Location
City of Westminster with hybrid working options based at any of UKHSA's Core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London) or Scientific Campus in Porton (Salisbury). Hybrid workers are expected to spend a minimum of 60% of contractual hours at a core HQ.

Hours
Full Time, standard Civil Service working hours with flexible working options available.

Salary
£70,566 per annum

About the Role
The Senior Epidemiology Scientist (G7) will be based within the Evaluation and Epidemiological Science (EES) Division of the Science Strategy and Evidence (SSE) Directorate. This role provides critical leadership and delivery of a programme of impactful evaluations addressing knowledge gaps in the effectiveness and proportionality of contact tracing methods. The postholder will lead and influence colleagues and stakeholders, ensure methodological rigour across multiple evaluations, and pursue funding opportunities for additional research proposals. The role involves close interface with local, regional, national colleagues and external stakeholders.

You will provide strategic leadership for epidemiological and evaluation activities in health protection response, focusing on contact tracing. Responsibilities include leading a rolling research and evaluation agenda, managing scientific, analytical and technical quality of activities, supporting and developing staff, managing a portfolio of programmes and projects, and producing project reports, publications and peer-reviewed papers with a high degree of autonomy and accountability.

The role also includes line management, contributing to teaching and training, leading meetings, undertaking mandatory and professional development training, and supporting evolving organisational priorities. Incident response activity support may be required periodically, prioritised over normal duties.

Key functions include conducting complex statistical analyses, interpreting surveillance data, managing sensitive data requests, planning and maintaining high-quality epidemiological outputs, leading epidemiological investigations, building and maintaining stakeholder relationships, managing work programmes, and contributing to audit, quality and governance activities.

Research responsibilities include identifying research questions, managing studies, conducting systematic literature reviews, co-authoring grant proposals, presenting at scientific conferences, and publishing scientific papers.

The postholder will be a visible, positive role model promoting professional standards and providing senior scientific leadership, representing the EES Division internally and externally, contributing to senior management team activities, and providing effective line management including recruitment, performance management, and staff development.

Teaching and training duties include educating colleagues and stakeholders on evaluation and epidemiology science, supporting departmental training, developing teaching materials, assessing learning needs, and supervising MSc students and short-term attachments.

Experience
- Demonstrable experience in public health, evaluation and epidemiology, including interpreting and evaluating complex epidemiological data and sensitive health data analyses.
- Experience developing and managing projects and delivering high-quality scientific outputs.
- Proficiency in statistical tools such as R and Stata, with knowledge of statistical tests, modelling and analyses.
- Experience in line management and leadership, empowering and developing teams.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders and negotiate on difficult issues.
- Experience in research activities with a suitable publication record and grant writing is desirable.
- Experience of teaching epidemiology and/or surveillance is desirable.
- Experience using advanced epidemiological and statistical software packages is desirable.

About you
- Strong attention to detail, motivation, and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including presentation and scientific report writing.
- Ability to make autonomous decisions, engender trust and confidence, and demonstrate integrity under tight and changing timescales.
- A visible, positive role model promoting professional standards and senior scientific leadership.
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse working environment.

Qualifications
- MSc or equivalent education in Epidemiology, Public Health or allied discipline, or equivalent experience.
- Knowledge of health protection surveillance principles including data management, security, quality, analysis and reporting.
- Ability to manage sensitive data and ensure compliance with information governance.
- Line management and leadership skills to support team performance and development.