Senior Assistant Healthcare Scientist in Microbiology

NHS; Ashford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A major UK healthcare provider in Ashford seeks a Senior Assistant Healthcare Scientist in Microbiology. This full-time role involves supporting Biomedical Scientists, supervising assistants, and ensuring quality management in laboratory services. Candidates should have a Level 3 qualification or equivalent, with experience in microbiology and good communication skills. Flexibly scheduled shifts include weekends and holidays, aiming to nurture a collaborative laboratory environment.

Qualifications

• Level 3 qualification (A-levels or equivalent) or above is required.
• GCSE Maths and English (grade C or above) or equivalent is necessary.
• Experience of training others is essential.

Responsibilities

• Support Biomedical Scientists in specimen reception and examination.
• Supervise and train new staff in serology reception.
• Ensure patient information is accurate and available.

Skills

Experience of training others

Good communication and customer service skills

Use of laboratory Information systems (LIMS)

Administrative and typing skills

Supervisory skills

Experience in a Microbiology lab

Education

Level 3 qualification (A-levels or equivalent)

GCSE Maths and English (grade C or above)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel spreadsheets

Job description

Go back East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Assistant Healthcare Scientist in Microbiology

The closing date is 01 October 2025

We are looking for a Senior Assistant Healthcare Scientist within the Microbiology discipline (Virology and Serology) at William Harvey Hospital. Prospective candidates will be highly motivated, enthusiastic and educated to at least level 3 qualification or above (A-levels or equivalent). You will also have a keen eye for detail along with the ability to work accurately and efficiently. This Band 3 role is permanent, substantive and full-time 37.5 hours per week.

The post-holder will work in all sections of Microbiology and undertake duties to support Biomedical Scientists in the diagnosis of infectious disease. One of your most important responsibilities will be the supervision and training of Assistant Healthcare Scientists.

Microbiology is known for its inclusivity, strong team spirit and open friendly culture. There is great emphasis on cross communication between technical and diagnostic teams. We currently hold UKAS Accreditation, and are an IBMS training laboratory.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Pathology team at the Trust and to help shape future strategy and services for our local population.

The laboratory is open 7 days per week, with core hours covering 8.30am to 5pm. We are looking for applicants to cover a range of shifts including 1:4 weekends, bank holidays, and Late shifts working until 7pm, but are open to flexible working options within the core hours (no night working).

Main duties of the job

The role is based within Microbiology to support Biomedical Scientists in the specimen reception, and preparation and examination of biological samples. The post-holder will use a wide range of analysers and manual laboratory techniques. You will contribute to quality management and improvement, through production of high-quality results and maintaining ISO 15189 accreditation. You are flexible, able to prioritise and manage your time effectively, and able to remain calm under pressure. You possess good keyboard skills, a high level of accuracy, and are a good team player with a flexible approach to working.

Duties include:

• To be actively involved in the induction and training of new staff in serology reception, data entry duties and telephone enquiries.
• To raise orders on Business World and NHS Supply Chain.
• To liaise with Suppliers to deal with queries regarding goods (e.g. damage, shortage, non-delivery).
• To enter patient information onto the Pathology Laboratory Information Management System to ensure patient information is accurate and available in a timely manner.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's vision, mission and values. The Supporting Information Section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust's Values and associated Behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and / or personal life which demonstrate these values and behaviours.

About us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It\'s about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We\'re looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.

Job responsibilities

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in Documents to download.

If you have further queries please dont hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Level 3 qualification (A-levels or equivalent) or above (degree level).
• GCSE Maths and English (grade C or above) or equivalent
• High degree of literacy and numeracy

Skills and experience

• Experience of training others.
• Good communication and customer service skills.
• Use of laboratory Information systems (LIMS), Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets.
• Administrative, typing and/or word processing
• Supervisory skills, office management and/or customer care training.
• Some experience of working in a Microbiology lab, Healthcare, or Scientific environment

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Microbiology and virology processes and procedures.
• Knowledge of quality systems.
• Knowledge of the NHS or other public services.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.

Personal / professional attributes

• Ability to multi task Ability to work within a team
• Ability to achieve set targets within a specified timeframe
• Eye for detail, high level of accuracy and precision

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust