Healthcare Scientist Practitioner

UK Health Security Agency; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A public health organization in the United Kingdom is seeking a laboratory team member for a full-time role. Responsibilities include preparing EQA specimens for microbiology testing, participating in data validation, and ensuring compliance with GLP and GMP standards. The ideal candidate will work closely with colleagues across teams and maintain quality assurance records. This position involves significant manual pipetting and offers the possibility of a condensed workweek.

Responsibilities

• Work within the laboratory team.
• Assist in preparation of EQA specimens for microbiology tests.
• Participate in data validation and entry of test results.
• Liaise with colleagues across teams on common activities.
• Participate in quality assurance audits and maintain records.
• Work to GLP and GMP standards in compliance with ISO accreditation.

Job description

External Quality Assessment (EQA) Services is part of UKHSA Quality and Regulatory Assurance directorate and provides EQA schemes (also known as proficiency testing (PT) schemes) for food, water and clinical microbiology laboratories throughout the United Kingdom, and worldwide. Results reported by microbiology laboratories often play a significant role in health protection and managing public health incidents; tools such as EQA/PT are essential to enable laboratories to demonstrate that their results are accurate, reliable and reproducible.

Responsibilities

• Work within the laboratory team
• Assist in the preparation of EQA specimens for UK NEQAS for Microbiology. This involves applying knowledge of clinical microbiology in the design, quality control and stability testing of these specimens using routine methods commonly applied in clinical diagnostic microbiology
• Take part in the data transfer and validation of participants' results and data entry of in‑house test results onto computer databases
• Work as a member of a team liaising closely with colleagues from the same team, and with other teams working on common activities
• Participate in quality assurance audits and maintain up to date records in QPulse daily
• Work to GLP and GMP in compliance with ISO 17043 accreditation

This is a full‑time role, with the possibility of condensed hours over a 4‑day week. This role involves performing substantial volumes of manual pipetting for sample preparation.

Technical/Scientific Duties

Communication and key working relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non‑clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include:

• Required to liaise with other technical, scientific and administrative staff in UK NEQAS and across EQA Services
• Plan daily work activities with supervisor

Personal & People Development

Service Improvement

Health, Safety & Security

Quality

Information & Knowledge

This list is not exhaustive.

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.