Epidemiology and Information Analyst

This role is within the Health Protection in Regions Directorate, which forms part of the Chief Medical Advisor’s Group of UKHSA. Health Protection in Regions deliver expert, trusted, and resilient health protection services, protecting society from harm from infectious diseases and environmental hazards locally, nationally, and across the globe. This becomes reality with collaboration and coordination of data, information, and support from across the Group, Agency, and wider health family.

This is an entry-level analyst position in the Field Services team covering the South East and London. Our team’s key roles are performing local surveillance of infectious diseases, and responding to outbreaks by collecting and analysing data.

Your typical tasks would include running routine reports, doing analyses in response to data requests, or summarising surveillance data for our stakeholders. When responding to outbreaks, you would contribute to designing questionnaires, analyse data, and draft outbreak reports explaining our investigations. We primarily use R for data handling and analysis. You would work on various disease areas, as required.

We work from the Canary Wharf office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though you are welcome to come in more often.

Working for your organisation

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., * Involve supporting outbreaks and epidemiological investigations through collecting, extracting and analysing data and managing, maintaining and updating databases.

• Contribute to surveillance activities through adapting and developing routines and undertaking basic descriptive analysis to support the production of routine surveillance reports.
• Undertake basic statistical tests and use common statistical, database and mapping software and tools to support analysis such as producing tables, graphs, maps etc. and running queries.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Outbreak support and epidemiological investigation

• Where appropriate, support the maintenance of outbreak and incident databases, the development of data extraction tools and automated routines and undertake basic descriptive and trend analysis
• Contribute to the production of outbreak reports

Surveillance

• Adapt and develop automated routines to support surveillance activities, following and advising on Standard Operating Procedures and contribute to and support the production of routine surveillance reports including basic descriptive analysis
• Respond to routine data requests

Research

• Adapt queries and undertake basic analysis of data to support research

Statistical skills

• Undertake basic statistical tests, under guidance

Software skills

• Use common statistical/database/mapping tools as part of pre-defined routines
• Undertake basic analytical skills using common software packages to support analysis such as producing tables, graphs etc. and running queries

Quality and governance

• Be aware of, and comply with, information governance guidance including for example the secure storage and transfer of PII
• Support audit through data extraction and basic analysis

Workforce and HR

• Be responsible for managing own workload, including developing objectives and reviewing progress against these., You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (10) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
• Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide 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 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 your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words. We will not consider any words over 1000 words.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the following will proceed to shortlisting:

• Meets all essential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Experience of maintaining, analysing and interpreting data using common software packages such as Microsoft Office
• Analytical skills and experience of basic statistical tests including performing basic descriptive and trend analysis

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

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single face to face interview UKHSA Canary Wharf. (In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview)

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview .

As part of the interview process you will be required to prepare a presentation about a data analysis you have performed, ideally on an epidemiology-related topic. Full details will be provided at interview stage., * 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)
• 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

Do you have experience in Time management?, * Degree (or equivalent qualification) or relevant experience in the maintenance and analysis of data

• Analytical skills and experience of basic statistical tests including performing basic descriptive and trend analysis
• Experience of report writing
• Experience of maintaining, analysing and interpreting data using common software packages such as Microsoft Office
• Experience and understanding of Standard Operating Procedures
• Knowledge/experience of working in an NHS environment and/or epidemiology / public health
• Good oral and written communication (including presentation) skills
• Ability to produce work of high quality and accuracy to deadlines including when under pressure
• Good organisation, prioritisation and time management skills and able to work in a multidisciplinary team, as well as on own initiative
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge and experience of common statistical/database/mapping software and tools
• Understand information governance issues including an awareness of data protection and confidentiality requirements
• Ability to adapt queries and undertake basic analysis of data to support research
• An interest in public health, infectious disease epidemiology and control and statistical analysis, 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 Basic Personnel Security Standard., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Alongside your salary of £32,624, UK Health Security Agency contributes £9,451 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%, 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.

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.

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. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.