Bristol, South West England, BS1 5AH : Carlisle, North West England, CA3 8DX : Cardiff, Wales, CF14 7YU : Crewe, North West England, CW1 6GJ : Exeter, South West England, EX2 7LQ : New Haw, South East England, KT15 3NB : Wigston, East Midlands (England), LE18 4UY : Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, NE12 9SE : Nottingham, East Midlands (England), NG2 4LA : Perth, Scotland, PH1 1RX : Bamber Bridge, North West England, PR5 8BX : Carmarthen, Wales, SA31 3EZ : Itchen Abbas, South East England, SO21 1BX : Sand Hutton, Yorkshire and the Humber, YO41 1LZ
Job Summary
The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes. Surveillance and Laboratory Services Department (SLSD) is one of the departments that makes up the Science Directorate.
SLSD provides a range of diagnostic testing and surveillance services on behalf of Defra and the devolved governments.
The APHA Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is used throughout the APHA Science Directorate, but primarily SLSD, both as a conventional LIMS system and as a critical data asset. APHA's LIMS is critical to Defra's animal disease management capability, enabling efficient, timely and accurate management of testing for animal diseases and pathogens enables disease outbreaks to be contained to protect UK agriculture, imports and exports of live animals to be biosecure and confidence to be improved in the disease freedom status for UK food and farming.
The two Grade 7 APHA LIMS Architects oversee the direction of and the scientific architecture within APHA's extensive and complex LIMS system. These roles work closely with APHA Science and technology leaders and with colleagues from Defra's IT department – Digital Data Technology Security (DDTS) – to create an ambitious vision for APHA's LIMS system as well as a realistic and deliverable roadmap that delivers on this vision.
These roles will prioritise investing in APHA's current LIMS system to ensure it is more resilient and secure, accelerating the digitisation and transformation of the way APHA carries out its Science and improving the scientific services we offer to internal and external customers.
Job Description
Your responsibilities may include, but not limited to the following:
* Build the architecture and design framework for APHA's LIMS.
* Define strategy and play a central role in assuring services.
* Ensure and assure the continued alignment of LIMS solution development & delivery with APHA's, Defra's, and broader government's strategic objectives.
* Ensure and assure the continued alignment of LIMS solution development & delivery with APHA's legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations.
* Regularly collaborate and find agreement with senior stakeholders, providing direction and constructive challenge.
* Contribute to the overall management of technical and operational risk in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Contribute to the overall management of business continuity in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Contribute to the overall management and improvement of performance in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Be proactive in identifying problems and translating these into non-technical descriptions that can be widely understood.
* Act as a mentor and coach to junior colleagues and may also be required to functional manage on a project basis, though no direct line management responsibilities apply.
Your responsibilities may include, but not limited to the following:
* Build the architecture and design framework for APHA's LIMS.
* Define strategy and play a central role in assuring services.
* Ensure and assure the continued alignment of LIMS solution development & delivery with APHA's, Defra's, and broader government's strategic objectives.
* Ensure and assure the continued alignment of LIMS solution development & delivery with APHA's legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations.
* Regularly collaborate and find agreement with senior stakeholders, providing direction and constructive challenge.
* Contribute to the overall management of technical and operational risk in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Contribute to the overall management of business continuity in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Contribute to the overall management and improvement of performance in relation to the APHA LIMS systems & service.
* Be proactive in identifying problems and translating these into non-technical descriptions that can be widely understood.
* Act as a mentor and coach to junior colleagues and may also be required to functional manage on a project basis, though no direct line management responsibilities apply.
Person specification
Experience with Thermo Fisher Scientific Sample Management LIMS or other similar LIMS solutions.
Extensive experience of Laboratory Information Management System configuration, modification or programming.
Experience in planning and creating solutions from complex Scientific customer requirements in relation to LIMS platforms.
Knowledge or experience working with Application Programming Interfaces.
Ways of Working
* The post is full-time, we may consider two part-time staff on a job-share basis if continuity can be arranged.
* Flexibility in working hours may be required if called upon to finish a particular urgent task or call upon in an event of an outbreak.
* Periodic travel within the UK and EU will be required.
* A valid full driving licence is necessary or access to an alternative means of transport.
* Depending on the areas of work involved you will be expected to have any necessary vaccinations or health surveillance. This will be arranged by the Health Team, Weybridge.
* This post can be located at any of the listed APHA sites. Any other APHA location will be subject to desk availability.
Security clearance
The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Government's response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason all postholders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the residency criteria.
Applicants
must be currently resident in the UK
&
have at least three years continuous UK residency as this is a requirement to work at the Weybridge
.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Changing and Improving
* Making Effective Decisions
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
* Seeing the Big Picture
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Creating a LIMS data model
* LIMS systems design
* Availability and capacity management
Alongside your salary of £56,375, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £16,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a generous employer contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme, reward vouchers and in-year bonuses.
We also offer additional days off if accrued extra hours (flexi-time –if accumulated), three paid volunteering days per year. We also have a social committee who run team building and fun events at the Weybridge site. Further details can be found in the Candidate Information Pack.
Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, 1000-words Personal Statement, and a 250-word Behaviour statement.
Please use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide your evidence on both the application form and at interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Si
ft
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Behaviour,
Seeing the big picture
. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on the listed Behaviours, technical skills, and your experience.
You will also be required to make a 10-min PowerPoint presentation on the topic - Sketch out a basic roadmap for the next 5 years, based on this given scenario-;
The LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) used by the APHA Science Directorate currently supports around 300 users. It handles various types of laboratory testing, including PCR, microscopy, microbiology, and ELISA. It has an annual throughput of 640,000 samples in 127,500 submissions, from a portfolio of approximately 2000 tests. The system is built in VGL code, much of which dates back to 2004.
In Your Roadmap, Please Consider The Following Key Challenges
* Transitioning legacy code to C# and introducing low-/no-code workflows
* Managing a large, multi-year backlog of change requests with a small development team (2 junior developers, 1 senior developer)
* Exploring options beyond the current single-vendor setup for LIMS services
* Addressing complexity from multiple data entry/exit points in the system
* Strengthening team resilience by reducing single points of failure and increasing shared knowledge
Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in applications
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Location
Please be aware that this role will be contractually based in a Defra/APHA group workplace/office. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
As part of the pre-employment process, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).
Where the location is 'National' the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra's location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
This post can be located at any of the listed APHA sites. Any other APHA location will be subject to desk availability.
Full Time Only
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Merit Lists
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Salary
New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to DEFRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.
To process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email
Internal Fraud Database Check
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Security clearance
The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Government's response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason all postholders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the residency criteria.
Applicants
must be currently resident in the UK
&
have at least three years continuous UK residency as this is a requirement to work at the Weybridge
.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
* Name :
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email:
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here