Senior Toxicologist

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

- 294293**Salary**:

- £37,470 - £45,565- National: £37,470 - £41,925; London: £41,055 - £45,565 Science & Engineering Allowance of £5150- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- BEIS - Market Frameworks - Market Frameworks - Office for Product Safety and Standards Directorate**Type of role**:

- Science**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- London, Birmingham and TeddingtonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
DBT

About OPSS

Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you

We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.

Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.

Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence

Further information can be found on our website here

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

**We are Inclusive**

**Job description**:

- As part of our Science Team, you would be involved in providing access to robust and relevant scientific advice and novel research for the development of policy, and the delivery and enforcement of product safety regulations across the OPSS remit, including toys, cosmetics and potentially new responsibilities in construction products. We work closely with other evidence teams including those in engineering, research, analysis and testing. We are a multidisciplinary team including scientists covering specialisms including analytical chemistry, materials science and toxicology. The team is also responsible for chemical risk assessment advice and leads the Office’s access to independent scientific experts in the space of chemicals and materials.
- We are looking for an experienced toxicologist to join our Chemical Risk Assessment Team. You will be working as part of the scientific secretariat for our Scientific Advisory Group, preparing papers relating to the risks of chemicals in consumer products along with other more administrative secretariat tasks. Prior experience within a scientific secretariat would be valuable, however, training can be provided on this aspect. The post holder will work flexibly on other activities across the Science Team including on projects in OPSS’ strategic research programme. You will be an excellent communicator with a good record of building and maintaining strong working relationships as you will be working closely with others across OPSS, other government departments and external experts and contractors.**Person specification**:

- You will be responsible for leading on the compilation and drafting of papers, opinions and other documents for our Scientific Advisory Group as well as other secretariat tasks such as arranging meetings.
- You will use your experience in risk assessment to review industry dossiers relating to the safety of chemicals in consumer products; primarily cosmetics and toys, working with others to agree approaches to effective and robust risk assessment.
- Assess and interpret toxicological data to undertake chemical risk assessment and communicate outputs effectively to non-specialists. An appreciation of the legislative framework would be beneficial at the outset, otherwise, it will be essential to develop this in post.
- Lead on ad-hoc queries regarding risk of chemicals to human health in consumer products from other teams.
- You will take the lead on or collaborate with others in the team on current and future research projects, working closely with our Research, Evidence and Dissemination Team.
- You will have line management responsibility f