Swydd wag: Healthcare Scientist Support Worker, UK Health Security Agency, London

Crynodeb o'r swydd

Prif leoliad

Healthcare Scientist Support Worker

Gradd

Civil Service: Administrative Officer (AO)

Contract

Parhaol

Oriau

Llawnamser
Rhan-amser
Rhannu swydd
Gweithio hyblyg

37.5 awr yr wythnos

Cyfeirnod y swydd

919-KL-1371216-EXT

Cyflogwr: UK Health Security Agency
Math o gyflogwr: Public (Non NHS)
Gwefan: Colindale
Tref: London
Cyflog: £26,392 - £26,994 per annum pro rata
Cyfnod cyflog: Yn flynyddol
Yn cau: 24/05/2024 23:59

Healthcare Scientist Support Worker

Civil Service: Administrative Officer (AO)

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.

Swydd ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl

This role offers a rewarding opportunity to work within a busy laboratory environment at UKHSA Colindale. You'll play a vital role in supporting the delivery of External Quality Assessment (EQA) programs for microbiology testing.

Gain valuable experience working with a leading public health organization and make a significant contribution to public health by supporting accurate microbiology testing.

Develop your skills and knowledge in a supportive and collaborative environment.

The successful candidate will maintain a high standard of work and contribute to developing the service of the laboratory so that service delivery is safe, effective, economical and follows best practice

If you're a motivated and detail-oriented individual with a passion for science, we encourage you to apply!

Essential criteria:

Good standard of education: science subject to A level or equivalent and Maths and English to grade qualifications at C or above at GCSE
Interest in laboratory work
To be able to work unsupervised
Good understanding of general safety
Experience of using computer software packages (including MS Word, Excel and Outlook)
Experience doing Manual dexterity type of work
Methodical
Clear communicator with good writing and data entry skills ensuring accuracy
Ability to work effectively as part of a team
Evidence of interest in people and quality of service
Able to convey information to staff at all levels
An ability to work on own initiative, organising and prioritising own workload to set deadlines
Flexible
Attention to detail
An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships

Desirable criteria:

Basic Biological Science qualification
Laboratory experience
Problem solving skills

Selection Process Details

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and/or skills and capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
1000 word Statement of Suitability

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The CV/ Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately, and you must pass both to move forward to interview.

Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over this number.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a face to face interview held at 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

There will be an Assessment. Further details will be provided if successful and invited to interview.

Interviews are expected to be held week commencing 3rd June, 2024. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).  

Security Clearance Level Requirement  

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

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, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.  

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.  

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:  

life sentences  
arson  
sexual offences  
hate and terror offences

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.  

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Starting salary 

Entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.   

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase.   

Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.  

For further details please refer to the Information Sheet - Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment .

Manyleb y person

Knowledge and Experience

Meini prawf hanfodol

Interest in laboratory work
To be able to work unsupervised
Good understanding of general safety
Experience of using computer software packages (including MS Word, Excel and Outlook)

Meini prawf dymunol

Laboratory experience

Qualifications

Meini prawf hanfodol

Good standard of education: science subject to A level or equivalent and Maths and English to grade qualifications at C or above at GCSE

Meini prawf dymunol

Basic Biological Science qualification

Skills and Capabilities

Meini prawf hanfodol

Experience doing Manual dexterity type of work
Methodical
Clear communicator with good writing and data entry skills ensuring accuracy
Ability to work effectively as part of a team
Evidence of interest in people and quality of service
Able to convey information to staff at all levels
An ability to work on own initiative, organising and prioritising own workload to set deadlines
Flexible
Attention to detail

Meini prawf dymunol

Problem solving skills

Equality and Diversity

Meini prawf hanfodol

An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan.  If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles (attached as a supporting document).

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 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.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates 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.

As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/