Main purpose of job:

Introduction:

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards.  We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

Global Operations:

This post is located within UKHSA’s Global Operations Division, led by the Director of Global Operations. Global Operations supports the delivery of UKHSA’s Global Health Strategy. It provides a corporate service to UKHSA supporting the oversight, coordination and delivery of UKHSA’s international activity and working with UK government departments and other UK partners to build and strengthen international public health links. The division also maintains its own extensive portfolio of global health programs and projects, focusing on technical capacity building and health system strengthening in partner countries.

The International Health Regulation (IHR) Strengthening Programme:

The programme is establishing a portfolio of tailored technical support for selected countries and regions to improve compliance with IHR. We work in partnership with national public health institutions, Africa CDC and the WHO.

Project activities across Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, Pakistan, and associated regions (in Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Asia) are closely aligned and supportive of country priorities for health system improvement.

The IHR Strengthening Programme has a triple mandate:

1.     Build technical capability

2.     Develop sustainable public health systems

3.     Strengthen leadership

Through its triple mandate the IHR programme will address the needs identified in the strategic case

This post is suitable for experienced laboratory scientists with Quality Management Systems (QMS), public health microbiology and infection experience. We are seeking individuals with both technical knowledge and the ability to influence and negotiate – building relationships with local and international stakeholders as necessary to deliver on their objectives.

The post-holder will contribute to UKHSA’s Global Operations Division work focused on the delivery of the DHSC-funded International Health Regulation (IHR) strengthening program. The IHR strengthening program work is in 5 countries, one of which is Zambia. The post holder will work with the Zambia country lead and team, the UKHSA laboratory team, the Zambia National Public Health Laboratory (ZNPHL) and Zambia Ministry of Health (ZMOH) to deliver on the shared objectives for our collaboration on laboratory strengthening. A key aim of the IHR Project is to support countries to strengthen their public health laboratory system to build capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. The post-holder will support organisational effectiveness and efficiency by providing technical advice and operational support to the management of the ZNPHL and ZMOH.

You will be a highly organised, creative team player who is a self-starter and has excellent written and verbal communication skills.  You will have a broad range of communications engagement skills, and a thorough understanding of public health issues gained through experience in the field. You will have excellent negotiation skills, enabling you to deal sensitively with stakeholders with complex and sometimes conflicting interests. You will be expected to show strong drive to complete and evidence progress, recognising the importance of compliance and reporting. 

Roles and responsibilities:

• Support technical advisor for laboratories in the delivery of the laboratory workplan
• Support ongoing development and management of ZNPHL and MOH laboratories with a focus on strengthening public health microbiology laboratory practice to achieve accreditation to ISO 15189 2022 Standards for Medical Laboratories
• Support laboratory detection and reporting of priority infectious pathogens and diseases and linking with surveillance systems using a one health approach
• Support excellence in practice, service delivery and improvement in scientific and technical performance at all times. This includes supporting innovative ways of delivering services to ensure Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
• Support development of laboratory standard operating procedures for infectious pathogen detection and quality and other management documents compliant with national and international quality and governance standards
• Support the development of policies and strategies that ensure effective and efficient day-to-day operational work
• Support the development of management processes such as supply chain monitoring plan for the laboratories
• Work closely with UKHSA IHR project delivery team to support and contribute to professional and leadership development of laboratory staff
• Provide theoretical and practical management input to ensure the overall output of the laboratory is of a high quality, appropriate, relevant, consistent and reliable
• Engage with stakeholders, partners and service users on laboratory strategic objectives, implementation, identifying new ideas and improving ways of working
• Participating in the activities relevant to laboratory committees, working groups and other expert groups as required
• Promote high standards of quality customer care to both internal and external customers
• Carrying out other duties as may reasonably be required in the role.

This role is subject to change, removal or amendment from advert at short notice

• Graduate-level qualification in a relevant subject
• Member of relevant professional body
• Demonstrate commitment to own Continued Professional Development (CPD)
• Extensive experience of working in a microbiology and or molecular diagnostic/testing laboratory
• In depth understanding of relevant laboratory policies, standards and guidelines, including those relevant to quality control/assurance and accreditation processes
• Knowledge of the ZNPHI, MOH and the wider Zambia public health sector and laboratory network
• Experience of partnership working – linking with staff across varied organisational functions to address inter-dependencies and ensure alignment
• Experience of working with Laboratory Information Management System
• Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace