Location
London Borough of Barnet, UKHSA Colindale site (Hybrid working model with minimum 60% on-site attendance)

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£70,566 per annum

About the Role
The Principal Scientist will be a senior member of the scientific staff within a multidisciplinary Division comprising epidemiologists, microbiologists, public health specialists, bioinformaticians, behavioural scientists, data managers, statisticians, IT specialists, and operational and administrative staff. The Division leads national surveillance programmes monitoring healthcare-associated infections (HCAI), antimicrobial resistance and prescribing (AMRP), and invasive bacterial infections. It provides specialist epidemiology, outbreak investigation coordination, and advice to government, alongside operating a national reference laboratory for HCAI and AMR-related pathogens.

Based at the UKHSA Colindale site, the postholder will lead and develop national surveillance systems and research studies in areas including Surgical Site Infection Surveillance, Streptococcal Infection, Mandatory Surveillance of Bloodstream Infections, and Infections in Critical Care Units.

Key responsibilities include designing and improving surveillance systems, conducting complex epidemiological and statistical analyses, providing expert advice to public health and clinical practitioners, supporting outbreak investigations, managing scientific and administrative staff, and contributing to scientific publications and presentations. The role also involves leadership in research projects, business planning, budget management, staff recruitment and development, quality control, and deputising for senior leadership as required.

The postholder will contribute to teaching and training activities to build public health capacity and participate in incident response activities as needed, prioritising these over routine duties during such periods.

UKHSA is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an inclusive culture where differences drive innovative solutions to meet workforce and community needs.

Experience
Extensive experience in epidemiology, public health, microbiology, or related scientific fields, including surveillance, prevention, and research methods. Proven ability to lead complex statistical and epidemiological analyses and manage multidisciplinary teams. Experience in designing and improving surveillance systems and contributing to scientific publications. Demonstrated capability in managing budgets, staff recruitment, and quality control processes. Experience in public health incident response and outbreak investigation is desirable.

About you
Highly motivated and senior scientific professional with strong leadership and communication skills. Able to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and engage with a wide range of stakeholders including government agencies, healthcare providers, academics, and the public. Committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion. Flexible and adaptable to changing public health priorities and incident response demands. Willingness to contribute to teaching and training activities.

Qualifications
Degree level (BA/BSc) in a relevant scientific subject such as epidemiology, microbiology, demography, or geography.
MSc degree in epidemiology, public health, microbiology, or related discipline.
PhD in epidemiology, public health, medical statistics, bioinformatics, health economics, or substantial postgraduate experience in a relevant scientific subject.
Training in research methods, infectious disease epidemiology, surveillance, prevention, and/or public health.
Successful candidates must meet UKHSA security clearance requirements including a Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) and Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.