Consultant Medical Virologist/Consultant Clinical Scientist

UKHSA Public Health Laboratory, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Laboratory and Pathology Building, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS

Job Job Description

A full-time post for virology services at UKHSABPHL providing Consultant level input into the laboratory, clinical virology and public health service. The post is based at the UKHSA Public Health Laboratory for the Midlands which is situated at the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (Teaching). The post will cover virology services four UHB hospitals; Good Hope, Solihull, Birmingham Heartlands Hospitals and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. In addition to the clinical virology service, the post holder will be providing public health functions for the Midlands Region.

Job Description

This is a consultant led service that provides a comprehensive range of virology services in a fully accredited, well-equipped laboratory. The post holder will be working with two other consultant virologists in the provision of a comprehensive clinical virology service and in conjunction with other infection (microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, and immunology) consultants to provide advice on the prevention, diagnosis and management of infection in individual patients and outbreaks of infection. This is a consultant led service that provides a comprehensive range of virology services in a fully accredited, well-equipped laboratory. The post holder will be working with two other consultant virologists in the provision of a comprehensive clinical virology service and in conjunction with other infection (microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, and immunology) consultants to provide advice on the prevention, diagnosis and management of infection in individual patients and outbreaks of infection.

Person specification

This is a consultant led service that provides a comprehensive range of virology services in a fully accredited, well-equipped laboratory. The post holder will be working with two other consultant virologists in the provision of a comprehensive clinical virology service and in conjunction with other infection (microbiology, virology, infectious diseases, and immunology) consultants to provide advice on the prevention, diagnosis and management of infection in individual patients and outbreaks of infection. The consultant will be working closely with clinical and laboratory colleagues in the host and other NHS trusts and with Health Protection Teams, Consultants in Public Health Infections and Public Health Epidemiologists in the East and West Midlands Regions.

For further details and the full list of essential criteria, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Learning and development tailored to your role

An environment with flexible working options

A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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 consider 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:

Selection process details

External - Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Application & selection process

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a detailed personal statement / statement of suitability based on the essential criteria advertised (no more than 1000 words). This should outline how you consider your skills, knowledge and experience meet the selection requirements. It should provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the person specification criteria outlined. Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria. Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own. The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d.

Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview). Virology and virology/Infectious Diseases Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC.

For further information or an informal discussion about the post, please contact: Dr Husam Osman, Consultant Virologist husam.osman@ukhsa.gov.uk and Dr Abid Hussain, BPHL Clinical Service Director abid.hussain@ukhsa.gov.uk

It is planned that interviews will be in person, however in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview. A 10-minute presentation will be required as part of the interview, the subject will be confirmed prior to the interview; visual aids & slides will be permitted. Interviews are currently planned to take place from week commencing 7th July 2025, however this may be subject to change.

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our UKHSA Public Health Laboratory for the Midlands which is situated at the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (Teaching). We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using 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 be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month).

Successful candidates for this role must pass an enhanced disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed. 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Counter-terrorist Check. 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). 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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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 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.

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.

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 : Dr Husam Osman, Consultant Virologist

Email : husam.osman@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team Email : scs.mdrecruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

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: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk 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: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk