Assistant Scientific Officer (ID4112) in Carmarthen

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for the benefit of the environment and economy.

We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our people are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.

The purpose of the job is to be a member of a team carrying out sample testing to establish the diagnosis of animal disease, monitoring animal health, screening for incursion of exotic disease, and performing statutory testing. A wide variety of tests are undertaken utilising parasitology, serology and microbiology. Training initially in Gamma Interferon.

To carry out any duties commensurate within the grade and purpose of the post including, but not limited to the following:

• Gamma Interferon Duties: Ensure all samples received for gamma testing are processed as efficiently as possible. Ensure reagents and consumables records are maintained. Register submissions on to the LIMS system. Stimulation of high volumes of whole blood samples. Carry out ELISA testing. Data entry of sample information.
• Parasitology Duties: Carrying out parasitological techniques for the identification and enumeration of various ecto and endoparasites. These include: Speciation of coccidial Oocysts. Detection of eggs of Haemonchus spp using FITC labelled peanut agglutinin. Giardia Cysts. Fluke egg demonstration by faecal sedimentation. Identifying Faecal nematode eggs and coccidial oocysts. Isolation of Lungworm larva from faeces by the Baermann technique. Worm counting of the ruminant alimentary tract. Diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis, microfilariae, Canine and Feline heartworm, by filtration technique. Preparation of reagents, sterile/clean equipment. Staining for specific organisms, such as Cryptosporidia Salmonella: Isolation and Serotyping of Salmonella from routine diagnostic material.
• Health And Safety: Contributing to a positive safety culture by following Agency safety policies and procedures. Understanding and following controls in Risk Assessments. Ensuring equipment maintenance duties are carried out in all areas of the laboratory. Participate in contingency exercises and other safety training. Participate in safety audits/inspections to support the local safety manager.
• Quality: Accurate record keeping. Working to Standard Operating Procedures. Working to quality standards (ISO 17025). Participate in proficiency testing schemes. Participate in audits to support the local quality manager.
• Post Mortem Room Duties: To assist Veterinary colleagues in taking samples for testing. Preparation and reading of smears. Storage and archiving and retention of samples. Dispatching of samples for processing to other locations. Disposal and manual handling of carcass waste.
• Administration Support: To assist with general administrative duties within the centre and across the wider Department to include telephone duties, use of APHA bespoke IT systems, dealing with enquiries etc.
• Outbreak Response: Flexible to adapt to changing situations within the Regional Laboratory and prepared to support other parts of APHA in the event of an outbreak.

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following essential experience and skills:

• Well-organised and able to respond to competing priorities, adapting skills and resources to changing circumstances.
• Experience in a laboratory environment.
• A team player, working well with others but can carry out individual tasks as required with the minimum of supervision.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Proactive in their approach to work.
• Accuracy inputting data and storing of records.
• Experience of using Microsoft packages Outlook, Excel, Word.

This post requires you to be working in the Laboratory five days per week or less if Job-share. Flexibility in working hours may be required if called upon to finish a particular urgent task or called upon in the event of an outbreak. The post is full-time; we may consider two part-time staff on a job-share basis if continuity can be arranged. The role is based at Carmarthen due to the nature of the role and duties required. Travel may be required to various different locations around the country for example for training courses and meetings.

The post will also require Health clearance.

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Making Effective Decisions.

In return for your dedication and hard work, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training as inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a generous employer contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme, reward vouchers and in-year bonuses. We also offer additional days off if accrued extra hours (flexi-time – if accumulated), three paid volunteering days per year. We also have a social committee who run team building and fun events at the Weybridge site.

Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Experience as detailed in the Person Specification section - Success Profiles: Experience. The Behaviour criteria outlined in the Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours framework for AO positions. Please use the STAR technique (Situation Task, Action, Result) to provide evidence of the Behaviours in your interview.

Your interview will be conducted face-to-face at APHA Carmarthen. You will be notified of the interview location and date when you are invited for an interview.

Please be aware that this role(s) will be contractually based in a Defra group workplace/office. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location (excluding Northern Ireland) and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home.

New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.