Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Co-ordinator - #146402

Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Co-ordinator

Salary: £37,480. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.

Location: Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3LS

Job Reference: 403056

You may not have heard of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), but have you ever:

• eaten meat, eggs, fish or honey
• drank milk
• owned a pet or animal
• taken antibiotics

If you said yes to any of the above, you are directly affected by what the VMD does.

The VMD is the regulatory and policy lead responsible for issues concerning the authorisation, use, and manufacture of veterinary medicines in the UK.

Our aim is to protect public health, animal health, and the environment, and promote animal welfare by assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines.

Find out more at: About us - Veterinary Medicines Directorate - GOV.UK

This exciting and interesting job puts you at the heart of the VMD’s antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policy and surveillance team, as you deliver on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) commitments in the UK 5-year national action plan (NAP) for AMR, which supports the UK’s 20-year vision.

Understanding AMR through surveillance is a key foundation of the UK’s AMR strategy. The AMR Surveillance & Evidence Team at the VMD delivers the UK's programmes of AMR surveillance in animals. This is a great opportunity to join the team to cover a period of maternity leave. You will work with another HSO AMR co-ordinator to support the AMR surveillance manager in delivery of the surveillance programmes, including the interpretation and reporting of results. You will also co-ordinate important AMR activities across government and provide scientific input into, and generate outputs from, a diverse range of AMR surveillance initiatives.

There will be some administrative responsibilities within your role, although these are scientific in nature (taking minutes during technical AMR discussions). Development opportunities may be available, including in scientific project management and translation of scientific evidence into policy.

Job description

The following responsibilities will be split between the successful applicant and the existing AMR co-ordinator:

1. Supporting the AMR Surveillance Manager with co-ordination and delivery of the UK's AMR surveillance programmes in animals, which are expanding:

Co-ordinating cross-government surveillance network meetings.

Supporting with contractual and financial management.

Liaising with public and private stakeholders and delivery partners.

2. Co-ordinating cross-governmental AMR activities, such as the Defra Antimicrobial Resistance Co-ordination (DARC) group, and it's One Health Integrated Surveillance subgroup:

Proposing agenda items and working with the Head of Surveillance & Evidence and the head of the wider AMR team to finalise content.

Corresponding with One Health and AMR colleagues across government e.g. in the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Food Standards Agency (FSA), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Taking scientific minutes and writing updates.

3. Reporting results of AMR surveillance programmes, new initiatives, and cross-governmental activities:

Validation, visualization, and analysis of AMR surveillance data.

Drafting and reviewing reports and evidence-to-policy papers.

4. Working adaptively with colleagues within the AMR Surveillance & Evidence team to provide input and support for AMR surveillance initiatives as the need arises. This may include, but not limited to:

Project management.

Translation of scientific evidence to policy.

Co-ordinating responses and/or contributing information on surveillance matters on and ad hoc basis to briefings/correspondence drafted by policy colleagues.

Producing training material.

Representing AMR Surveillance and Evidence, and the wider AMR team, at internal and external meetings.

Person specification

We welcome applications from those with proven scientific experience (biological, medical, or veterinary) gained via a formal qualification or through relevant work experience.

We require some experience in or awareness of, or a demonstrable ability to get up to speed rapidly in:

• the principles of antimicrobial resistance
• collaboration and delivering in partnership
• good scientific writing and/or data analysis
• good organisational ability

You must be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 packages, particularly Word, Excel, and Outlook, can navigate the internet and learn to use Sharepoint.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,480, Veterinary Medicines Directorate contributes £10,857 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension one of the best workplace pension schemes in the UK public sector, with an average employer contribution with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Free onsite parking
• Free eyesight test
• Onsite gym
• Access to a prayer room

A work-life balance is key for us all. We offer flexible working as well as health, well-being and discount schemes. The annual leave package starts at 25 days per year and increases to 30 days over five years. We offer generous maternity, paternity, shared, and adoption leave.

This gives you a flavour of what’s available, but there is so much more we could mention – see Civil Service Employee Benefits, Civil Service Careers for further information.