Healthcare Scientist Secretariat in London

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.

This post sits within the TARZET Technical Secretariat, a team responsible for communicating and disseminating cutting edge analysis in support of public health decision making, with a particular focus on outbreak response, horizon scanning, emerging infections and developmental work. Work within the TARZET Technical Secretariat is fast paced, responding quickly to changing public health needs. Functions of the team include horizon scanning for new and emerging threats across multiple modes of transmission; reactive work to support incident response including the production of technical briefings for internal and external use. This requires collaborative working with epidemiology, modelling and academic partners, collaborating widely within UKHSA, other organisations and academia to generate reports and briefings for the Government. The team develops new modes of gathering and reporting scientific and technical information for dissemination to a variety of audiences.

The postholder will:

• Participate in the provision and maintenance of all reports and risk assessments on any clinical and emerging infections posing a risk to public health
• Support the secretariat function for expert technical groups established to investigate emerging infections.
• Support the lead in managing governance of the groups, and other duties and responsibilities as required.

This list is not exhaustive.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• Develop and utilise information and communication systems related to the projects to underpin public health action across the department
• Have responsibility for the development and productivity of technical group reports (including technical briefings, briefing notes, slide decks, and papers for advisory committees) including project management
• Coordination of horizon scanning activities across clinical and emerging infections topics including meetings and governance of groups.
• Collate outputs for dissemination to a wide range of audiences both internal and external to UKHSA.
• Management of a shared inbox and SharePoint sites.

Specialist Advice and Evaluation:

• Communicate research and other specialist information effectively and diplomatically with colleagues from own or other disciplines and present findings at local, national and international meetings and conferences.
• Write and/or contribute to national and local policy situation and risk reports, as well as peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals.

Research and Development:

• Undertake literature reviews, evaluate research surveys, audits and other research as required.

Teaching and Training:

• Assist in teaching and providing training materials within TARZET, and create information to be presented at conferences.

Management Arrangements:

• The postholder will be responsible to the Senior Healthcare Scientist Secretariat in the TARZET Technical Secretariat Unit.

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.
• You should pursue a programme of continuous professional development in accordance with any relevant professional registration or statutory requirements, while maintaining appropriate awareness of service provider requirements.

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.

Essential Criteria:

• Primary Degree in a suitable science subject e.g. Public health, Epidemiology, Microbiology, Biology
• Scientific research work experience or knowledge particularly in public health
• Data management, analysis and reporting
• Interpreting and evaluating scientific data
• Preparing scientific reports and presentations
• Experience of using computers and database software packages (Microsoft ACCESS and Excel).
• Able to work as a team member, as well as able to work independently and to deadlines
• Maintain required levels of confidentiality
• Have a clear and organised approach to work with the ability to communicate and document methods clearly and succinctly
• Able to liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service and academic professionals
• Able to identify and solve problems
• Able to manage a busy shared inbox
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of managing and organising confidential meetings
• Experience of communicating scientific information to a variety of audiences
• Experience of project management
• Experience of working in public health.

Location:

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our core HQ in London, Canary Wharf. 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.

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.
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours).