The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health. UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will: Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities. Job overview The Radon Group is a mix of both scientific and administrative staff working across three teams: Radon Dosimetry Team, Radon Programmes Team and Radon Services Team. This position is for an Administrative Officer in the Radon Services Team. The main objective of the Services Team is to provide radon information and services to our customers. This involves communication via the telephone, email and through our website www.ukradon.org. The team also deliver the radon search and measurement services to a range of customers; householders, employers and landlords. The team are also responsible for the development, content and admin for the group website www.ukradon.org. Advert This role is within a busy administrative office and will assist colleagues with the day-to-day delivery of radon information and services including both commercial and non-commercial scientific projects. Working for our organisation We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all. Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers Detailed job description and main responsibilities Communication Provide general radon advice to members of the public and professions Identify calls that require specialist knowledge, ensure they are forwarded to the relevant member of staff. Ensure all enquiries are properly recorded and that records are current and accurate Contribute to group meetings. This may include issues such as service delivery, the scope of new services or the volume of work within the team. Service Delivery Ensure accurate input of data in accordance with group procedures Issue domestic / occupational measurement kits Answer and/or action incoming and outgoing telephone calls Raise invoices in MaPS, checking payment has been received and coding records to release test results. Extract, check and code measurement records to ensure they conform to set formats, prepare paperwork to issue measurement packs, liaise directly with clients regarding requirements Use the existing procedures to extract, check and issue measurement reports. Process returned post. Including checking returned measurement questionnaires, identify potential measurement errors or changes to information. Optical Mark Read return measurement questionnaires, check for inaccuracies and import the data into the database. Arrange pick-up and delivery of detectors for external laboratories Maintain time-scales required for each task to maintain set levels of service delivery KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include: Internal Radon team members, administrative & scientific Training Department Finance IT Group Facilities External The General Public Solicitors Government officers Landlords Employers and Agents Health and Safety Officers Surveyors and Builders Laboratories validated for radon measurements. Essential Criteria Educated to NVQ 3 level in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification or significant equivalent previous proven experience. Experience of working in a busy administrative office providing customer support services and communicating information to members of the public Experience of working as part of a team and working to deadlines Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word and Excel Basic understanding of radon and radon issues as covered by the www.ukradon.org website Good numeracy - good attention to detail and data entry skills ensuring accuracy. As well as good written and verbal skills. Capable and confident in using the telephone and able to explain technical information to lay people Able to work on own initiative, organising and prioritising own workload to set deadlines and managing pressure Good attention to detail and data entry skills ensuring accuracy Desirable Criteria: Competent in the use of MS Access Understanding of Data Protection and handling sensitive information Good interpersonal skills and able to build good working relationships with clients and colleagues Selection Process Details: This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and/or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria. Stage 1: Application & Sift Competency-based You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a: Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) 500 word supporting statement. This should outline how your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together. Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may longlist into 3 piles of: Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria If longlisting is used, the pile 'meets all essential criteria' will proceed to shortlisting. Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may complete an initial sift on the lead criteria of: Experience of working as part of a team and working to deadlines Good numeracy - good attention to detail and data entry skills ensuring accuracy. As well as good written and verbal skills. Capable and confident in using the telephone and able to explain technical information to lay people Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment. Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 500 words so please do not exceed 500 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number. Feedback will not be provided at this stage. Stage 2: Interview Competency based You will be invited to a single face to face interview. Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview Interview dates to be confirmed. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Selection Process Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV. Location This role is based at Chilton (Didcot). Please note hybrid working is not available for this role. Security Clearance Level Requirement Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. This role is being offered as office/lab based at our Scientific Campus in Chilton (Didcot). If based at one of our scientific campuses, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. In exceptional circumstances UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. Eligibility Criteria External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants). Face to Face Interviews In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview. Salary Information If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ Artificial Intelligence (AI) 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. Link below: Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks. 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 For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window) For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment. For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary. For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment. You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment. Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered. 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 equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. 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 UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here. Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list. The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available. Interview expenses will not be reimbursed. UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there. Any move to UKHSA 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. Benefits of working at UKHSA include: Generous annual leave: -26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service -28 days after 5 years of continuous service -32 days after 10 years of continuous service -Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions. Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving. Access to a retail discounts and cashback site. We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing. We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package. Hybrid Working UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home. Disability Confident Scheme The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview. If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form. Reasonable Adjustments The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should: Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs. You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/ International Police Check If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period. Internal Fraud check If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service. Security Vetting Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels Future location UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK. The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.