Job vacancy: Scientific Officer - Quality Management, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Huddersfield

Job summary

Main area

Pathology Quality

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 6

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5 hours per week)

Job ref

372-FSS2880

Employer: Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Town: Huddersfield
Salary: £38,682 - £46,580 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 10/10/2025 23:59

Scientific Officer - Quality Management

NHS AfC: Band 6

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us. Find out more - Why Choose CHFT?

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visit https://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will work closely with the Pathology Quality Manager to support the management, development and maintenance of the QMS for all departments within Pathology.

The post holder will be required to be a point of contact within the Quality team for all matters related to Quality Management. Triaging requests for support and communicating effectively with the Quality Manager and Administrator to ensure the team delivers appropriate guidance and support across Pathology. This will require liaising effectively with all grades and roles of across Pathology including clinical, scientific and support staff.

To assist the Quality Manager with the maintenance and continual improvement of the Quality Management System and the electronic Quality Management System.

To provide advice (within scope of practice) alongside the Pathology Quality Manager, to all pathology and Trust staff on matters relating to accreditation, governance, and quality assurance within Pathology on such quality initiatives as are deemed necessary to achieve and maintain compliance with UKAS, relevant ISO, MHRA Blood Safety and Quality Regulations and Human Tissue Act requirements.

For more information on the Job Description and Responsibilities.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential criteria

State registration with the HCPC
Accredited degree in Biomedical Science with honours
IBMS Specialist postgraduate portfolio or equivalent experience
Laboratory CAPA training
Laboratory audit training

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

Experience of UKAS assessments (as an auditee and close out of nonconformities)
Awareness of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the role of the HSE
Experience of working within the Pathology CHFT Quality Management system • Auditing- Technical scope and Quality Management System • Document production and review • Training and assessment of competence of staff between band 2 - 5
Working knowledge of ISO 15189:2022
Experience of training other Biomedical Scientists and support workers
Ability to prioritise workload
Awareness of metrological traceability and calibration (measurement systems)
Proficient in the use of a variety of Microsoft and open-source products for data collection, manipulation and report writing (Excel, Teams, Word, Libre Office and others)
Understanding of the set up and proficient in use of all modules of Qpulse compliance database

Desirable criteria

Working knowledge of Blood Safety Quality Regulation and the role of MHRA in the regulation of Hospital Blood Banks
Working knowledge of the Human Tissue Act and the role of the HTA in the regulation of PM and body store facilities
Awareness of the CQC and how they regulate healthcare providers
Experience with Typo 3 or website build

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

Confidence to escalate concerns to line manager in a timely manner
Previous experience as trained auditor for current technical department
Good verbal and written skills
Good time management and organisational skills
Ability to work with minimal supervision and ability to use own initiative within your sphere of competency
Ability to work with minimal supervision and ability to use own initiative within your sphere of competency

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that’s why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact [email protected] for assistance.