Senior Epidemiologist

The post holder is the senior scientific lead for Pneumococcal surveillance, Rotavirus Surveillance, COVID-19 and meningococcal surveillance. S/he is expected to achieve the specific duties with a high degree of autonomy and through working with staff from a wide range of disciplines in the NHS, UKHSA, and other organisations. S/he will provide leadership in the production development and enhancement of surveillance systems and production of surveillance reports. The post holder will represent the Immunisation Department, UKHSA or England as appropriate, in local, national and international initiatives and meetings. S/he will deputise for the Departmental Consultant staff when appropriate.

1) To take the scientific lead and manage staff responsible for data collection on Pneumococcal surveillance, Rotavirus Surveillance and meningococcal surveillance.

2) To lead the development of existing surveillance systems for the above diseases to improve and enhance the quality of data collected and disseminated.

3) To lead collaborative surveillance within UKHSA between the Immunisation Department and the appropriate Specialist Reference and Microbiology Division (SRMD) laboratories, providing epidemiological expertise to regular meetings with staff from the UKHSA Microbiology reference divisions

4) To provide specialist advice on the epidemiology and interpretation of available statistics on vaccine preventable diseases in response to requests for information from the NHS, DH and other organisations.

5) To provide specialist scientific advice to the Department of Health (DH) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for the planning and development, implementation and monitoring of new UK immunisation programmes (routine and ad hoc ‘catch-up’ programmes).

6) To communicate areas of expertise to the media through preparation of briefing materials, interviews with the medical and lay press, as well as radio and television interviews, with the support of UKHSA Press Office.

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

Main duties cont..

7) To lead the interpretation of routine surveillance reports and act on surveillance signals by liaising with key stakeholders.

8) To supervise scientists in the preparation of regular surveillance reports

9) To develop processes for streamlining the analysis of surveillance data and production of outputs.

10) To prepare ad hoc reviews of various respiratory viral infections and other vaccine preventable diseases for policy development and publication in journals, including peer-reviewed journals and the medical/nursing press.

The job description sets down the details of the post with the main responsibilities in the development and ongoing surveillance and analysis of epidemiological disease data. The post holder will additionally lead on establishing surveillance and data management systems covering Pneumococcal surveillance, Rotavirus Surveillance, COVID-19 and meningococcal disease.

Eligibility

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

To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: UKHSA website

Selection Process

**Security Clearance Level Requirement**:
People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

Application Process Details

This vacancy will assess the behaviours, experience, ability, technical skills/qualifications, strengths and commitment to equality and diversity detailed in the person specification.

**STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT**:
You will be required to submit a personal statement of suitability (Max 1000 Words) based on the essential criteria advertised.

Please be aware the box provided for this statement may allow more than the word limit requested so please do check your word count.

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

**STAGE 2 - INTERVIEW**:
Reserve list

Complaints

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on