Job vacancy: Principal Scientist, UK Health Security Agency, London

Job summary

Main area

Scientist

Grade

Civil Service: Grade 7

Contract

Fixed term: 4 years (FTC until 31/03/2030)

Hours

Part time
Job share
Flexible working

18.75 hours per week

Job ref

919-RK-62085852-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: London
Town: London
Salary: £58,589 - £68,344 per annum pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 10/09/2025 23:59

Principal Scientist

Civil Service: Grade 7

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

Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Lead and manage the design, development, introduction, audit and continuous improvement of STI and BBV outcomes using surveillance systems as required.
Interpret complex statistical and epidemiological analyses of data on STIs and BBVs drawn from a variety of surveillance sources. Providing expert technical advice and assistance to public health and clinical practitioners on the design, maintenance, analysis and interpretation of these databases.
Ensure emerging threats are recognized in a timely manner by the analysis and interpretation of often complex data from a variety of sources to understand the public health significance of the potential risk, particularly in relation to reducing inequalities in outcomes.
Provide specialist advice on the epidemiological aspects of the prevention and control of STIs and BBVs by contributing to the development of guidance, designing data collection systems, interpreting epidemiological data, conducting statistical analyses, and scientific publications.
Design research questions and oversee the analyses of research datasets for the production of project reports, papers for peer reviewed journals and conference presentations.
Initiate collaborative projects within UKHSA and external collaborators to address public health research questions. This may also include taking a lead on research proposals for externally funded projects and provision of expert advice to academic units and other agencies involved in collaborative epidemiological and microbiological studies.
Work alongside other members of the BSHSH Division on business planning, strategy development, project prioritisation, and budget oversight for Section-led grants.
Contribute to staff recruitment, quality assurance, Standard Operating Procedures, and governance compliance, while supporting system improvements through business cases and supplier management. Staff management responsibilities will be defined in agreement with the line manager.
To plan and oversee the development of BSHSH epidemiological and applied outputs including outward facing publications including annual reports, web pages, writing of scientific papers for publication in peer reviewed journals and to manage junior scientific and administrative colleagues in the development of manuscripts.
To represent the Division on expert committees, national and local incident control teams, national/international meetings and conferences.
To develop public health capacity by contributing to teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level and by supervising those training and working in public health and epidemiology.
To contribute to the training for new members and existing members of staff on the epidemiology and surveillance of communicable disease, and provide training and resources to external stakeholders
To participate in wider scientific activities to maintain professional standards including peer review of manuscripts.

Essential Criteria :

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

Qualifications

First degree in a science subject
Higher degree in Epidemiology, Public Health or an allied subject, or equivalent
PhD or equivalent research experience

Knowledge / Experience

Substantial postgraduate experience
Knowledge and work experience of communicable disease epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and/or public health
Broad understanding of and experience of health care systems, public health and the communicable disease function in the UK
Creating, validating and managing large databases and datasets
Advanced statistical analysis of large and complex datasets, including knowledge and experience with STATA and/or R
Writing research protocols, grant applications and scientific reports
Preparing and reviewing standard operating procedures, and project plans
Presenting scientific papers at national and international meetings and conferences and proven peer review publication record

Skills and Abilities

Able to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and motivate and encourage team members
Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues including problem solving, working to tight and often changing timescales.
Liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service and academic professionals
Communicate ideas and methods clearly and succinctly
Maintain required levels of confidentiality

Desirable role criteria:

Experience of working within the NHS or other health-related sectors
Managing and leading scientific and technical staff including working under pressure and to tight deadlines
Liaise with a wide range of external collaborators including health service and academic professionals
Maintain required levels of confidentiality

Selection Process:

Stage 1 Application & Sift

This vacancy is using Competency and will assess your Skills, Knowledge and Experience.

Application Process:

You will be assessed on all the above listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

An Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
A Statement of Suitability up to 1000 words maximum

The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible, as CVs cannot be uploaded or emailed to us.

The statement of suitability should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number

Your application and statement of suitability should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

Sifting Process:

The application form and statement of suitability will be marked together, and you will receive a joint score.

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 through piles, 'meets all essential criteria' and 'meets some essential criteria' to shortlisting stage.

Shortlisting: If we receive a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

· A higher degree in epidemiology, public health, microbiology, or a related discipline

· Advanced statistical analysis of large and complex datasets, including knowledge and experience with STATA and/or R

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 and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Successful candidates will be invited to attend a single remote interview.

Interviews are expected to take place around the last week of August or the first week of September; however, please note these dates may be subject to change.

This vacancy is being assessed using competency-based framework. During the interview we will assess against the below:

· Knowledge/Experience

· Skills and Ability

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation at the start of your interview. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

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

Eligibility Criteria

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Scientific Campus in London – 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).

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 disclosure and barring security check. 

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard and Counter Terrorism Check (CTC).

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). 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. 

Person specification

Application and Statement of Suitability

Essential criteria

Application and Statement of Suitability

Knowledge/Skills/Experience

Essential criteria

Knowledge and Experience
Skills and Ability
Presentation

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.

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Gurkamal Bhambra
Job title: Resourcing Support
Email address: [email protected]
Additional information: For additional information relating to the role, please contact Ruth Simmons, Lead Epidemiologist, at [email protected]

List jobs with UK Health Security Agency in Administrative Services or all sectors

Job summary

Employer heading

Principal Scientist

Civil Service: Grade 7

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Selection Process:

Person specification

Application and Statement of Suitability

Essential criteria

Knowledge/Skills/Experience

Essential criteria

Working for the Civil Service

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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