The public sector client is looking to recruit a Head of Horizon Scanning for a 12 month temporary contract, which is home-based in the first instance. The successful candidate will have the relevant skills and experience specified below. The successful candidate will have a valid DBS. Please Note: This assignment sits inside IR35.

Health and Safety
• To ensure health, safety and welfare are afforded priority and to demonstrate commitment to health, safety and welfare of self, staff and visitors.
• To ensure attendance of self and managed staff on safety training courses as required in the PHE Health and Safety Training Policy and other safety policies as appropriate.
• To agree to implement safety objectives.
• To comply with relevant PHE health and safety policies at all times.
• To follow the requirements of risk assessments at all times.
• To escalate risks that cannot be controlled to the Section Head/Unit Head.
• To notify accidents, near misses, dangerous situations and shortcomings in health and safety via the appropriate management structure.
• To report any personal sickness (during and after such an event) that may have potentially been caused by or may impact upon work, in line with the PHE Sickness Absence management policy. This should take place at return to work interview or sooner if it could be work related (e.g. work place infection).
Quality duties
• Ensure compliance with
o Software design principles
o Documentation standards
o UKAS and other accreditation and certificate standards.
• To contribute to internal audit programmes and corrective actions.
• Contribute to internal and quality assurance programmes.
General Employment Responsibilities
• To ensure confidentiality and conformity to the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

• To lead and be responsible on a day to day basis for the provision of the bioinformatics processes and outputs relating to analysis of SARS-CoV variants, including but not limited to the provision of:
1) Development of analysis tools and processes for identifying and quantifying variants of SARS-CoV 2
2) Development of mechanisms for epidemiological cluster identification and characterisation
3) Working with internal and external stakeholders to monitor National and International development and spread of genomic variants
4) Development of analysis to support and inform interpretation of mutational profiles
5) Develop data flows and analysis to incorporate genomic data into analyses of vaccine escape and reinfection
6) Representation of the Genomic cell functions at a strategic level

Responsibility for document SOPs, control and log maintenance of software used within the cell.

To provide line management and leadership for staff employed within the genomics cell.

To participate in formal staff appraisal.

You will participate in the provision and maintenance of all analysis, reports and risk assessments of variants of SARS-CoV-2 and other duties and responsibilities as required. Management of a team of bioinformaticians and additional scientists.