Job summary
Employer heading
Healthcare Scientist
Civil Service: Executive Officer (EO)
Job overview
We are looking for a Healthcare Scientist to work within the Respiratory Virus Unit (RVU Team), which is part of the Virus Reference Department based in Colindale, London.
The Respiratory Virus Unit is the World Health Organisation (WHO) National Influenza Centre (NIC) for the UK and is the National Reference Laboratory for a range of respiratory virus pathogens. The unit is one of four WHO global respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) Reference Laboratories, and as such collaborates with WHO, providing technical support and advice to national laboratories, and a WHO Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) Reference Laboratory, providing confirmatory and reference services for MERS CoV.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will take delegated responsibility from the Unit Head / Scientific Leads and Technical Manager to:
• Provide laboratory support for the detection and genetic characterisation of influenza viruses (human, avian and mammalian), respiratory syncytial viruses and coronaviruses.
• Provide laboratory support for the identification, growth and characterisation of clinical influenza and other respiratory virus isolates.
• Provide laboratory support for antiviral susceptibility surveillance by genotypic and phenotypic methods.
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
To take delegated responsibility from the Unit Head and Technical Manager through the unit scientific lead in accordance with UKHSA and RSDC policies for the following:
• Technical/ Scientific/ Reference services/ Research and Development
• Growth and maintenance of mammalian cell culture lines.
• Growth, amplification, and characterization of clinical virus isolates.
• Extraction of viral nucleic acid from clinical samples by manual and automated methods.
• Performance of RT-PCR for surveillance and diagnosis of influenza and other respiratory viruses.
• Propagation of respiratory viruses and quantitation by methods such as determination of titre by plaque assay.
• Support for serological analysis using neutralization, ELISA and haemagglutination inhibition.
• Genetic characterisation of respiratory viruses.
• To be responsible for the reading and analysis of test results generated and entry of results onto the LIMS system.
• Collate and present data for discussion.
• Adhering to external and internal quality control practices.
• Attend meetings, plan and implement project plans.
• Monitor safety cabinets and carry out routine quality control procedures in order to maintain set standards.
• Supporting the scoping and prioritisation of new requirements as they emerge in your area – where applicable representing transformation in operational and governance forums.
• Undertaking concise packages of delivery work which may consist of undertaking analysis, facilitating or leading solution design, co-ordinating operational delivery or creating handover materials.
• Supporting your manager in planning across the workstream.
• Building collaborative relationships with operational stakeholders, conducting handover to operational run teams at an agreed, appropriate point of delivery.
• Input into regular reporting relating to initiatives you are leading in line with the agile methodology used across the TDU Team, as well as feeding into general governance processes.
• Building up expert knowledge of operations, stakeholders, digital solutions and data
For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, as well as all Essential and Desirable Criteria, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Selection Process:
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
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word Statement of Suitability.
This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
The application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately, and you must pass both to move forward to interview.
In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the lead criteria:
Post-qualification laboratory experience in microbiology or virology, cell culture and virus isolation and characterisation.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and 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
You will be invited to a single face to face interview.
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview
Interview dates to be confirmed.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
This role is based at Colindale . Please note hybrid working is not available for this role.
Eligibility Criteria
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 Counter-terrorist Check.
For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC). UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Essential criteria
- BSc or equivalent in a biological science.
- Post-qualification laboratory experience in microbiology or virology, cell culture and virus isolation and characterisation.
- Knowledge of emerging and zoonotic respiratory virus threats, influenza virology, therapeutics and vaccines.
- Experience in use of LIMS, and a range of common software (Microsoft Office, Access).
- Good communicator and team worker with leadership skills. Able to organise own workload and delegated priorities to junior staff.
- Confident in presentation of ideas and information with excellent analytical skills. Good organisation skills with particular attention to detail.
- Self-motivated, organised and meticulous, and able to problem solve in a calm and efficient manner.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lisa Tweedie
- Job title
- Resourcing Support Officer
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
For information regarding the role please contact Janice Baldevarona, Biomedical Scientist, [email protected]
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