Head of Division Public Health Microbiology

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Head of Public Health Microbiology - Consultant in Medical Microbiology / Consultant in Public Health Microbiology. 

Salary - Consultant Grade (GMC/GDC registered on the GMC/GDC Specialist Register for microbiology, infectious disease or equivalent) plus a management allowance circa £11,000-£12,000

About the Organisation:

Public Health Scotland was launched on 01 April 2020 as a national health board, employing around 1200 people, and an annual budget of around £101 million. Public Health Scotland wants to see a Scotland where everybody thrives, a Scotland where life expectancy improves and the difference in life expectancy between our poorest and wealthiest areas gets smaller.

Public Health Scotland is Scotlands lead national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all of Scotlands people.  Our vision is of a Scotland where everybody thrives. Our focus is on increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing premature mortality. To do this, we use data, intelligence and a place-based approach to lead and deliver Scotlands public health priorities. 

This post is within the Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate, which protects the people of Scotland from infectious and environmental hazards and provides high-quality, expert, clinical and public health advice.

The Post:

This new posts reflects the developing leadership of Public Health Scotland for public health microbiology in Scotland. Full time candidates are sought, but job share candidates would also be considered.

We are looking for an experienced professional to provide clinical and public health microbiology leadership and to create and enable policy and strategy and their implementation in order to establish a fit for purpose public health microbiology service for Scotland.

You will provide strategic leadership for the commissioning of national reference laboratory services for Scotland and consultant/specialist input to infectious disease control, surveillance, emerging infections/variants, genomics, incident/outbreak response management, pandemic preparedness and biosecurity through the provision of public health microbiology expertise.

You will be joining a new division created within PHS, to transform Scotlands public health microbiology service through effective working relationships with the Scottish Government, National Services Scotland, the microbiological community within Scotland and across the 4 Nations to deliver the commitments in the Genomic Strategy for Scotland (2023) and the Public Health Microbiology Strategy (2018).

The post will report directly to PHS Director of Public Health Science / Medical Director.

There may be the opportunity for the post holder to spend time maintaining expertise in laboratories or with an academic collaboration. 

The Candidate:

We are looking for an individual with specialist experience, expertise and knowledge of microbiology related to health protection/public health. You will have the ability to prioritise your own work effectively and direct activities of/to others, working with a range of stakeholders in a politically sensitive and changing environment. 

Candidates should have GMC/GDC/registration at the time of applying and be a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath or equivalent) and included in the GMC/GDC full register in conjunction with registration in the GMC/GDC Specialist Register for microbiology, infectious disease (or equivalent in other nations with a license to practice).

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a PVG Scheme check. Any candidate who has lived/worked overseas for more than 12 months in the preceding 5 years will also be required to provide a criminal record check from the appropriate overseas agency.

Location and Working Pattern:

The post will be based in Glasgow or Edinburgh but with the potential for hybrid/home working.

Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week (Consultant) but less than full time commitment would be considered.

During times of public health emergency, or other urgent business need, you may be required on a temporary basis to work beyond your normal contracted working hours including over weekends, to meet the needs of the service.

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with PHS.

Benefits:

Our benefits package includes pension scheme, comprehensive, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits. Click here to view the full range of the PHS Employee Benefits.

Further Information:

For an informal discussion on the post, please contact Nick Phin, Director of Public Health Science, via his PA Elizabeth Kilpatrick (elizabeth.kilpatrick2@phs.scot)

Closing date for completed applications is the 7 June 2024

For further information about PHS visit https://publichealthscotland.scot

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).

Public Health Scotland is an equal opportunities employer and as such guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies.