Job vacancy: Medical Entomologist, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury

Job summary

Main area

Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology Team (MEZE)

Grade

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Contract

Permanent: Loan, Secondment

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-SH-309358-EXT

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: Hybrid working based at our Porton Down laboratory
Town: Salisbury
Salary: £33,422 - £40,731 Per annum, pro-rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 28/10/2026 23:59

Medical Entomologist

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

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

Develop effective working relationships with UKHSA colleagues, academic partners, local authorities and other organisations involved in vector surveillance/research/public health protection.
Support the representation of the MEZE group at meetings/workshops/professional events as appropriate.
Contribute to training and knowledge-sharing activities by supporting colleagues/collaborators in field/lab and surveillance techniques.
Maintain professional competency through participation in training, appraisal and continuing professional development activities, and ensure compliance with all mandatory organisational requirements.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.

Essential Criteria

Degree in Medical Entomology, Entomology, Zoology, Ecology, Biological Sciences or a related discipline, or equivalent experience in medical entomology, including arthropod identification, field and laboratory techniques, scientific literature review, public health communication, risk assessment, and data analysis.
Knowledge of medical entomology and vector-borne diseases and experience of conducting robust and/or systematic literature reviews, including use of relevant databases and references management software.
Knowledge and practical experience of using ecological field-based techniques for research and/or surveillance.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to produce scientific reports and presentations.
Ability to work as part of a team, and independently, to deliver shared goals. Using organisational, time management and prioritisation skills to deliver agreed project goals/milestones within agreed timescales.
Experience in working within an environment where sudden unexpected demands require flexibility and re-prioritisation of work.
Willing to travel overseas to deliver project goals and carry out scientific research and/or training.

Desirable Criteria

Experience of relevant laboratory-based working practices for the identification of vectors (morphologically or molecularly) and/or pathogens e.g. PCR, sequencing.
Experience of analysing ecological datasets and use of statistical software packages.
Experience of manipulating/presenting data using ArcGIS.

Selection Process Details

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

Application & Sift (Competency-based)

At sift stage you will be assessed against the 7 Essential Criteria listed in this job advert. You will be required to complete:

an Application Form (‘Employer/Activity history’ section on the application)
a 1000 word Supporting Statement - do not exceed 1000 words as we will not consider any words over and above this number

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 supporting statement.

The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV – please be advised you will not be able to upload or email us your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible.

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

Only 'Meets all Essential Criteria' will progress to Shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift on the following 2 Essential Criteria:

Knowledge of medical entomology and vector-borne diseases
Knowledge and experience of conducting robust and/or systematic literature reviews, including use of relevant databases and references management software

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

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment. Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview

You will be invited to a single face-to-face interview at our lab in Porton Down. Interview(s) to be confirmed.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

During the interview we will assess against the below in relation to the 7 Essential Criteria:

• Knowledge
• Experience
• Skills and Abilities

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

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

Salary Information

Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
National HEO: £33,422 - £40,731 per annum, pro-rata

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.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our laboratory in Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG.

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 lab.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic 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 (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 Security CTC clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Resourcing Support listed in the advert for further advice.

Person specification

Application Form & Supporting Statement

Essential criteria

Application Form & Supporting Statement

Interview

Essential criteria

Questions on Knowledge, Experience, Skills and Abilities

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.

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 UKHSA’s 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.

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day‑to‑day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

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.