Consultant Microbiologist - #1763543

About The Organisation

Public Health Scotland launched 1st April 2020 as a national health board, employing around 1200 people, and with 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.

The Post

We have an exciting opportunity for a Consultant to join the Public Health Microbiology (PHM) Division within PHS Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate. The work of the Public Health Microbiology Division aids the coordinated diagnosis of infectious diseases, characterises microbial pathogens and their variants efficiently and effectively, supports effective outbreak/pandemic management, treatments and interventions, all within PHS ambitions to reduce the public health burden in Scotland.

The postholder shall provide strategic clinical leadership for the commissioning of national reference laboratory services for Scotland and provide Consultant input to incident and outbreak response management through the provision of public health microbiology expertise. The postholder will work closely with the Scottish Government, National Services Scotland, the microbiological community within Scotland and across the four Nations to progress a unified end to end public health microbiology service for Scotland through delivery of commitments in the Genomic Strategy for Scotland (2023) and the Public Health Microbiology Strategy (2018).

The role entails close working relationships between One Health partners, Health Protection and microbiologists across Scotland, linking into Scottish networks e.g. Scottish Health Protection Network, Scottish Microbiology Virology Forum. The successful candidate will provide leadership, management and expert specialist advice on public health microbiology issues relating to infectious disease, surveillance, emerging infections/variants, genomics, the evaluation of interventions to improve outcomes for the population of Scotland.

You will use an evidence-based approach to inform the work of Public Health Scotland and their partners and have the skills to work with partners to drive forward change.

The post will report directly to the Head of Division Public Health Microbiology.

The Candidate

We are looking for a Consultant with specialist experience, expertise and knowledge of Microbiology with some experience within the Health Protection/Public Health context at a senior level.

Eligible candidates must have current full General Medical Council (GMC) /General Dental Council (GDC) registration (with a license to practice) at the time of applying and inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register in Medical Microbiology or Medical Microbiology & Virology or Infectious Diseases or GDC Specialist List in Microbiology (or be within 6 months of obtaining CCT at interview).

CESR (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration) route candidates are only eligible to apply for a substantive consultant post once CESR is awarded.

CESR CP (combined programme) candidates are eligible for a substantive Consultant post and must be able to evidence CCT within 6 months of interview date.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a PVG Scheme/Disclosure Scotland 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. Details of how to apply for, or to update, PVG Scheme membership/Disclosure will be supplied to successful candidates

Location and Working Pattern:

The post is based in either Gyle Square, Edinburgh or Bothwell Street, Glasgow. We are currently hybrid working; therefore, you will be expected to spend time in both PHS offices as well as the option to work at home.

Monday – Friday: up to 18 hours (4.5 PA) per week between 0900-1700.There is no on-call associated with this post.

Applicants wishing to combine this role with an existing Consultant position within a NHS Health Board are encouraged. We may appoint more than one candidate.

PHS is a flexible employer, and we are happy to discuss requests for alternative working patterns

During times of public health emergency, or other urgent business need, you may be required on a temporary basis to work your normal contracted working hours over 7 days including weekends, in order 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 range of work life balance policies, 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 Dr Deborah Lockhart, Head of Division Public Health Microbiology via email [email protected]

Closing date for completed applications is Friday 4th July

Further information on PHS is available from: www.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.