Epidemiological Analyst

The postholder will

Maintain and develop surveillance systems and databases with relevant scientific, clinical, laboratory and Health Protection colleagues.

Create queries and validation checks to remove duplicates and improve data quality and completeness.

Liaise with stakeholders, clinicians, laboratories and HPTs regarding surveillance data, cases and outbreaks.

Maintain UKHSA website pages and dashboards, ensuring content is validated and meets relevant guidelines.

Run database queries and prepare annual surveillance reports.

Support ad hoc queries, Parliamentary Questions and other information requests.

Help prepare annual datasets for international organisations, including WHO and ECDC.

Maintain disease-specific Reference Manager databases with scientific and medical staff.

Contribute to scientific papers and reports for the Department of Health and JCVI as required.

Present surveillance data and findings at internal and national meetings and conferences.

Support databases and websites for other infectious disease surveillance projects.

Undertake other duties as required by the line manager or Head of Department.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Maintain continuous professional development in line with relevant professional, statutory and service requirements.

Agree performance, training and development needs with your line manager through appraisal and development planning. Attend relevant training, share data science practices and promote best practice.

Complete all required mandatory training, including fire safety and information governance.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Develop effective relationships and communicate regularly with clinical and non-clinical stakeholders within and outside UKHSA, including:

Internal

• Vaccine coverage, safety and effectiveness teams
• Immunisation Division
• Reference Laboratories and Data and Information Systems
• ICT and Digital
• Public Health Data Science
• Local and Regional Services and Health Protection Teams
• External
• NHS laboratories
• NHS Digital, NHS England, NHS Improvement, DHSC and NIMS
• Child Health Records, Screening and Immunisation teams, PHEC staff, Directors of Public Health and immunisation leads

Other UK Public Health Agencies

This list is not exhaustive.

Essential role criteria

Educated to degree level (or equivalent level of qualification) in a relevant science subject e.g., Biomedical sciences, mathematics, epidemiology or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area Post-graduate (MSc) degree in Epidemiology, completed or near completion Experience of scientific research, particularly in public health or epidemiology Data management, analysis and reporting of epidemiological data using R, SQL and Microsoft Access Able to work as a team member Able to work independently and to deadlines Able to liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service and academic professionals

Desirable role criteria

Experience working within health protection

Selection Process Details (Competency based)

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 7 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application) 750 word supporting statement.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 750 words. Please do not exceed 750 words.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV please note you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria

We will take pile Meets all essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting. Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

Post-graduate (MSc) degree in Epidemiology, completed or near completion Experience of scientific research, particularly in public health or epidemiology Data management, analysis and reporting of epidemiological data using R, SQL and Microsoft Access

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

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

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview Competency Based

You will be invited to a single face to face interview at our site in Colindale. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

There will be a one-hour technical assessment prior to the interview (on the same day) and the first part of the interview will be based off of the assessment followed by more generic questions, leaving time for you at the end to ask us questions. The assessment will be a short coding assessment in R. A dataset will be provided for analysis, and candidates will be asked to demonstrate their ability to write clear, structured code to explore the data. The exercise is designed to assess epidemiological thinking and coding approach, rather than arriving at the correct answers. We are primarily interested in how candidates structure their analysis, interpret data, and communicate their reasoning through code.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Additional Information

Location

This role is being offered as office based at our Scientific Campus in Colindale. Based at our scientific campus, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. For meaningful national security vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the United Kingdom for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years as the role requires CTC clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Counter-Terrorist Check.

Eligibility Criteria

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

If this role is fixed term and you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment; you may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. Loans are normally agreed for a period of two years. However, this may be extended where required, subject to agreement between UKHSA and your home department. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSAs Pay policy. If this role is permanent , it may also be available as a loan (for existing civil servants only) or secondment arrangement, subject to business need and agreement from the hiring manager and, where applicable, the employee's home organisation.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.