Bacteriologist

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 349208**Salary**:

- £27,513 - £29,677- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Administrative Officer- A4**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Type of role**:

- Science**Working pattern**:

- Full-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Hermiston, Scotland, EH12 9FJAbout the job

**Job summary**:
SASA are a Division of the Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) Directorate and are a community of 170 scientists, inspectors, policy professionals and support staff. We have responsibility for providing a range of services in support of arable agriculture, horticulture, food, the environment and the wider rural economy. We are the certifying authority for seed potatoes in Scotland and provide advice and scientific services to the ARE Directorate and stakeholders in the potato industry.

The Bacteriologist role sits within the Potato, Virology and Zoology branch. The Branch's, core function is to provide a diagnostic testing service on a range of samples to meet the Scottish Government’s commitments in relation to Plant and Bee Health legislation and Seed Potato Classification.

Using a range of techniques such as DNA extraction and qPCR, you will be responsible for the day to day routine testing and diagnosis of potato and plant material for _Dickeya_ and_ Pectobacterium_ spp. You will also work closely with and provide support to the Potato Bacteriologist.

You will report directly to the Potato Bacteriologist and work alongside Potato pathologists within the branch, and other bacteriologists within the Plant Health branch.

**Job description**:

- Participate in field work to test Scotland’s watercourses for the presence of _Dickeya_ spp. including identifying areas to be sampled and ensuring the necessary equipment and labware/media is available.
- Maintain records of tests performed using a bespoke database, ensuring that data is entered accurately and in compliance with the quality management system.
- Provide laboratory support for the Potato Bacteriologist with ongoing externally funded projects concerning blackleg disease of potato.
- Assist in testing potato tubers received from internal/external customers for _Dickeya _and _Pectobacterium_ spp. Liaise with customers to keep them updated on progress of tests.
- Assist the Bacteriology team with testing for the non-indigenous potato pathogens _Ralstonia solanacearum _(potato brown rot) and _Clavibacter michiganensis_ ssp. _sepedonicus_ (potato ring rot) when necessary.

**Person specification**:
1. Experience of microbiology and good laboratory practice including pathogen diagnosis - preferably plant pathogens, and utilising a range of methodologies including classical and molecular techniques.

2. A team player, working well with others but can carry out individual tasks as required with the minimum of supervision.

3. Well organised and able to respond to competing priorities, adapting skills and resources to changing circumstances.

4. Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate ideas clearly and concisely to a range of audiences.

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £27,513, Scottish Government contributes £7,428 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.**Security**:
- People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.**Nationality requirements**:
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)
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)**Working for the Civil Service**:

- The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).-
- This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.- Once this j