Location
Colindale, Edgware, London

Hours
Full Time (1 WTE) and Part Time (0.5 WTE) positions available

Salary
£145,478 per annum

About the Role
The National Mycobacterium Reference Service (NMRS) is a UKHSA National Reference Centre for Tuberculosis and Mycobacteriology in England, accredited to ISO15189:2022. It provides a reference service for all mycobacterial isolates from NHS centres across England, with sites in Colindale, London and Birmingham. The service includes speciation of mycobacterial cultures, resistance prediction and relatedness using Whole Genome Sequencing, phenotypic drug susceptibility testing, and clinical, diagnostic, infection prevention, and health protection advice. The NMRS is part of the UKHSA Directorate of Clinical Network Laboratories and is a WHO Supranational Reference Laboratory within the Global Programme on Drug Resistance in Tuberculosis.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to join a consultant-led team focused on clinical excellence, innovation, multidisciplinary delivery, and public health. The successful candidate will have professional responsibility for clinical services, including providing clinical and health protection advice, collaborating with the Clinical Lead and NMRS staff, and contributing to strategic development. The postholder will provide clinical leadership, supervise clinical fellows and trainees, and ensure compliance with accreditation standards. Additional NHS sessions will be undertaken to maintain clinical currency.

The consultant will work closely with the UKHSA TB Unit clinical public health team and other stakeholders to deliver a high-quality clinical laboratory service. Responsibilities include clinical governance, quality improvement, appraisal, job planning, and professional development. The role requires effective communication, leadership, and collaboration across multiple sites and agencies, with a focus on advancing the NMRS service in a rapidly evolving field.

Experience
- Recent experience in tuberculosis control within health protection or clinical settings
- Practical experience applying genomics to infectious disease control
- Experience in clinical and/or laboratory diagnostics for tuberculosis
- Experience working with multiple agencies and facilitating change
- Experience at regional and/or national levels influencing guidelines and policies
- Knowledge of clinical quality assurance, audit, and evidence-based clinical/public health practice
- Understanding of laboratory microbiology and clinical infectious diseases services in the NHS
- Ability to advise on prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculosis
- Understanding of epidemiology, statistics, data analysis, and public health practice

About you
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership and change management skills
- Able to prioritise and work effectively in a changing environment
- Adaptable with excellent communication skills for diverse audiences
- Strong interpersonal, motivational, and influencing abilities
- Skilled in policy design, development, interpretation, and implementation
- Committed to equality of opportunity and fostering good working relationships

Qualifications
- Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice or GDC Specialist List (or eligible within six months of interview)
- If registered in a specialty other than infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, must have equivalent training/experience
- UK-trained applicants must hold or be within six months of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)
- Non-UK trained applicants must demonstrate equivalent training and experience
- Must meet CPD requirements of the Royal College of Pathologists, Royal College of Physicians, or equivalent
- FRCPath by examination or equivalent qualification, or MRCP or equivalent qualification

Desirable
- Management qualification
- Postgraduate qualification in Public Health
- Peer-reviewed scientific publications and conference presentations
- Budget management experience
- Experience and training in line management