Job vacancy: Senior Surveillance Scientist, UK Health Security Agency, Colindale

Job summary

Main area

Senior Surveillance Scientist

Grade

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-CG-305589-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: Scientific Campus
Town: Colindale
Salary: £46,310 - £52,113 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 04/08/2026 23:59

Senior Surveillance Scientist

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) prevents, prepares for and responds to infectious diseases, and environmental hazards, to keep all our communities safe, save lives and protect livelihoods.

We provide scientific and operational leadership, working with local, national and international partners to protect the public’s health and build the nation’s health security capability.

UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Surveillance and Data Analysis

Lead, develop, manage and maintain existing national surveillance systems and contribute to the development of new surveillance systems for acute
respiratory viral infections including testing, implementation, and contributing to the drafting of SOPs
Conduct complex statistical analyses of data on respiratory viruses drawn from a variety of surveillance sources in response to ad hoc enquiries from
Government agencies, international agencies, public health practitioners, academics and members of the public.
Present complex epidemiological data and findings to a range of audiences internally and externally, including at scientific conferences.
Write scientific papers for publication in peer reviewed journals and detailed reports and briefings for UKHSA or Government departments to a high standard.
Supervise and advise junior scientific colleagues and the administrative team in the production of analytical outputs and surveillance reports.

Vaccine Programme Support

Develop and lead on data collection and analyses to support vaccine programme introduction, monitoring and evaluation, and decision making. Analyses may include assessment of disease burden, severity, vaccine effectiveness, impact, and safety.

Incident Response

Support the technical, operational and analytical aspects of outbreak investigations, under the supervision of Senior Scientists and Consultant/G6 leads
Support drafting of internal and external briefing notes and reports

Research and Data Governance

Contribute to or lead the development, implementation, analysis and communication of research studies.
Ensure compliance with research ethics, information governance, data protection, and security standards.

Teaching and Training

Contribute to the training for new members of staff on the epidemiology and surveillance of respiratory viruses.
Contribute to teaching and training activities both internally and externally.

Professional Development

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of epidemiology, surveillance methods and scientific developments.
Identify and address personal training and development needs.
Participate in mandatory and relevant internal/external training.

Strategic Working and Partnerships

Contribute to the design, development, and improvement of analytical tools, scripts, documentation, and processes to enhance efficiency, reproducibility,
and quality assurance.
Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders across UKHSA, government, academia and partner organisations to support delivery of
surveillance and research objectives.

Time Management and Leadership Responsibilities

Manage own workload effectively, prioritising tasks to meet deadlines.
Provide support, guidance or informal supervision to colleagues as appropriate, including line management responsibilities.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships with a wide range of internal and external individuals to UKHSA including:

Medical, scientific, technical, and administrative colleagues within UKHSA such as laboratory staff, data scientists, Health Protection Teams, and
communication specialists.
External partners from DHSC, local government, devolved administrations, NHS Trusts, national, regional, and local institutions within and outside the UK.

Other duties

Present findings to a range of audiences including national and international conferences.
Contribute to divisional teaching activities.
Contribute to the training of new staff members.
Support analytical and operational aspects of incident and outbreak response.
Build effective relationships across UKHSA, NHS and partners.
Undertake additional duties aligned with organisational priorities.

Selection Process Details

Essential criteria

First degree in STEM or social science subject
Masters or PhD in Epidemiology, Public Health or allied area
Postgraduate work or equivalent experience in public health, epidemiology or allied area
Extensive experience interpreting, evaluating and analysing epidemiological data
Extensive experience writing code, ideally R, with knowledge of R Markdown and SQL
Experience managing research studies and databases; writing scientific papers/reports
Understanding of epidemiological surveillance and information governance
Proven ability to interpret complex information and make decisions based on incomplete information
Good organisation skills and ability to work independently to meet deadlines
Effective relationship-building with colleagues and stakeholders
Excellent oral and written communication skills

Desirable criteria:

Knowledge of infectious disease surveillance, and the UK health and social care environment
Understanding of respiratory virus epidemiology, with experience presenting to varied audiences
Experience of line management

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  

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 11   essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a: 

Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)

1000  word supporting statement.

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 C.V –please be advised 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. 

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000  words. We will not consider any words over 1000  words. 

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

If used, the pile ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will  proceed  to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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

Extensive experience interpreting, evaluating and analysing epidemiological data
Experience managing research studies and databases; writing scientific papers/reports
Extensive experience writing code, ideally R, with knowledge of R Markdown and SQL

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of  applications or 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 

You will be invited to a single face to face  interview at UK Health Security Agency - Colindale, 61 Colindale Ave, London NW9 5EQ.

If face to face interviews are planned, 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 technical assessment on respiratory virus surveillance. Candidates will be given a document to review for 30 minutes before being asked questions about it during the interview.

Interviews 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. 

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Scientific Campus in Colindale. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month)working at our campus.

Based at our scientific campus, you will be required to have a minimum of 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. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. In exceptional circumstances 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 enhanced 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).

 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.

Person specification

Application form and supporting statement

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Essential Criteria

Essential criteria

Questions on experience, knowledge and skills

Technical skills

Essential criteria

Assessment

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

If you experience technical difficulties when using Trac, please contact Support via https://apps.trac.jobs/support and provide screenshots/details of the issue encountered. If Trac cannot resolve your issue, you should notify the UKHSA Recruitment Team at [email protected] as soon as possible.

Please note that where no technical issue has been recorded by Trac, and no supporting evidence has been provided before the closing deadline, we will be unable to accept late applications. We therefore recommend submitting applications well in advance of the closing date and taking screenshots of any issues encountered.

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Civil Service Commission | Regulating recruitment into the Civil Service and helping uphold the Civil Service core values of Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

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

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if 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 the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. 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 UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.

As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police Check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Agenda for Change roles -NHS Pension

For roles offered under Agenda for Change (AFC) Terms and Conditions (and if you are eligible)

• If you are already on AFC T&Cs or accept the role on a fixed-term contract, you will be enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme or keep your current AFC Pension.
• If you take the role on a loan or temporary promotion, you will retain your existing, substantive T&Cs.
• If the role is available under either AFC or Civil Service T&Cs depending on your registration, your pension scheme will align accordingly.