Job vacancy: Laboratory Equipment Officer, UK Health Security Agency, Cambridge

Job summary

Main area

Administration

Grade

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-TG-300866-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: Cambridge
Town: Cambridge
Salary: £35,587 - £43,244 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: Today at 23:59

Laboratory Equipment Officer

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General

Act as laboratory facilities and equipment officer, responsible and in liaison with service managers and governance leads overseeing the maintaining the facilities and equipment in the department
To encourage the highest professional standards through personal and staff development
To ensure adequate care, maintenance and security of laboratory premises and equipment
Duties will be undertaken as agreed with the Laboratory Manager and within the context of the objectives of the CMPHL
Accuracy and attention to detail are essential
To perform any other duties required by the Clinical Services Director or Regional Head of Operations

Facilities and Equipment Management

To assist in the implementation of the department facilities and equipment management systems
To be responsible for management and maintenance of the department facilities and equipment management systems
To perform an active role in the procurement for new equipment
To manage and coordinate the departments facilities and equipment to all established equipment qualification requirements in terms of servicing, maintenance, calibration and validation arrangements
To assist the Quality Lead with the management of the departmental facilities and equipment records
To liaise with the relevant agencies and companies regarding facilities and equipment issues including the needs and requirements of users
To provide help and advice to the CMPHL section leads and other staff as required on facilities and equipment management matters
With service managers, identify areas and particular projects that have the potential for improvement to facilities and equipment, to the benefit of the service provided by the department
To arrange for the issue, and maintenance of relevant equipment policies and procedures
To provide and collate information periodically for management review
To participate in, liaise with and follow up on external inspections, correspond with accreditation agencies as requested and verify the completion of corrective action as required by the reports of the inspectors
To develop and maintain effective communication on all facilities and equipment issues
To be aware of and, in liaison with governance leads, ensure compliance with any relevant statutory requirements, standards and legislation
To participate, where appropriate, in local management meetings, assisting with decision making and policy implementation
To be proficient in data extraction, production of reports, including the use of spreadsheets to provide statistical information
To work fully with the CMPHL department, CMPHL IT manager, Quality Lead, H&S Lead, Training Lead, Project leads and others to enable provision of a robust service within the department, applying escalation and contingency procedures
To suggest and implement improvements to department equipment and facilities policies and procedures
Ensure that personal work activity is managed to make effective use of time
Review complex data together with other relevant staff and technically validate the final report

Health & Safety

Working with the Health & Safety Lead, assist with equipment risk assessments as required
To assist in the management and monitoring of facilities and equipment
Maintain a high standard of work and ensure all tasks are carried out to departmental Health and Safety policy and required H&S regulations
To attend regular laboratory meetings as required
Report all accidents and incidents or near misses and dangerous situations to line manager
Your attention is drawn to the Health & Safety Act of 1974 which requires you to take reasonable care for yourself and others who may be affected by your acts and omissions at work

Quality and Clinical Governance

Participate in audit processes, clinical trials, and research projects
To assist in the management and monitoring of facilities and equipment, in compliance with UKAS ISO 15189 standards
Investigate clinical and non-clinical incidents in relation to the departments facilities and equipment and report to the laboratory managers, the governance leads and other leads
To attend regular laboratory meetings as required and contribute to effective communication within the department
Act as a delegated point of contact for queries on departmental equipment and facilities
Maintain a high standard of work and comply with departmental quality policy

Information Technology

Use of Microsoft Office systems to support duties
Use of QPulse and other governance management systems
Management of relevant electronic files and record keeping
To ensure data integrity when entering demographics/details into the department IT systems
Use of UKHSA Financial Administration System software
Frequent use of email to pass messages to senior staff and other organisations

Staff Management/Training

Working with the Training Lead, to assist with equipment training as appropriate within the department
Working with the Training Lead, to assist the development of equipment competence assessments as appropriate within the department

Financial and Business Management

Assists with equipment and facilities business cases as appropriate
Assist with generation of equipment servicing purchase orders

Essential role criteria (including qualifications, licenses and registrations):

Evidence of varied experience of clerical and office procedures
Previous experience in customer relations and able to deal with changing patterns of work
Evidence of experience in managing information and records with high levels of discretion and confidentiality
Experience of a range of administrative software applications
Evidence of working with numbers
Awareness of quality management and able to work to deadlines
Previous experience of work in the healthcare sector
Good communication skills and able to resolve issues in a calm and efficient manner
Ability to work individually and as part of a team
Clear communicator with good writing, data entry and telephone skills ensuring accuracy
Ability to write and present reports with careful attention to detail
Troubleshooting and data analysis skills
Motivated with commitment to high standards

Selection Process Details

Stage 1: Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Success Profiles.

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 13 essential criteria in the job advert.

You will be required to complete an:

Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
(1000) word supporting statement

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role. 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 a copy of your CV)

Longlisting:

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

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

We will take piles "Meets all essential criteria" through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large amount of applications, we will sift on:

Evidence of varied experience of clerical and office procedures

Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a face to face interview. If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

This vacancy is being assessed using Success Profiles. During the interview we will assess you against the below:

Behaviours:

Changing and Improving
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace

Strengths

Previous Skills and Experience

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 is an on site role based out of our lab in Cambridge.

If based at one of our labs, 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. 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.

This role is based at our lab in Cambridge. Please note hybrid working is not available for this role.

Security Clearance Level Requirement:

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

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

Eligibility to work in the Civil Service

External: 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

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Behaviours

Essential criteria

Changing and Improving
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

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.