Senior Epidemiology Scientist

Senior Epidemiology Scientist G7 post will be based within the Evaluation and Epidemiological Science (EES) Division of the Science Strategy and Evidence (SSE) Directorate.

The function of this post is to provide critical leadership to, and delivery of, a programme of impactful evaluations that address knowledge gaps in the effectiveness and proportionality of contact tracing methods. The postholder will lead and influence colleagues and stakeholders; ensure rigour of methodology and outputs across a number of evaluations; and pursue funding opportunities for additional research proposals.

The interface with local, regional and national colleagues, as well as with external stakeholders, will be an important feature of this role.

• You will provide strategic leadership for epidemiological & evaluation activities in health protection response, with particular focus on contact tracing. You will lead the delivery of a rolling research and evaluation agenda for UKHSA. This will include identifying and developing methods to answer key questions relating to contact tracing approaches and experiences, generating robust evidence to inform advice and decision-making.
• You will lead, manage and assure the scientific, analytical and technical quality of evaluation and epidemiological activities, while supporting and developing staff. Responsibilities may include managing a portfolio of programmes, projects and team members.
• You will lead the production of project reports, routine & ad hoc publications, and peer-reviewed papers, working with a high degree of autonomy and professional accountability. You must be able to build effective relationships and influence decision-making across a range of stakeholders.
• You should demonstrate experience of developing and managing projects and delivering high-quality scientific outputs. They will have strong attention to detail, motivation, and interpersonal skills.
• The role includes line management responsibilities, contributing to teaching & training, leading meetings with internal and external colleagues, undertaking mandatory & professional development training, and supporting evolving organisational priorities through additional duties as required.

Data & Epidemiological Analyses

• Identify evaluation and epidemiology science needs within contact tracing; conduct complex statistical analyses, interpret surveillance data, make recommendations and translate findings into public health action.
• Authorise/manage complex or sensitive data requests and oversee the development of outputs and statistical analyses.
• Plan, implement and maintain high-quality epidemiological and evaluation outputs to meet stakeholder needs, providing expert technical advice while considering current and future political, economic, scientific, technological, legal and environmental influences.
• Take a lead role in public health scientific analyses and the production of project reports, regular and ad hoc publications, and peer-reviewed papers.

Epidemiological Investigations

• Lead and manage the technical and analytical aspects of epidemiological investigations, including advising on study design, writing protocols, overseeing questionnaire design and study databases, training interviewers, preparing reports, and supervising investigations.

Strategic Thinking and Partnership Working

• Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders and partners across the CSO Group, UKHSA and other organisations appropriate to the role.
• Provide subject matter expertise and use available engagement approaches to develop and maintain stakeholder relationships.
• Manage delivery of agreed work programmes, including timely reporting, ensuring stakeholder needs are met and working across Division, Directorate and Group boundaries to support effective delivery and identify interdependencies.
• Manage challenging and/or conflicting subject matter issues, escalating where appropriate.

Audit, Quality and Governance

• Collaborate with colleagues across the Division to improve standards and consistency, evaluate teaching sessions, and undertake or supervise audits as part of the team audit programme.

Research

• Identify research questions, manage research studies, analyse datasets using appropriate methodologies, and translate findings into public health action.
• Conduct systematic literature reviews, co-author grant proposals and applications (including ethical approval submissions), present at scientific conferences and meetings, and publish scientific papers with health, public health, academic and other partners.

Management and Leadership

• Be a visible, positive and competent role model, promoting professional standards and providing senior scientific leadership. Represent the EES Division within UKHSA and at external scientific fora.
• Contribute as a member of the EES Division senior management team, supporting business planning and the development of evaluation, research and training strategies. Support operational delivery of divisional functions and deputise where appropriate.
• Provide effective line management of staff, including recruitment and selection, objective setting, performance management, induction, training and development, and management of employee relations issues to ensure capacity and flexibility to meet team needs.

Teaching and Training

• Teach colleagues and stakeholders on evaluation and epidemiology science, support departmental training activities, develop teaching materials and courses, assess learning needs, and supervise MSc students and other short-term attachments.

This list is not exhaustive.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 750 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.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 750 words. We will not consider any words over 750 words.

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

If used, the pile(s) that meets ALL essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Demonstrable experience in public health, evaluation and epidemiology, including interpreting and evaluating complex epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses and performing analytical epidemiology.

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.

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 in the form of questions.

There will be a Presentation. Candidates invited to interview will be required to deliver a 5-minute presentation with slides. The topic will be related to describing an epidemiological or evaluation study that you have led.

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.

Please Note - For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Eligibility Criteria

External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs, or our Scientific Campus in Porton (Salisbury). 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 HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and 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 basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Baseline Personnel Security Standard if based at one of our Core HQ's or Counter-Terrorist Check if based at our Scientific Campus in Porton (Salisbury).

If Based in Porton (Salisbury): Based at one of our scientific campuses, you will be required to have a minimum of a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. 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) clearance. In exceptional circumstances 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.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.

Incident Response Activity

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day-to-day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

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 consider 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 it 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.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.