Senior Healthcare Scientist
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,983 to £48,128 a year |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | Porton, SP4 0JG |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 8 Sept 2026 |
| Closing date: | 22 Sept 2026 |
Summary
Service Delivery Supervise the day to day working of the technical staff, ensuring that a high standard of work is maintained & that all staff adhere to written procedures. Participate in the provision of an analytical microbiology service for food, water & environmental samples. Deputise for the Unit Head and/or Laboratory Manager. Oversee all aspects of sample reception & complete pre-analysis processing samples received in the laboratory, ensuring samples are valid & tested appropriately. Use specialist FW&E microbiology skills to interpret results in line with appropriate guidelines. Be competent to work with samples that occasionally contain higher risk pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157, using appropriate containment conditions and protection systems. Ensure important or unusual results are drawn to the attention of senior staff & to ensure that timely remedial action is performed because of complaints or anomalies. Act as Food Examiner in the laboratory. Assist in the management of outbreaks, ensuring adequate resources are available to carry out the necessary work. Liaise with medical, scientific and other staff of UKHSA /NHS laboratories in all matters of common interest. Represent the laboratory at meetings and on committees as appropriate. Customer Relationships Respond to requests and communicate accurately, sensitive information and complex results to customers, including interpretation & reporting written and verbal results. Quality Management Systems Participate in activities necessary for the maintenance and development of the Quality System in accordance with UKAS requirements. Support the laboratorys accreditation to ISO 17025 and ensure compliance with UKAS. Assist the Quality Manager in ensuring good working practices and to maintain a high standard of work especially with respect to Internal Control and External Quality Assessment schemes. Assist & take a lead role, in regular audits of departmental procedures in support of the Quality Manager. Asset Management Ensure efficient running & contribute to routine maintenance of all equipment, which will include high cost, complex equipment requiring calibration and regular maintenance. Be responsible for the maintenance of stocks of reagents and consumables, ensuring that they are received, stored, verified and used appropriately. Management Participate in the education & training of other FW&E staff within the laboratory, to include performance reviews, Personal Development Plans and performance management and ensure the maintenance of training policies, procedures, and records Strategy, Policy and Service Development Assist the Unit Head & Laboratory Manager in determining the long-term development of FW&E services. Support the implementation of new methods & technologies into the laboratory, to maximise quality & efficiency of testing. Support & participate in FW&E surveys, trials and research work & projects in collaboration with other senior staff of the FWEMS network. Support appropriate income generation activities for the laboratory, in accordance with the National FWEMS objectives. Security/Health and Safety To ensure confidentiality & conformity to the requirements of the Data Protection Act, Caldicott principles and the Laboratory Information Systems & Technology Security policy. To ensure that health and safety are afforded priority & to demonstrate commitment to health, safety and welfare of self, staff and visitors. To ensure attendance of self & managed staff on safety training courses as required in the UKHSA Health and Safety Training Policy and other safety policies as appropriate. To agree to implement safety objectives. To ensure that a Laboratory/Office Safety Code is implemented. To ensure that risk assessments are implemented & maintained. To report risks that cannot be controlled to the Laboratory Manager. To notify accidents, near misses, dangerous situations & shortcomings in health and safety via the appropriate management structure. Other Duties Act as a member of the Management Team. Assist at other sites within the FW&E Network and at sites outside the laboratories including the provision of training, advice & sampling that require special skills and training. Perform other duties as directed by the Lead FW&E Scientist, Unit Head or Laboratory Manager, Food, Water & Environmental Microbiology Network within the framework of the job summary. This list is not exhaustive Essential Criteria Higher Degree e.g., MSc or equivalent qualification appropriate to Food Examiner status Significant post graduate experience Educated to degree level in microbiology, food safety or public health or equivalent level qualification, or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area. Suitable qualification in microbiology, food safety or public health and experience to act as a Food Examiner, according to the Food Safety (Sampling and Qualifications) Regulations Significant knowledge & experience of quality management systems, especially in relation to UKAS Accreditation (ideally ISO 17025) Previous experience of supervising and/or training staff Knowledge and understanding of laboratory safety requirements and procedures Extensive working knowledge of laboratory areas, including both practical and theoretical knowledge of the various methods employed. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the basic scientific principles relevant to microbiology Selection ProcessDetails This vacancy is using SuccessProfiles andwill assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Stage 1: Application &Sift Success Profiles - GOV.UK You willbe requiredto complete an application form. You will be assessed onthe listed8essentialcriteria,and this will be in the form ofa: Application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application) 1000wordsupporting statement. This should outline how you consider your skills,experienceandknowledgeprovide 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 beadvisedyou 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. HealthjobsUK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than1000words. We will not consider any words over1000words. Longlisting:In the event ofa large number ofapplicationswewilllonglistinto 3 piles of: Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria If used, the pile(s) that meets all essential criteria willproceedto shortlisting. Shortlisting: In the event ofa large number ofapplications wemay conductan initialsift, on the lead criteria of: Educated to degree level in microbiology, food safety or public health or equivalent level qualification, or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment. Feedback will not be provided at this stage. Stage 2:Interview Success profilesSuccess Profiles - GOV.UK You will be invited to a singleface to face interview at our Scientific Campus in Porton. When face to face interviewsareplanned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview. Behaviours and Strengths will be tested at interview in the form of questions. The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be: Making Effective Decisions Developing Self and Others Managing a Quality Service Delivering at Pace Interviewdatesareto 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. Eligibility Criteria External - Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants). Location This role is being offered as office/lab based at our Scientific Campus in Porton. Please note that hybrid working is not available for this role. Security Clearance Level Requirement Successful candidates must pass a basic 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 (CTC) Counter-Terrorist Check. When based at or Scientific Campus, 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. 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. Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.