Bacteriologist

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 FAO AMR Reference Centre team within the Department of Bacteriology is seeking applicants with expertise in bacteriology and molecular biology, specialising in antimicrobial resistance. The post holder will support the work of the team in building capacity and generating quality AMR data, focusing on our programmes in West Africa. Applicants with experience of working on AMR in E. coli or other bacteria within a microbiological/molecular diagnostic surveillance or research are required.

The post holder must have good communication skills to develop training materials and deliver training in subject areas to partner organisations in the UK and abroad. They should be competent in a range of laboratory techniques, field-based work, and sample collection. Periodic travel to West Africa will be required to deliver this role.

Applicants should have a PhD in Microbiology or other bioscience area relevant to post.

This is a fixed term appointment post that ends in March 2026.

A full job specification and role requirements can be found attached to this vacancy.

Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme. We also offer flexible working.

Other information

The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Government’s response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason, all postholders based at the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the CTC residency criteria. Applicants must be currently resident in the UK & have a minimum of 3 years continuous UK residency. If you cannot meet this criteria CTC clearance will not be possible as this is part of pre-employment checks before taking up the post.

Closing date: Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 1 April 2024.

Advert information