Parasitology Laboratory and Quality Assistant

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

- 226419**Salary**:

- £21,298**Grade**:

- Administrative Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- APHA Wildlife**Type of role**:

- Science**Working pattern**:

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

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Sand Hutton, Yorkshire and the Humber, YO41 1LZAbout the job

**Summary**:

- To provide scientific laboratory support for the day to day delivery of a portfolio of work in the Parasitology Laboratory based at Sand Hutton.**Job description**:

- Provide scientific support to monitor for the presence of Echinococcus in foxes and Trichinella in wildlife and domestic animal species.- Carry out post mortems (PMs) of foxes and other animal carcasses as required
- Assist in fox carcass collection from UK locations
- Take part in Ring trails for Echinococcus and in the provision and participation of Trichinella Proficiency Testing
- Provide support in the auditing of UK Official Control Laboratories (OCLs)
- Participate in training of staff from UK OCLs in Trichinella detection
- Participate in writing and reviewing Standard Operating Procedures, Risk Assessments, COSHH forms, crib sheets and conduct contingency exercises
- Provide scientific and administrative support to other projects (existing and proposed) within the team
- Ensure project objectives are delivered through an inclusive and supportive environment

**Responsibilities**:

- Ensure Quality (UKAS; ISO 17025) and Health and Safety standards are maintained within the laboratory
- Experience of laboratory diagnostic and/or parasitology procedures
- General awareness of associated aspects of Health and Safety involved in wildlife carcass handling
- Experience in wildlife post-mortem techniques
- Background knowledge on Echinococcus and Trichinella and their occurrence in wildlife
- Basic computer literacy in MS Word, MS Excel and experience of Access databases
- Be able to demonstrate a good standard of record keeping
- Maintain standard operating procedure records
- Managing and ordering of stock
- Contribution to laboratory meetings
- Assessment of methods, comparison of equipment and methodologies
- Administration tasks, including booking in of specimens and working with other laboratory personnel to ensure accuracy of processing requirements

**Technical skills**:
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

- Diagnostic testing
- PCR and surveillance
- Post-Mortems

**Benefits**:

- Pension and Financial Benefits:

- Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package and there are various options including Alpha and Partnership pension schemes in which Defra can invest in providing a contribution to the cost of your pension.
- Life Assurance: if you become too ill or die before retirement valuable benefits will be provided to you and your family
- Offering 25 days annual leave (rising up to 30 days over 5 years) for new entrants to the Civil Service and retaining existing arrangements for current Civil Servants
- End of year Performance Awards and Staff Recognition Schemes
- Cycle to work scheme and season free ticket loan to support travel to work
- Learning and Development:

- Access to five days learning and development each year to support professional development through Civil Service Learning, Apprenticeships and on the job development (shadowing, coaching, working with project teams) and talent management programmes
- Corporate induction and three days special leave for volunteering
- Staff Wellbeing:

- Access to Employee Assistance Programme, Occupational Health Service and the Civil Service Sports Council
- Flexible workingThings you need to know

**Security**:
- People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.**Medical**:
**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.**Application Process**Sift**
- Sift and interview dates as well as the interview location to be confirmed.**Interview**
- A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.**Location**Reserve List**
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.**Salary**Reasonable Adjustment**
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

**Accessibility**Criminal Record Check**
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check maybe carried out.-
**Internal Fraud Database Check**-
**Childcare Vouchers**
Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at here**Coronavirus**
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