Salmonella Typing and Disinfectant Team

This post offers the successful candidate the opportunity to receive an additional pay supplement of £2,500 upon appointment.

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 safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of our environment and the 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.

The Bacteriology Department is responsible for research and surveillance activity on endemic and exotic veterinary and zoonotic pathogens with UK wild-life, food-producing animals and domesticated pets. The Bacteriology Department is seeking a Team Lead for the Salmonella Typing and Disinfectant team. The Team Lead will ensure that Salmonella typing capability is maintained to the highest standards to supporting surveillance activities and the work of the National and International Reference Laboratory. The Team Lead will ensure delivery of the Defra Disinfectant Approvals Scheme which is essential for national biosecurity and disease control. The Team Lead will manage, develop and lead a group of scientists and staff within the BAC2 workgroup and will have opportunity to pursue research ambitions with Salmonella or with pathogen control measures such as disinfection.

The team lead will work in a multidisciplinary team of scientists and will contribute to the delivery of key Defra and APHA objectives.

The Team Lead will participate in the senior management team for the Field Epidemiology Workgroup and support the transition to new laboratory facilities as part of the National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) programme.

We are looking for applicants with a biological science degree or a degree in a related discipline. The successful applicant will have a relevant postgraduate qualification and/or evidence of extensive laboratory experience and project leadership.

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

This post is based at APHA Weybridge. This 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. All post-holders based on 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 between 3 to 10 years continuous UK residency depending on the level of security required.

Closing date: 16 June 2026

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