Job Advert
Consultant in Medical Microbiology (Public Health Microbiology)
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.
Public Health Scotland is Scotland’s lead national agency for improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of all of Scotland’s 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 Scotland’s public health priorities.
The Post:
This post is within the Clinical and Protecting Health Directorate, which protects the people of Scotland from infectious and environmental hazards. The Directorate provides high-quality clinical advice and maintains public health knowledge.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Consultant to join the Public Health Microbiology (PHM) team to provide strategic clinical leadership for the commissioning of national reference laboratory services for Scotland and to provide consultant/specialist 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 4 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, Protecting Health practitioners and microbiologists across Scotland, linking into Scottish networks e.g. Scottish Health Protection Network, Scottish Microbiology Virology Network. 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 Head of Health Protection (Infection Services).
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 a Consultant with specialist experience, expertise and knowledge of Microbiology with some experience within the health protection/public health context at a senior level.
You will have the ability to prioritise your own work effectively and be able to direct activities of/to others working with a range of stakeholders in a politically sensitive and changing environment.
Medical candidates must have current GMC/GDC/registration at the time of applying.
Eligible candidates must 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). Scientific candidates must be a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath or equivalent) with current registration within the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a clinical scientist in Microbiology and hold a Higher research degree (MSc or PhD) in a related area.
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, 37.5 (Agenda for Change) or 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, 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 Jim McMenamin, Head of Health Protection Infection Services by email at jim.mcmenamin@phs.scot
Closing date for completed applications is Thursday 21st March 2024
Further information regarding PHS is available from: 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