Senior Health Economist and Infectious Disease Modeller

at  UK Health Security Agency

JOB SUMMARY

The Modelling and Evaluations Unit sits within the Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI), Fungal and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Anitimicrobial Usage (AMU) and Sepsis Division, (in the Clinical and Public Health group) of UKHSA. The mission of the division is to protect people from healthcare-associated and antimicrobial resistant infections, through world-leading public health microbiology, outbreak response, surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, modelling, research and evidence-based interventions.
The post holder will work in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and healthcare associated infection (HCAI) Modelling and Evaluations Unit at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). A dynamic and stimulating group comprising infectious disease modellers and health economists working on diverse projects relating to the burden of infectious disease and modelling the impact of interventions against infections, both nationally and internationally.
The post-holder will lead development of health economic models within multiple health economic and modelling research projects in the field of HCAI and AMR. The post holder will be expected to design, conduct and manage such projects, involving sophisticated analysis of epidemiological and healthcare data to further our knowledge of the epidemiology and control of AMR & HCAI in the short and long term. The models will be used to inform policy-making, for example by evaluating the (cost-) effectiveness of intervention strategies, both examining potential future policy options and evaluating interventions that have been implemented.
Emphasis will be placed on innovative research and methodological development required to gain insight from increasing availability of patient, clinical and surveillance data, to identify and rigorously evaluate solutions in the field of AMR and HCAI. This post will require oversight and leadership of a number of high-profile AMR & HCAI projects to provide practical and clinically relevant insights to directly inform national policy.
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Your key responsibilities will include to:

• Develop health economic models of infectious diseases to understand epidemiology and assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
• Lead the parameterisation of models by analysis of appropriate data and critical review of relevant literature, synthesising multiple evidence sources, including leading the identification, use and analysis of complex and often large datasets.
• Develop methods to make better use of data to inform models and to take advantage of increases in the volume and richness of datasets.
• Design modelling and economic studies to address identified HCAI & AMR knowledge gaps, including scoping and understanding both the data needs and sources, leading to clinically relevant insights to directly inform national policy.
• Provide leadership and management for AMR & HCAI modelling and health economics project work: planning, developing, managing and co-ordinating projects to ensure deliverables are met.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of protocols for managing development of models, including quality assurance and version control.
• Lead or contribute towards research grant applications for funding (from internal and external sources) where additional resources are required to implement the programme of research.
• Provide management and supervision of both post-doctoral mathematical modellers and PhD students as required, and provide scientific advice and supervision to staff within the Modelling and Economics Unit, and to be responsible for the scientific development of staff.
• Establish and strengthen collaborative networks with staff in the Modelling and Economics Unit and HCAI & AMR Division to enable cross fertilisation of ideas and expertise in order to maximise opportunities.
• Take responsibility for instigating and coordinating research with economists, modellers, healthcare professionals etc. from other institutions.
• Disseminate research through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and give presentations at national and international conferences and meetings as appropriate.
• Manage competing priorities arising through involvement with multiple projects and multiple stakeholders, asking for support where necessary. This will include the planning and management of delivery of projects with support from within the team, the postholder will need to work independently to take forward agreed projects, including agreeing specifications and definitions, developing project plans, and planning workloads for themselves and any analysts/modellers/economists they may be leading in delivery of the project. This will require communication with colleagues at all levels, often negotiating with internal and external colleagues over access to data, project deliverables etc.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

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)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Your key responsibilities will include to:

• Develop health economic models of infectious diseases to understand epidemiology and assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
• Lead the parameterisation of models by analysis of appropriate data and critical review of relevant literature, synthesising multiple evidence sources, including leading the identification, use and analysis of complex and often large datasets.
• Develop methods to make better use of data to inform models and to take advantage of increases in the volume and richness of datasets.
• Design modelling and economic studies to address identified HCAI & AMR knowledge gaps, including scoping and understanding both the data needs and sources, leading to clinically relevant insights to directly inform national policy.
• Provide leadership and management for AMR & HCAI modelling and health economics project work: planning, developing, managing and co-ordinating projects to ensure deliverables are met.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of protocols for managing development of models, including quality assurance and version control.
• Lead or contribute towards research grant applications for funding (from internal and external sources) where additional resources are required to implement the programme of research.
• Provide management and supervision of both post-doctoral mathematical modellers and PhD students as required, and provide scientific advice and supervision to staff within the Modelling and Economics Unit, and to be responsible for the scientific development of staff.
• Establish and strengthen collaborative networks with staff in the Modelling and Economics Unit and HCAI & AMR Division to enable cross fertilisation of ideas and expertise in order to maximise opportunities.
• Take responsibility for instigating and coordinating research with economists, modellers, healthcare professionals etc. from other institutions.
• Disseminate research through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and give presentations at national and international conferences and meetings as appropriate.
• Manage competing priorities arising through involvement with multiple projects and multiple stakeholders, asking for support where necessary. This will include the planning and management of delivery of projects with support from within the team, the postholder will need to work independently to take forward agreed projects, including agreeing specifications and definitions, developing project plans, and planning workloads for themselves and any analysts/modellers/economists they may be leading in delivery of the project. This will require communication with colleagues at all levels, often negotiating with internal and external colleagues over access to data, project deliverables etc