Senior Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology

NHS; Ashford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization is seeking two Senior Biomedical Scientists in Microbiology. Candidates must have extensive experience, HCPC registration, and a Level 7 qualification in a relevant subject. The position includes full-time roles with participation in 7-day working and out-of-hours on-call rotas. The organization values inclusivity and supports career development opportunities in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Candidates must be HCPC registered.
• Master's level qualification in a relevant subject required.
• Experience in Microbiology and Virology essential.

Responsibilities

• Participate in 7-day working and out-of-hours on-call rotas.
• Train and supervise other staff.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 15189 standards.

Skills

Extensive experience of working in an ISO accredited laboratory

Supervisory skills and ability to train other staff

Experience of molecular techniques

Highly developed IT skills

Communication of technical information

Continuous professional development

Education

Masters level (Level 7) qualification in a relevant subject

HCPC registration as a Biomedical Scientist

Tools

Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust – Senior Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology (Band 7). We are looking for 2 enthusiastic, visionary BMS with extensive Microbiology experience to join our team as Senior Biomedical Scientist (Band 7). These are 2 full-time, substantive vacancies. Suitable candidates must be HCPC registered and hold a Level 7 qualification in a relevant subject. This role requires full participation in the 7-day working and out of hours on call rotas. Closing date: 01 October 2025.

About the service

The Microbiology service, centralised on one site at the William Harvey Hospital, provides a wide range of bacteriology, virology, molecular, parasitology and mycology diagnostic tests for all our acute sites and community services, totalling approximately 600,000+ samples per year.

Accreditation and training

We are a fully ISO 15189 accredited service and are recognised by the IBMS and the National School for Healthcare Science for training. We are a dynamic diverse team currently training Trainee Biomedical Scientists, Trainee Clinical Scientists, Senior and Consultant clinical scientists, Senior Clinical Fellows and apprentices at several levels.

Culture and career development

Microbiology at EKHUFT is known for its inclusivity, support and open friendly culture. The philosophy of the department is to invest in and develop the staff, strive for excellence, and to have a forward thinking and ambitious Service and quality Improvement plan. We are supporting new and exciting career pathways and roles, such as dual registration as a clinical scientist.

Main duties

KMPN: You will have a fantastic opportunity to grow your career in KMPN. We are developing a network academy, a platform for all network education and training from apprenticeships to advanced clinical and scientific qualifications with a single faculty making best use of our talented educators and trainers. You will not be expected to work at sites outside of EKHUFT. However, there will be opportunities for collaborative working within the network.

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.

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 contact the line manager using the contact details below.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Is a HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist
• Masters level (Level 7) qualification in a relevant subject, which could be a Master of Science degree (MSc) or IBMS Higher Specialist Diploma or IBMS Fellowship examination or 60 credits in a postgraduate qualification(s) in relevant professional subjects.
• Clinical Microbiology Masters which could feed into HSST
• Suitability for Clinical Scientist HCPC registration
• Relevant and recognised training (Learning and development or Quality management qualification e.g. PostGrad Certificate, IBMS extended practice certificate, Biomed online learning module

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience of working in an ISO accredited laboratory
• Supervisory skills and ability to train other staff.
• Specialist knowledge across a range of work procedures and practices underpinned by sound theoretical knowledge in Microbiology and Virology, molecular techniques.
• Extensive experience with the analytical and technical skills required to undertake the work within Microbiology
• Ability to communicate technical information and results to other health professionals and be able to use telephone and email
• Evidence of participation in continuous professional development
• Experience of molecular techniques
• Highly developed IT skills and conversant with Microsoft word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications, use of LIMS
• Highly developed teaching and training skills, being able to effectively communicate with various grades of staff of differing intellectual abilities including medical staff and from differing professional backgrounds.

Personal & professional attributes

• Highly developed interpersonal, communication and organisational skills with a keen eye for detail
• Ability to work as part of a team and develop effective relationships but also able to work on own initiative
• Highly developed interpersonal, communication and organisational skills with a keen eye for detail

Knowledge

• Considerable and up to date knowledge of current practices and advances in Microbiology and Virology
• Specialist knowledge across a range of work procedures and practices underpinned by sound theoretical knowledge in Microbiology and Virology, molecular techniques.
• Understanding of general developments in the NHS and how these affect Pathology services generally.
• Detailed knowledge of UKAS Accreditation, ISO 15189 standards and other quality management systems and processes

Other

• To be aware of and demonstrate the Trust\'s Vision, Mission, Values and behaviours.

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