Job summary
APHA is an Executive Agency of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We are responsible for identifying, managing, and controlling incidents and outbreaks of endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animals, plants and bees, as well as carrying out scientific research. We provide unique capabilities and an evidence base for the UK government, together with international reference centre responsibilities.
To contribute to and support the profile of epidemiological research and surveillance projects in the fields of national and international veterinary public health within the Epidemiological Sciences department at Weybridge.
Job description
To contribute to the profile of epidemiological research and surveillance projects in the fields of national and international veterinary public health.� The post holder will be responsible for delegated epidemiological tasks within research and surveillance projects of the Department of Epidemiological Sciences (DES) and APHA Science departments.�
Main duties include:�
1. Development and application of expertise in the epidemiology and control of infectious disease, GB livestock systems and endemic and exotic disease threats (particularly salmonella, bovine tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, and avian influenza)
2. Supporting research project design and delivery through project documents design and production (protocols, questionnaires, data collection forms and schedules) and assisting with the day-to-day running of projects
3. Conducting appropriate descriptive analysis on animal health surveillance and research datasets and presenting the data in effective summaries
4. Contributing to the production of research project reports, disease surveillance reports and scientific publications.
5. Ensuring work meets relevant quality standards
6. Providing flexible support to DES as required in response to changing work requirements and priorities
7. Supporting sampling visits at farms and abattoirs as required.
Person specification
This post provides the holder with a broad experience in epidemiological project work in animal disease surveillance and disease control research.
8. A relevant science degree and interest in epidemiology and veterinary public health is essential.
9. Excellent oral and written communication skills. The post holder will need to liaise with farmers and other stakeholders and partners and will need the ability to adapt style to communicate scientific objectives and results with audiences with different backgrounds.
10. Skills in handling quantitative data (, data cleaning, validation, and results reporting).
11. Ability to conduct descriptive analysis and basic statistics in appropriate software packages is essential.
12. Excellent organisational skills to manage the work requirements and be responsive to changing work requirements and priorities.
13. IT skills must include competency with MS Office software packages.
Qualifications
A relevant science degree
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
14. Delivering at Pace
15. Working Together
16. Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �27,470, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes �7,416 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
17. Learning and development tailored to your role
18. An environment with flexible working options
19. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
20. A with an average employer contribution of 27%