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- Tasks: Supervise laboratory operations and ensure efficient processing of radiation dosemeters for over 7,000 customers.
- Company: Join the UK Health Security Agency, a leader in health security and public health protection.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working options, generous pension scheme, and retail discounts.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on public health while developing your leadership skills in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: A-Levels in Maths and Science, or equivalent experience in a senior lab role.
- Other info: Be part of a team that contributes to national health security and responds to emergencies.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Overview
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. 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
Job overview
Personal Dosimetry Services (PDS) is a commercial service, approved by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), that measures and reports the radiation doses to employees working with ionising radiations in various sectors, such as industrial, research and medical. PDS uses passive personal dosemeters, which are worn by the workers and then sent back to PDS for analysis. PDS also contributes to UKHSA\\\’s expertise and advice on radiation matters and generates a significant income for UKHSA. PDS has a staff of around 25 people and serves over 80,000 workers in the UK and abroad.
As a Laboratories Supervisor, you will be part of the laboratories team that supports PDS with ensuring the effective issuing and processing of customer dosemeters. You will be responsible for supervising the day to day running of the PDS dosemeter laboratories, ensuring an efficient and smooth service for our 7,000+ customers. This will involve planning, prioritising and participating in the routine work, allocating staff to tasks and ensuring issue and processing targets are met for an average of approximately 9,000 radiation dosemeters per week. PDS also has an emergency response function for population monitoring in the event of a radiation incident. The Laboratory Supervisor will help the Lab in its response to an incident, liaising with Process Manager and other PDS staff as needed.
Responsibilities
- Fully supporting all laboratory technicians, managing up to 3 staff
- Managing resources to ensure the service runs effectively
- Meeting issue and processing targets for the dosimetry service
- Monitoring staff development via appraisals, objective-setting and training
- Monitoring and management of equipment
- Communication effectively with colleagues, suppliers and customers
- To help provide excellent customer service
- Responding to and resolving customer queries and liaising with customers; providing interpretation of results and advice on personal dosimetry
- Prioritising workloads and work patterns as necessary to meet requirements
- Maintenance of equipment and liaison with suppliers
- Ensuring that working practice instructions and user manuals are updated
- Giving feedback in regular office meetings and raising suggestions for improving working practices
- Line management of 3 to 5 staff and managing resources (staff and equipment) to meet service targets
- Taking decisions on work planning and task allocation, adjusting as needed for changing circumstances
- Effectively supervising staff in discharging tasks: daily QA checks, reliable processing of dosemeters, prioritising work, calibration and issuing dosemeters
- Preparation of new dosemeters and initialisation; liaising with Finance on stock introduction
- Regular calibration of all readers to ensure reliability of service
- Monitoring and management of equipment; coordinating with internal and external support
- Investigating and acting upon QA failures
- Responding to and resolving customer queries; providing interpretation of results and advice on personal dosimetry
- Ensuring excellent communication within the team, with other PDS groups and with customers
- Forward planning for laboratory work based on expected demand
- Ensuring the team delivers a high level of customer service that meets quality standards
- Reviewing and developing laboratory procedures and contributing to quality documents, including maintaining ISO17025 accreditation
- Carrying out projects to develop thermoluminescence dosimetry services as required
- Dealing with problems (changes to requirements, software errors, IT failures, supplier failures) with prompt liaison
- Training of staff as necessary
Qualifications and experience
- At least two A-Levels (including Maths and a science subject at Grade C or above) and five GCSEs (including English at Grade C or above); or equivalent qualifications; or equivalent experience in a senior laboratory role with supervisory responsibilities
- Experience of working in a scientific environment, including extensive experience in a commercial environment with direct customer contact
- Experience working in a team
- Excellent customer care skills, including effective oral and written communication
- Ability to form good working relationships with customers, staff and suppliers; flexible within the PDS team
- Excellent organisational and planning skills, including prioritisation
- Good analytical and decision-making skills
- Competent computer skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, web-based tools) and understanding of computer record functions
- Physically fit to carry out moderate lifting tasks
- For the role: Counter Terrorism Check clearance; security vetting considerations and UK residency requirements as described by the Civil Service guidance
Benefits and working arrangements
- Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions
- Cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving
- Retail discounts and cashback
- Flexible working options (part-time, job-share, condensed hours) including working from home where feasible
- Generous maternity/paternity and adoption leave packages
- Hybrid working model where business needs allow
Additional information
UKHSA is investing in a new National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex. For more details see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection – GOV.UK.
Please note: late applications may not be considered. This post is a non-reserved Civil Service role with nationality rules outlined in the Civil Service Nationality Rules. The Civil Service Code applies, and recruitment is by merit. All communications regarding applications will be via email.
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Laboratories Supervisor employer: UK Health Security Agency
Contact Detail:
UK Health Security Agency Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Laboratories Supervisor
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend relevant events, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its values. Understand their mission, especially how they tackle health security. This will help you tailor your answers and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or family to get comfortable with common questions. Focus on articulating your experience in managing teams and ensuring quality service, as these are key for the Laboratories Supervisor role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the UKHSA team and contributing to their mission of protecting public health.
We think you need these skills to ace Laboratories Supervisor
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Laboratories Supervisor role. Highlight your relevant experience in managing teams and working in scientific environments. We want to see how your skills align with our mission at UKHSA!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter should tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of your past achievements, especially those that demonstrate your customer care skills and ability to lead a team effectively.
Showcase Your Communication Skills: Since effective communication is key in this role, make sure to highlight your written and verbal communication skills in your application. We love candidates who can clearly convey their ideas and foster good relationships with colleagues and customers.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at UKHSA and ready to contribute to health security.
How to prepare for a job interview at UK Health Security Agency
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of personal dosimetry and radiation safety. Familiarise yourself with the latest practices and technologies in the field, as well as UKHSA's role in health security. This will show that you're not just interested in the job, but that you understand its importance.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Laboratories Supervisor, you'll be managing a team. Be prepared to discuss your previous experience in leading teams, resolving conflicts, and ensuring high-quality service delivery. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've successfully managed staff and resources in the past.
✨Customer Service is Key
UKHSA values excellent customer service, so be ready to talk about how you've handled customer queries and provided support in previous roles. Highlight any experiences where you went above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction, especially in a scientific or technical context.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect to face scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to handle emergencies. Think about potential challenges you might encounter in the role, such as equipment failures or unexpected workload spikes, and prepare your responses on how you'd tackle these situations effectively.
