Senior Scientist

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 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.

The mission of the AntiMicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Division (AMR & HCAI) is to protect people from healthcare-associated and antimicrobial resistant infections, through world-leading public health microbiology, outbreak response, surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, modelling, research and interventions. The AMR & HCAI Division is the national centre for surveillance of AMR & HCAI in England. The Division is multidisciplinary including epidemiologists/public health specialists, analysts, microbiologists, data managers, statisticians, IT specialists and administrative staff. The Division is responsible for a range of national surveillance programmes that collect epidemiological data on a number of HCAIs and invasive bacterial infections, as well as monitoring antimicrobial usage and resistance.

This post is based within the Surveillance and Epidemiology Section of the AMR & HCAI Division and provides epidemiological and data management support across several national surveillance programmes, including:

• Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Surveillance
• Streptococcal Infections Surveillance
• Antimicrobial Resistance and Prescribing (AMRP)
• Mandatory Surveillance of Bloodstream Infections, including Gram negative bloodstream infections and Clostridioides difficile infection
• Infections in Critical Care Units (ICCU) Surveillance

The post holder will lead and contribute to enhanced surveillance systems and research studies relating to HCAI and AMR, support data collection, validation and the production of routine surveillance outputs, and analyse and interpret surveillance data. They will develop automated analytical solutions, respond to complex or sensitive data requests, and contribute to public health scientific reports and peer reviewed publications. The role also involves supporting the epidemiological investigation of incidents and outbreaks, working closely with colleagues across the Division, local Health Protection Teams, wider UKHSA and NHS partners. Contribution to team development, service improvement and cross organisational collaboration is expected.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities include:

• Surveillance and Data Analysis: Identify surveillance requirements; develop surveillance system specifications; conduct complex statistical analyses; interpret data; make evidence-based recommendations; develop automated analytical solutions; and assure the quality, accuracy and timely delivery of routine and ad hoc surveillance outputs.
• Enhanced Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigations: Where appropriate, lead/manage the technical and analytical aspects of enhanced surveillance within the Division, including developing analytical study protocols and contributing to data collection.
• Statistical and Software Skills: Apply a broad range of statistical methods, translating analytical processes into automated, reproducible solutions where appropriate.
• Audit, Quality and Governance: Advise on quality, governance and information security across surveillance activities and contribute to improvements in standards and consistency across the team.
• Research: Project manage research studies, analyse datasets using appropriate methodologies, undertake literature reviews, contribute to grant proposals and obtain ethical approval where required.
• Management / Workforce / HR: Manage others and self effectively, including supervision, appraisal, performance management, recruitment, workload planning and objective setting.
• Teaching / Training: Contribute to teaching and training activities and supporting skills development across the team/Division.
• Strategic Thinking: Build and maintain effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders; identify and resolve issues; and undertake lead roles as requested.
• Project Management: Coordinate and lead projects, including the implementation of new systems, processes and analytical approaches.
• Other Duties, Professional Development and Working Relationships: Engage in ongoing professional development and mandatory training and undertake additional duties consistent with the role.

The above is an outline of the duties and responsibilities of the role. The job description and person specification may be reviewed in line with organisational needs.

Essential role criteria:

• MSc in Epidemiology, public health or allied scientific discipline (e.g. microbiology, data science) or equivalent level of experience working on analysis of public health data.
• Knowledge of principles and practice of surveillance, including data management, data transmission, data security, data quality, data analysis including descriptive statistics and graphics and data reporting.
• Experience of interpreting and evaluating epidemiological data, sensitive health data analyses.
• Demonstrable experience of public health, health protection or epidemiology including experience of complex and/or sensitive health data analyses.
• Experience of using epidemiological and statistical software packages.
• Knowledge of health and social care environment, and roles and responsibilities within it including information flows in the NHS and allied services.
• Understanding of information governance including data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with proven presentation and scientific report writing skills.
• Proficient in common statistical/database/mapping tools such as STATA, R, GIS, network analysis, SQL, etc.
• Able to build and maintain effective relationships with co-workers and key stakeholders.
• Able to work under own initiative, respond to sudden unexpected demands whilst maintaining a professional calm and efficient manner.
• Completion of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme or equivalent training and experience.

Desirable role criteria:

• Experience of teaching epidemiology and/or surveillance.
• Experience of research activities with one or more first author publications in peer reviewed journals.
• Training in research methods, infectious disease epidemiology, surveillance and/or public health.

Working for the Civil Service, the Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.