Pathology Scientist - Defra Group : Job Details

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Pathology Scientist

Salary: £30,827 - £32,074 A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Contract type: Permanent

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Location: New Haw, South East England, KT15 3NB

Reference: ID2768

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice, and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact, and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.

This role comprises the following:

• The provision of technical, scientific, laboratory and administrative assistance within the Department of Pathology, carrying out all duties to relevant Safety, Quality and Home Office standards in accordance with APHA procedures.
• Management of support staff working within containment facilities and the bio-archive.

Perform specialist techniques to support surveillance and research within the TSE workgroup. Organise staff and laboratory resources to ensure the smooth and safe running of biocontainment facilities (ACDP3) and preparation areas in compliance with APHA and legislative policies.

Job description

• Laboratory facility duties such as temperature monitoring and equipment maintenance, accurate recording of these duties and reporting of anomalous results. Provide cover to colleagues when required.
• Managing and providing support to Biological Archive audits, consolidation, and discards of diagnostic / research samples in ultra-low temperature freezers and managing freezer maintenance and capacity.
• Maintenance of paper and electronic records. Including data entry and recording of results using Microsoft computer based sample management systems, local databases, or logbooks.
• Sample requests, including sample collection, pre-dispatch checks of sample data against customer requirements and oversight of AO contribution to tasks. Assistance in the maintenance of cryogenic samples storage in the Biological Archive.
• Assisting with or performing laboratory techniques and tests conducted within Pathology. To include molecular pathology and histopathological procedures, reagent & tissue preparation, and immunohistochemistry.
• Preparation of fixed tissue samples for long term storage, archiving of formalin fixed tissues and paraffin wax blocks, filing of histology reference tissue slides.
• Compliance with lab waste management procedures, and completion of relevant documentation.
• Support to HEO in maintenance of the TSE QA Stocks database and associated tissue storage, TSE Proficiency Testing sample preparation, distribution of TSE Rapid Test and Western Blotting PT schemes.
• Provide technical support, tissue sampling and preservation expertise for post-mortem examinations on a range of livestock species in high biocontainment facilities (up to ACDP3/SAPO4).
• Line and/or functional management of laboratory staff, supervision of students, visitors and contractors within high containment areas, as required. Maintain knowledge of APHA's diversity policy and implement it within the team.

Management of laboratory equipment, including calibration, monitoring and routine maintenance. Maintenance and updating of local computer-based sample management systems in compliance with Quality accreditation.

• Perform all duties in accordance with Pathology and Animal Sciences and APHA Safety and Quality Policies including ISO17025, ISO9001, TSE NRL procedures. Review, write/edit local SOPs, risk assessments and participate in Quality and safety audits.
• Performance of Room Officer duties including ensuring the work environment is clean, tidy and professionally managed. Deputize for building officer as required.
• Administrative support to TSE Surveillance and research projects. Including, analysis, preparation and presentation of data, contribution to reports and peer reviewed publications. Development of specialist scientific knowledge of modern pathology technologies, relevant disease processes/host responses and research applicable to the TSE science portfolio.

Closing date: Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 14 October 2024.