Bioinformatician

About the Organisation:

Public Health Scotland launched 1st April 2020 as a national health board, employing around 1200 people, and with an annual budget of around £101 million. Public Health Scotland wants to see a Scotland where everybody thrives, a Scotland where life expectancy improves and the difference in life expectancy between our poorest and wealthiest areas gets smaller.

Public Health Scotland is Scotland’s lead national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all of Scotland’s people. Our vision is of a Scotland where everybody thrives. Our focus is on increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing premature mortality. To do this, we use data, intelligence and a place-based approach to lead and deliver Scotland’s public health priorities.

This post is within the Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate, which protects the people of Scotland from infectious and environmental hazards. The Directorate provides high-quality clinical advice and maintains public health knowledge.

The Post:

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate of PHS, within their Public Health Microbiology Bioinformatics Team. Genomic services have been established in the NHS for a limited number of bacterial pathogens in the Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories (SMiRL), and for SARS-CoV-2 in the Scottish Specialist Virology Centres (SSVC). PHS bioinformatics team supports local bioinformatic analysis in SMiRL of bacterial services, and central bioinformatics for SARS-CoV-2 service. The investment by the Scottish Government in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing has provided the potential to expand the repertoire of pathogens sequenced and from a wider range of origins. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of bioinformatics in PHS and the Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories.

The Candidate:

The post holder will maintain, enhance and develop reliable and efficient infrastructure for bioinformatics tools and processes to ensure the highest quality public health microbiology service. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining protocols for the primary and secondary analysis of next generation sequencing (NGS) data for detailed and accurate sub-typing of Microbiology isolates and rapid and accurate outbreak identification.

You will have strong communication skills and work collaboratively with the scientific staff to transform large volumes of statistical and genomic data into annotated results for clinical reporting in PHS. 

You shall be an enthusiastic, flexible individual who will provide leadership and highly specialised advice and training on bioinformatics to colleagues within PHS, the Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories and the wider public health microbiology community. 

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a Disclosure Scotland check. Any candidate who has lived/worked overseas for more than 12 months in the preceding 5 years will also be required to provide a criminal record check from the appropriate overseas agency.

Location and Working Pattern:

The post is based in either Gyle Square, Edinburgh or Central Quay, Glasgow. We are currently hybrid working; therefore, you will be expected to spend time in both PHS offices as well as the option to work at home.

Please note that PHS will be relocating from Central Quay, Glasgow to Bothwell Street, Glasgow in 2025.

There will be an expectation to travel to local areas for some meetings and events.

The work pattern for this post is Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week.

PHS is a flexible employer, and we are happy to discuss requests for alternative working patterns.

During times of public health emergency, or other urgent business need, you may be required on a temporary basis to work your normal contracted working hours over 7 days including weekends, in order to meet the needs of the service.

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with PHS.

Benefits:

Our benefits package includes pension scheme, comprehensive range of work life balance policies, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits.

Further Information:

For an informal discussion on the post, please contact Sharif Shaaban on sharif.shaaban2@phs.scot

Closing date for completed applications is 13 December 2024.

To apply please click here

Further information on PHS is available from:

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).

Public Health Scotland is an equal opportunities employer and as such guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies.