Senior Scientist - Viral Zoonoses FTA (ID1162)

Main areas of work will include:

• Lead on scientific delivery in the VZ Workgroup and deputise for the VZ Workgroup Leader (WGL), when required. With a team of senior scientists, they will be responsible for staff management, CPD engagement, visitor/student supervision, health and safety, project resources including finance and facilities (high and low containment laboratories).


• Ensure the communication of outcomes to government, industry and other stakeholders are timely and appropriate, maintaining APHA's reputation, profile and visibility. This includes preparation and submission of research and surveillance results for publication, presentations at national and international scientific conferences and meetings.


• Ensure that resource is deployed in the most efficient way, ensuring value for money, with well-defined and appropriate objectives and aims.


• Closely work with staff across the VZ Workgroup, relevant departments in APHA and government to deliver R&D in the field of viral zoonoses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses in animals. They will be required to provide expertise and advice to a range of stakeholders.


• Form collaborations with external partners, identify new funding routes and develop grant proposal(s) for Defra and non-Defra funding.


• Represent the VZ Workgroup at local, national and international levels with a broad range of stakeholders including Government policy makers, other Agencies / Organisations, academia, commercial customers and industry. They will also provide a supporting role for the VZ WGL in managing VZ disease incidents and outbreaks, liaising with veterinary and public health stakeholders and developing a One Health approach to working with viral zoonoses.


• Create a team-working environment, in which everyone can and does contribute effectively and in which different perspectives are heard and channelled towards achieving the Agency's objectives.


• Ensure that high standards and expectations of staff and team performance and behaviours are developed and maintained at all times. Provide direct line management of scientific staff, including coaching, mentoring, academic supervision and acting as an effective people manager / Civil Servant and EDI role model. The post holder will have opportunities for expanding expertise and Continuing Professional Development, both within and out with APHA for self and team members.


• To support and maintain the establishment and maintenance of high health, safety and well-being standards and act as a role model. Ensure all work of the team is delivered in accordance with Health & Safety requirements.


• Contribute to the review, development and implementation of Health & Safety practices and procedures, including documentation, as required.


• Ensure all work is delivered in accord to the appropriate standards of Quality Assurance. Support project work and procedures under the Animals Act (Scientific Procedures) 1986 to support activities for the National Reference Laboratories., Please be aware that this role will be contractually based in a Defra/APHA group workplace/office.


As part of the pre-employment process, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is 'National' the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra's location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

The role will be based at the Weybridge office.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made., This is a Fixed-term Appointment as a Senior Scientist in the Viral Zoonoses Workgroup. Your responsibilities will include managing the delivery of the Coronavirus programme leading a multi-disciplinary team delivering research and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses in animals. This post will therefore begin from May 2024 and end on 31st March 2026., Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Governments response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason, all post holders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the residency criteria. Applicants must be currently resident in the UK & have at least three years continuous UK residency as this is a requirement to work at the Weybridge site where the team and work is situated.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.,
• 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
  
  Biological Science post-doctoral degree (PhD) or equivalent experience.


• Post-graduate laboratory experience including successful project management and scientific experiment delivery.


• Ability to lead a team to plan, prioritise, be flexible and deliver with competing workloads.


• Viral disease pathogenesis technical skills set including molecular and immunological assays, data collation and analyses, contribution to published outputs.


• Working in partnerships, engagement with full range of staff, communication skills for internal interactions including sensitive information, evidence of working with collaborators and grant management skills.


Staff will be required to work rostered on-call duties, weekends, Bank Holidays and occasional evenings. Out of hours work may be required in the event of a disease incident. When overtime or out-of-hours work is required, APHA Management reserves the right to change overtime patterns to meet requirements. You may be eligible for overtime payments and where overtime is approved you will receive appropriate payment.

The successful candidate will be expected to have any necessary vaccinations and comply with health surveillance protocols. This will be arranged by the Health Team, Weybridge. It will also be necessary to undergo a pre-employment medical assessment. The post holder will need to wear protective clothing and Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (RPPE) as required.

The work of the post can be physically demanding, and due to access requirements to biosecure areas (laboratory and animal facilities), individuals must be physically able.

Periodic travel within the UK or overseas may be required.

A valid full driving licence is necessary or access to an alternative means of transport.,
• Leadership


• Making Effective Decisions


• Communicating and Influencing


Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Experience working with viral pathogens and animal model material in biosecurity settings at least CL2, and knowledge or experience working at CL3.


• Evidence of peer-reviewed published papers and delivering external presentations to researchers and stakeholders.


• Contribution to grant proposals and collaborative working., This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
  
  Do you wish to be part of an amazing, diverse team on the frontline in researching, investigating, and acting to protect the UK's animal and public health?


If so, why not join us and make a difference.

As a senior scientist in the Viral Zoonoses (VZ) Workgroup, you will manage the delivery of the Coronavirus programme leading a multi-disciplinary team delivering research and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses in animals.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes., 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.

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

£42,577 - £47,039 a year - Full-time, Part-time, Fixed term contract, Pulled from the full job description

• Childcare


• Company pension


• Employee discount


• Flexible schedule


• Paid volunteer time, £42,577 - £47,039

Pro-rata salary for job share. This post is eligible for an additional pay supplement of up to £3000 (pro rate) upon appointment. See below under "salary" for more details.
A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%, Alongside your salary of £42,577, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £11,495 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Offered benefits

In return for your dedication and hard work, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support as the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a generous employee contributory pension(27%), staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme, reward vouchers and in-year bonuses. We also offer additional days off if accrued extra hours (flexi-time -if accumulated), three paid volunteering day per year. Further details can be found in the Candidate Information Pack.

Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role

Things you need to know, New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

This post offers the successful candidate the opportunity to receive an additional pay supplement of £3,000 upon appointment (pro rata). In addition to this, there is a further pay supplement of up to £3,000 (pro rata) which may be offered based on candidate's annual competency assessment.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.