Senior Scientist Covid19 Laboratory

Job Description

England’s first integrated Covid hub is launching in the north east.Newcastle Hospitals will manage the hub, working closely with Newcastle City Council together with colleagues from, Public Health England, local universities and industry.The hub includes a new Lighthouse laboratory at Baltic Park in Gateshead and will significantly increase testing capacity. Results reporting will be integrated into NHS Test and Trace, so they are quickly available to those who have been tested. The lab will supplement and work closely with existing NHS labs in the region.In addition to a new Lighthouse lab, the hub includes a new innovation lab which will be located in the heart of Newcastle, in the Helix Biosphere. The innovation lab will provide a national facility to assist in tackling the global pandemic and, ultimately, save lives. This element of the integrated Covid hub is unique to the north east.As a result Newcastle Hospitals are looking to appoint a number of Senior Scientists to work across the testing and Innovation hub.As a senior member of the team rotating between the COVID-19 Hub Laboratory and the COVID-19 Innovation Centre, the post holder will play a key role in the establishment, development and operation of the laboratory, and the provision of an end to end service, linking the development needs of Industry with the capability and assets of the Newcastle Hospital Foundation Trust to enable rapid adoption of molecular diagnostics into high volume testing facilities.Reporting to the Laboratory Operations Manager or the Principal Scientist, and working as part of a team, the post holder will have technical charge of a section of the laboratory and will be responsible for organising and participating in the work of the laboratory, ensuring that work is carried out to agreed standards and a high quality.With a Bsc (Hons) degree in relevant science subject (or equivalent qualification) and a MSc, FIBMS, MPhil, PhD or equivalent level of knowledge, the post holder will require Extensive experience and in depth knowledge of Molecular Diagnostic Work and experience in Research and Development. Due to the nature of the tasks in question, Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration is not essential.A proven ability to work independently with minimum direction as well as evidence of Continuous Professional Development is essential, as are effective computer and keyboard skills.Familiarity with ISO 15189:12 is desirable but not essential.If you share the same energy, passion and commitment we do to deliver the best possible service to our patients, and would like to make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of our community, we would very much like to hear from you.This is an exciting opportunity to take an active part in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and ultimately help save lives.Jobs will initially be available as a 12-month contract.We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive workplace. We value diversity and aim to recruit a workforce that reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and, in particular, those from under-represented groups.The role is full time working rotational shifts of nights and days. Roles either Wednesday-Saturday or Sunday to Wednesday. Shifts week 1: 08.00-20.00 and week 2: 20.00-08.00.