Senior Epidemiology Scientist

The role

includes analysis and collation of existing data sources. The post holder will contribute to strategic direction and contribute scientific expertise in evaluation to the NBN. They will liaise closely with partners (UKHSA and Defra) and lead on the coordination of evaluation activities and plans. Strong communication skills and project management will be essential for this role.

For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Person specification

About the National Biosurveillance Network :

The NBN has been commissioned following the publication of the UK Biological Security Strategy [UK Biological Security Strategy (UK Biological Security Strategy We are building an essential capability that will help protect the UK from known and emerging high-consequence biological threats to national security. The National Biosurveillance Network will use a One Health approach to improve

and unify surveillance data on the health of people, animals, plants and the environment making insights accessible to a multidisciplinary group of experts who will assess and characterise threat level for decision-makers.

About the Evaluation and Epidemiological Science Division

The Evaluation & Epidemiological Science (EES) Division is based within the Evaluation & Translation Directorate of UKHSA and provides state-of-the-art evaluation and epidemiological science functions across the all-hazards remit of UKHSA and strengthens health protection. The EES Division leads and collaborates on the identification and delivery of priorities across UKHSA for the evaluation of public health interventions, strengthening understanding of risk factors for health protection threats, and developing epidemiological methods, tools and guidance to inform and strengthen best practice across UKHSA.

About the Data, Analytics and Surveillance Directorate / Division (NBN programme)

The Data, Analytics and Surveillance directorate delivers the best value from high quality data, to protect and enable UKHSA through efficient cyber and information security systems.

We collaborate with partners to tackle national and global health threats. We use cutting edge methods and innovative analytical techniques to deliver insights, which we use to assess the risk and impact of health security threats and inform policy making to protect public health.

Data & Epidemiological Analyses

1. Identify evaluation and epidemiology science needs within given lead areas (including horizon scanning), conduct complex statistical analyses and interpret surveillance data, making appropriate recommendations, and translating into public health action, develop automated routines and solutions and supervise / assure on the preparation, quality and delivery of routine and ad hoc reports

2. Authorise / manage complex or sensitive data requests and in the development of outputs and statistical analysis

3. Responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining high quality epidemiological outputs to meet stakeholder needs, providing expert technical advice whilst assessing the current and future political / economic / scientific / technological / legal / environmental influences on team work

4. Take a lead role in public health scientific analyses and writing reports on specific projects, regular and ad hoc publications and peer reviewed publications.

Epidemiological Evaluation

5. Lead and manage the technical and analytical aspects of epidemiological evaluation including advising on study design, writing protocols for analytical studies, overseeing questionnaire design and study database development, training interviewers, preparing reports and supervising and supporting investigations

Strategic Thinking and Partnership Working

6. Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders and partners across the Science Group, wider UKHSA, Defra, NBN stakeholders (cross-government) and other colleagues as appropriate to role.

7. Identify and / or provide subject matter expertise and utilise effectively the various forms of engagement available to develop comprehensive stakeholder relationships.

8. Manage delivery of agreed work programme including timely reporting to stakeholders and work in partnership to ensure needs of stakeholders are met. Forge close working relationships across team / department / directorate / government boundaries to facilitate an effective matrix style approach to delivery of workstreams identifying areas of interdependency and forging links as appropriate.

9. Manage at times, challenging and / or conflicting subject matter problems in day-to-day work load referring / escalating to as appropriate.

Research

10. Identify research questions, project manage a research study, analyse datasets with appropriate methodology to answer research questions, and translate results into public health action.

11. Perform reviews of literature, co-author grant proposals / applications (including applying for ethical approval), present at scientific conferences, programme area meetings and other fora, and publish and present scientific papers in collaboration with health, public health, academic and other partners

Management and Leadership

12. To be a visible, positive and competent role model and motivator, monitoring team professional standards. Adopt a senior leadership role for scientists and represent the Evaluation & Epidemiology Science Division at UKHSA and external scientific fora.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• The post holder will identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with their line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attending internal / external training events.
• To participate in all mandatory training as required, safeguarding, fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.

OTHER DUTIES

COMMUNICATION AND KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will build and maintain effective working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This may include :

Essential Criteria :

You will be assessed on the below 6 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description.