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.
Job Summary
The Microbiology laboratory at Cambridge is the East of England Region for UKHSA currently providing services to Addenbrooke’s, Royal Papworth, and the E&N Herts Hospitals, the surrounding district and other NHS Laboratories. It has active research and epidemiological interests. Set on the outskirts of the university city of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital is one of the top hospitals in the UK and a thriving NHS Foundation Trust. Addenbrooke’s is closely associated with leading educational providers including the University of Cambridge and is a major centre for biomedical research and education.
The department undertakes a wide range of routine and specialist microbiological and molecular investigations. It makes extensive use of automation including Qiagen platforms, Microarray, BacTec, Sedimax, MGIT, Vitek, Centaur XP, Tigris, Panther/Fusion, Liaison XL and Vidas analysers and BD Kiestra.
The laboratory services undertake a wide range of routine and specialist microbiological and public health investigations. The service delivery across the East of England (EofE) is supported by the UKHSA EofE Business Unit at the Cambridge site.
Job Description
The postholder will act as a Laboratory Facilities and Equipment Officer who will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the facilities and equipment of the Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory (CMPHL), assisting the Laboratory Manager and the senior management team with this aspect of service delivery.
Communication and Key Working Relationships
Internal
- Local UKHSA senior management team
- Local UKHSA staff at all levels
- Local medical microbiology staff
- UKHSA corporate service staff
- UKHSA Project management staff
- UKHSA Facilities management staff
External
- External agencies
- Visitors to the department
- Trust and University staff
- External commercial suppliers
- External Servicing contractors
The postholder will act as a Laboratory Facilities and Equipment Officer who will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the facilities and equipment of the Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory (CMPHL), assisting the Laboratory Manager and the senior management team with this aspect of service delivery.
Communication and Key Working Relationships
Internal
- Local UKHSA senior management team
- Local UKHSA staff at all levels
- Local medical microbiology staff
- UKHSA corporate service staff
- UKHSA Project management staff
- UKHSA Facilities management staff
External
- External agencies
- Visitors to the department
- Trust and University staff
- External commercial suppliers
- External Servicing contractors
Person specification
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
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Alongside your salary of £35,587, UK Health Security Agency contributes £10,309 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
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.
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.
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 consider 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 it could be time accrued over that period.
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: Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers
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.
Careers website
Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name : Tom Geldeard
- Email : Tom.Geldeard@ukhsa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@ukhsa.co.uk
Further information
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: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk
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: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
