge and skills
Ability
Essential criteria
- Presentation
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Carmelita Goodwin
- Job title
- Resourcing Support
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Hiring Manager, Clare Sawyer via [email protected] for further information about the role, to ask any questions you may have and/or to arrange an informal discussion.
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