JOB SUMMARY

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:

• Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
• Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
• Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
• Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
• Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.

The Food, Water and Environmental Microbiology Services (FWEMS) Laboratories are specialist microbiology laboratories within the UKHSA. Based in 3 sites across the country, the laboratories are geographically well placed to work with local authorities to protect the public from health threats posed by contaminated food, water and the environment. The Porton FWEMS Laboratory provides a microbiology testing and advisory service to Local Authorities, Port Health Authorities, hospitals and commercial clients across the South East, South West and West Midlands. The laboratory is accredited to ISO 17025 and is recognised as an Official Laboratory for the microbiological examination of food and foodstuffs within the EU.

The post holder will provide a range of routine tasks, including:

• Sampling reception and preparation
• Working as part of a team to perform routine examination of samples and update laboratory IT systems.
• Developing working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA.

One position is full-time (37.5 hours per week) and the other is part-time (22.5 hours per week).

JOB DESCRIPTION

Your key responsibilities will include:

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)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• 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

The post holder will provide a range of routine tasks, including:

• Sampling reception and preparation
• Working as part of a team to perform routine examination of samples and update laboratory IT systems.
• Developing working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA