Principal Scientist

Job summary

The postholder will be a senior member of the scientific staff of the Division. We are a multidisciplinary team including epidemiologists, microbiologists, public health specialists, bioinformaticians, behavioural scientists, data managers, statisticians, IT specialists, and operational and administrative staff.

The Division is responsible for a range of national surveillance programmes that collect epidemiological data on a number of healthcare associated infections (HCAI) and invasive bacterial infections; monitoring resistance to and usage of antimicrobials; providing specialist epidemiology; coordinating the investigation and cause of national outbreaks; advice to government. In addition to epidemiological focused work the division also includes national reference laboratory for HCAI and AMR related pathogens.

The post holder, based at the UKHSA Colindale site, will take a senior role in providing and developing national surveillance of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance and leading research studies. There are a number of areas of focus within the Division, including but not limited to:

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

Working for your organisation

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.

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

Job description

Surveillance, Epidemiology & Public Health

• Lead and manage the design, development, introduction, audit and continuous improvement of Divisional surveillance systems as required. Responsibility for specific systems will be assigned upon appointment and reflected within associated job advertisements noting that these may evolve in response to emerging public health priorities.
• Conduct complex statistical and epidemiological analyses of data on HCAI and AMRP drawn from a variety of surveillance sources. Providing expert technical advice and assistance to public health and clinical practitioners on the design, maintenance, analysis and interpretation of Divisional databases.
• Provide expert advice in response to ad hoc enquiries from Government agencies, public health practitioners, academics, media, commercial organisations and members of the public.
• Ensure emerging threats are recognized in a timely manner by the analysis and interpretation of often complex data from a variety of sources to understand the public health significance of the potential risk. Provide epidemiological support to incidents or outbreaks both within UKHSA and externally to NHS and Independent Sector health providers. Ensure the scientific validity and evidence-base of risk assessments, and that findings are communicated to the relevant stakeholders nationally and internationally through situation reports and briefing notes.
• Provide specialist advice on the epidemiological aspects of the prevention and control of HCAI & AMR by contributing to the development of guidance, designing data collection systems, interpreting epidemiological data, conducting statistical analyses, and scientific publications.
• Manage scientific and administrative staff in the maintenance, development, statistical analysis, quality outputs and reporting from Divisional datasets. Undertake periodic evaluation of surveillance systems including stakeholder engagement exercises.

Research

• Design analytical strategies and supervise complex statistical analyses of research datasets for the production of project reports, papers for peer reviewed journals and conference presentations.
• Initiate collaborative projects within UKHSA and external collaborators to address public health research questions. This may also include taking a lead on research proposals for externally funded projects and provision of expert advice to academic units and other agencies involved in collaborative epidemiological and microbiological studies.

Management and Planning

To work alongside other members of the Division on:

• the business planning process and the development of surveillance/research, communication, training strategies etc.;
• Compare, analyse and interpret highly complex options for running projects identified as key public health priorities, and communicate this information across organisations and key stakeholders;
• Budget responsibility for Section led grants
• Selection and recruitment of staff, including, shortlisting applicants and interviewing candidates selected for interview;
• Staff management responsibilities to be agreed with line manager.
• Responsible for developing quality control processes, participating in audits and ensuring resilience through maintaining Standard Operating Procedures and business continuity planning.
• Be responsible for ensuring their team’s work complies to UKHSA standards and governance requirements including maintaining confidentiality and security of surveillance information.
• Development of business cases to support system developments, this may include undertaking relevant procurement requirements and management of supplier relationships.
• To deputise for the Section Lead/Lead Epidemiologist as required.

Publications and presentations

• To plan and oversee the development of Divisional epidemiological outputs including outward facing publications including annual reports, web pages, writing of scientific papers for publication in peer reviewed journals and to manage junior scientific and administrative colleagues in the development of manuscripts.
• To represent the Division on expert committees, national and local incident control teams, national/international meetings and conferences.

Teaching and Training

To develop public health capacity by contributing to teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level and by supervising those training and working in public health and epidemiology.

To contribute to the training for new members of staff on the epidemiology and surveillance of communicable disease.

To participate in wider scientific activities to maintain professional standards including peer review of manuscripts.

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.

Person specification

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory