HIV / STI Surveillance & Prevention 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, 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., An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and capable HIV/STI Surveillance and Prevention Scientist to join the Blood Safety, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Infection and HIV Division of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
We are seeking an epidemiologist to work on the surveillance of STIs in England, to coordinate and develop the collation and epidemiological analysis of HIV and STI surveillance datasets to support the routine surveillance of these infections.
Under the supervision of senior scientific staff, the successful candidate will regularly extract, collate and validate surveillance datasets and carry out epidemiological analyses to monitor trends, geographic distribution and risk factors. The postholder will contribute to the delivery of surveillance and policy reports and to peer-reviewed publications. The postholder will adopt a variety of public health and surveillance portfolios, develop, and implement standardised data collection and analysis protocols, will identify data quality issues, and will facilitate their resolution. They will ensure that data are collected and processed in accordance with relevant policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and will undertake regular assessments of data quality and completeness.

Main duties of the job
The postholder will adopt a variety of public health and surveillance portfolios, develop and implement standardised data collection and analysis protocols, will identify data quality issues and will facilitate their resolution. The postholder will ensure that data are collected and processed in accordance with relevant policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and will undertake regular assessments of data quality and completeness.

Working for our 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., Develop, maintain and document (standard operational procedures) the surveillance systems.
- Planning, organising and delivering on a range of data requests requiring analytic input, including negotiating and agreeing the most appropriate data output, initiating and planning workloads and setting delivery timescales.
- Support senior staff in the management and continued development of surveillance databases.
- Support senior staff in the management of outbreak investigations, liaising with internal and external stakeholders.
- Perform all work in cognisance of data protection requirements and the need to maintain confidentiality and security of surveillance information.
- Understanding which are the key local and national stakeholders with an interest in hepatitis data both within and outside UKHSA. Attending meetings with key local stakeholders, representing the hepatitis team and BSHSH department at events.
- Communicate effectively specialist information with colleagues.
- Using a variety of methods including written briefings and oral presentations to communicate the implication of public health analytical outputs for action to improve local population health to internal and external stakeholders from a range of backgrounds.
- Working collaboratively as part of the analytical capacity. Assisting colleagues in the delivery of the analytical work programme and with colleagues in other analytical teams in UKHSA as required.
Other responsibilities
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.
Professional Development
Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with your line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attend internal and external training events. Participate in all mandatory training as required (e.g. information governance training).
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. This will include:
a) Medical, scientific, ICT/bioinformatics and administrative colleagues within BSHSH and the CPH Group;
b) Staff in other divisions of UKHSA, especially colleagues in Laboratory Services;
c) Colleagues in the UKHSA Statistics Unit, Field Services, Local Health Protection Teams and the Communications Dept;
d) Patient networks and charities;
e) Department of Health and Social Care;
f) NHS Digital, NHSx, NHS England and NHS Improvement, NIMS
g) Child Health Records Department managers, Screening and Immunisation teams, PHEC staff, Directors of Public Health, Immunisation Co-ordinators and immunisation leads
h) European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA);
i) Local government;
j) Devolved administrations (Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales);
k) Other agencies to develop clinical codes, data specifications and data systems related to vaccine coverage;
l) Other clinical, public health, scientific and academic staff in NHS Trusts, national, regional and local institutions within and outside the UK
Selection criteria, You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the advertised criteria (please see job description for full list of criteria).
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.
If a large number of applications is received, the following criteria may be used for longlisting: having experience of data management, handling, analysis and reporting.
STAGE 2 - INTERVIEW:
All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will move onto stage 2 video interview.
You may be required to do a test prior to the interview.
Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1250 word count.
Please note: The system will allow you to write up to 1500 words but please do not exceed 1250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
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.
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
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

To be educated to degree level
- Scientific research work experience, particularly in public health
- Data management, analysis and reporting
- Interpreting and evaluating epidemiological data
- Preparing scientific reports and presentations
- Experience using computers and database software packages (including Microsoft ACCESS and Excel)
- Use of software packages for statistical analysis of data (e.g. STATA, R, SPSS, SAS)
- Communicate and negotiate accurately, succinctly and in a friendly manner with a wide range of health, IT and academic professionals, as well as the general public
- Ability to prioritise and coordinate workload in order to meet tight deadlines
- Ability to work well on own initiative as well as in a team, and to identify and deal with problems in a calm, efficient and timely manner
- Ability to communicate and document methods clearly and succinctly
- Clear and organised approach to work, and producing accurate and consistent work
- Maintaining required levels of confidentiality
- Understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
Desirable criteria:
- MSc in Public Health, Epidemiology or equivalent experience
- Experience of communicable disease epidemiology, surveillance and prevention
- Qualitative research experience
Security
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

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