Job vacancy: Lead Specialist Engineer - HPC & Cloud, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London

Job summary

Main area

High Performance Computing (HPC) & Cloud Engineering

Grade

Civil Service: Grade 7

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-LT-304249-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: UKHSA core locations
Town: Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London
Salary: £54,416 - £68,344 per annum, pro rata (plus MPS of up to £10,000)
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 01/05/2025 23:59

Lead Specialist Engineer - HPC & Cloud

Civil Service: Grade 7

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties continued

Creating and maintaining comprehensive documentation, including procedures and protocols for technical staff and users, on the licensing, components, connectivity, configurations and operation of specialist systems and services, and supporting relevant hardware and software. Maintaining such documentation and ensuring it is up to date and in an auditable condition. Providing training, where appropriate, to technical staff and users to enable them to utilize HPC systems and services optimally.
Monitoring and managing HPC, UNIX, Virtualization and Cloud platforms performance and capacity growth, providing advice on necessary upgrades and replacement of hardware and software so as to maintain the ability of UKHSA HPC, UNIX, Virtualization and Cloud platforms to support UKHSA business. Implementing hardware changes, upgrades, database upgrades and migrations to maintain system performance and growth capacity.
Ensuring compliance with all relevant policies in UKHSA, HPC, UNIX, Virtualization and Cloud platforms usage.
To maintain awareness of technical developments and research new technologies in HPC, UNIX, Virtualization and Cloud platforms with a view to providing advice on suitable deployment strategies for UKHSA. Advise on the choice of software solutions and hardware platforms for the management of Big Data and analytics platforms and solutions.
Provide a level of work that adheres to the high standards and best practices in line with the SLAs as agreed with UKHSA Users.

The main purpose of the role is to manage, support and maintain the hardware and software components of mission critical High Performance Computing (HPC), Unix/Linux, virtualization and cloud platform required for the execution of UKHSA business. The post holder will be responsible for availability, performance, efficiency, monitoring, capacity planning, change management, emergency response, and expected to work in conjunction other UKHSA departments to ensure that the organisation is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to support the rapidly expanding public health services.

The role holder will also ensure that the HPC and Unix/Linux systems are correctly maintained and managed to provide authorized users with optimum levels of access to data and applications as and when required, in order to effectively conduct UKHSA business.

An in-depth working knowledge of Linux clustered computing environments, hybrid networks (Ethernet and InfiniBand), high performance parallel filesystems, software defined storage and enterprise class open source technologies is an essential requirement of this role.

This role will also support the expansion of HPC Cloud computing platform and associated environments to support the wider achievement of UKHSA business objectives. Software engineering skills are desirable to solve problems relating to mission critical services and build automation to prevent problem recurrence, with the goal of automating response to all non-exceptional service conditions.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with your line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attending internal / external training events.
To participate in all mandatory training as required, i.e. fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include;

Internal

UKHSA business staff across all locations, disciplines, and levels of seniority, who constitute management, audit and control customers of HPC and Technology services
Development and Operations Senior Management
Local leads in Business Centres and Divisions; particularly Bioinformatics & Microbiology
Project teams
HPC and Technology staff in associated organisations and regulatory bodies, such as Connecting for Health (NHS etc)
Auditors

External

HPC and Cloud industry technical specialists
Suppliers of HPC software, hardware and services
Third party support providers at all levels
Scientists of all levels
Auditors

Essential Criteria

A recognised industry standard qualification, such as RHCE, CIIT, MCSE or equivalent
A degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Computer Science, HPC Computing) or equivalent level of knowledge
Knowledge/substantive experience of: Enterprise class Linux distribution such as RHEL, CentOS, SUSE, Debian, Ubuntu; Basic storage configuration: LVM, iSCSI; Unix/Linux scripting; TCP/IP, DHCP, VLANs, spanning tree protocol, link aggregation for performance (MTU settings) and reliability requirements; Design/implementing Unix/Linux system and services open source solutions and performance tuning; Open-source storage technologies such as: Lustre, CEPH, NFS, SMB, Apache, Ngnix, HAproxy
Experience of providing a support service for own specialist area
Experience of implementing risk management processes and monitoring system risks
Candidate must be able to demonstrate good verbal and written skills and be able to present complex information to a variety of audiences
Possesses problem solving skills and the ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
Able to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise
Works well as part of a team and collaborates effectively across team and departmental boundaries

Selection Process Details:

Stage 1: Application & Sift- Success Profiles

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed 10 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
500 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 together.

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

We will take through piles, 'meets all essential criteria' and 'meets some essential criteria' to shortlisting stage.

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

Knowledge/substantive experience of: Enterprise class Linux distribution such as RHEL, CentOS, SUSE, Debian, Ubuntu; Basic storage configuration: LVM, iSCSI; Unix/Linux scripting; TCP/IP, DHCP, VLANs, spanning tree protocol, link aggregation for performance (MTU settings) and reliability requirements; Design/implementing Unix/Linux system and services open source solutions and performance tuning; Open-source storage technologies such as: Lustre, CEPH, NFS, SMB, Apache, Ngnix, HAproxy

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates (see attached job description).

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment

Please do not exceed 500 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) remote interview.

Behaviours, technical, experience and abilities will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be

Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing

Interviews 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.

Selection Process

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.

Eligibility Criteria

External: 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 any of our Core HQs. 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, working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

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

Essential criteria

Application form

Statement of Suitabililty

Essential criteria

Statement of Suitability

Behaviours

Essential criteria

Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

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

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

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.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

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 equality of opportunity. 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:  [email protected] 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 here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. 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.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

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 usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police Check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Lisa Tweedie
Job title: Resourcing Support Officer
Email address: [email protected]
Additional information: For additional information relating to the role, please contact Thomas Stewart, [email protected], Principal Specialist Engineer, HPC

List jobs with UK Health Security Agency in Administrative Services or all sectors

Job summary

Employer heading

Lead Specialist Engineer - HPC & Cloud

Civil Service: Grade 7

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Application form

Essential criteria

Statement of Suitabililty

Essential criteria

Behaviours

Essential criteria

Working for the Civil Service

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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