Scientist - Fibres & Minerals (Band 5/EO)
Health and Safety Executive
Apply before Midday on Monday 11th November 2024
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Operational Research
Science
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About the job
Job summary
At the Health and Safety Executive, we believe everyone has the right to come home safe and well from their job. That’s why our mission is to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health.
We don’t just inspect workplaces and investigate incidents, we campaign for better Health & Safety practice, we develop and review guidance and regulations, we provide specialist products and services both here and overseas, and we produce crucial research and statistics, all towards our goal of helping Great Britain work well.
We are recruiting an enthusiastic and motivated Scientist to join our Fibres & Minerals Team. Specifically, your role will be key to enable the continuation of essential research to support the implementation and evidence base for HSE’s Control of Asbestos Regulations.
The Fibres & Minerals Team form part of HSE’s Science & Research Centre’s Health – Exposure & Control (H-EC) Capability Group which has a wide range of technical and diverse disciplines requiring flexible and collaborative working; you will be expected to assist colleagues not only across H-EC, but also across HSE in their programmes of work.
This excellent opportunity will be based at our Science & Research Centre in Buxton, Derbyshire. The Centre is an internationally renowned scientific facility for health and safety, employing scientific, medical and technical specialists in a purpose-built laboratory at our 550-acre site.
More details about the services available at the Science & Research Centre and HSE can be found on our website here: www.hsl.gov.uk
Working Pattern - Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part-time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Job description
We are seeking a motivated scientist that will be committed to maintaining current levels of capability and has the ambition to develop further with the ability and desire to become a technical expert in the field of asbestos and silica exposure measurement.
Upon joining the team, you will be required to study for and pass the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) Proficiency Modules; P401 Identification of Asbestos in Bulk Samples by PLM P401 and P403 Air Sampling and Fibre Counting. You will also have the opportunity to work towards the BOHS Certificate of Competence in Asbestos.
Your role will be to enable the continuation of essential research to support the implementation and evidence base for HSE’s Control of Asbestos Regulations. You can expect to attend, gather evidence and contribute to incident investigations, providing innovative support to regulators, prosecutions, industry and HSE research projects, with the aim to prevent death, injury and ill-health of workers and those affected by work activities.
You will take responsibility for managing your own workload and prioritising tasks on a daily basis to meet business demands. The role involves periods of independent work in both an office and laboratory environment, including extended periods of sitting at a microscope for detailed analyses.
The role will involve handling hazardous materials e.g. asbestos, in a controlled and safe laboratory environment on a daily basis and during sample collection during site and field visits.
As part of this role you will also support the wider Exposure Measurement Team with routine analytical services and provide analytical support to other government departments, as appropriate.
Travel
The practical laboratory-based nature of the work does mean there will be a requirement to regularly attend the Buxton site for routine work activities and collaborative working in line with business needs.
There will be occasions when you will be expected to travel for site visits and meetings, which may include overnight stays, as well as the opportunity to attend scientific conferences. You will be encouraged to share the outcomes of your work both internally and with the wider scientific community through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
Responsibilities:
The role responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:
- following and working to health, safety, quality and wellbeing policies and procedures.
- being disciplined in operating within set standards; being precise and using your attention to detail; holding yourself and others accountable in producing accurate and error free quality outputs.
- analysis and investigations using optical microscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and other techniques.
- developing and improving analytical methods and instrumentation within the subject of hazardous fibres, dusts & minerals.
- expanding and further developing external asbestos related business.
- expanding and further developing project work areas in asbestos and other hazardous fibres, minerals and crystalline silica.
- preparing & presenting project work through conferences (talks & posters) and publication of academic papers and HSE research reports.
- input into the H-EC quality management system activities (ISO 17025, ISO 17043 and ISO 9001).
- training to become an HSE Nominated Asbestos Person for asbestos site activities, working collaboratively with colleagues in and across the H-EC Capability Group Science Division (SD), other HSE Divisions and external collaborators and stakeholders.
Person specification
Essential Skills and Criteria:
- excellent communication and engagement skills for day-to-day working at all levels; weekly/monthly liaisons with senior staff; scientific discussions with wider HSE colleagues, commercial customers and members of the public.
- excellent organisational skills and preparedness for planning, scheduling and undertaking laboratory work and site visits, to maximise time and productivity, whilst ensuring delivery to time, cost and quality.
- experience of adapting to situations and variations in workload; being flexible and versatile whilst maintaining efficiency.
- the ability to work both as part of a team and autonomously across boundaries of the Science Division and rest of HSE, promoting cross-functional team working and effective communication to identify solutions and ensure work can be delivered.
- the ability to follow and work to procedures, with attention to detail.
- experience of using software packages, including Office 365, Microsoft Word and Excel. You will have the ability to use bespoke software packages.
- Knowledge of mineral analysis and microscopy techniques.
- Desire & motivation to continue to learn and develop skills and knowledge.
Licences
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- How you develop and maintain your professional skills and knowledge, keep up to date with relevant developments and identify future challenges.
- How you have used your scientific knowledge and skills to evaluate a range of complex and conflicting information to produce clear conclusions.
- Experience of ensuring work is delivered safely in line with health, safety and wellbeing policies and procedures.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
- Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
- 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
- Parental leave benefits
- As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application Information
As part of your application you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV that concisely outlines your career history, qualifications and skills experience.
You will also be required to submit a Personal Statement of up to 1000 words, which demonstrates how your technical skills, experience and qualifications meet the essential skills and criteria within the person specification.
Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/
Sift Information
At sift, you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement. The sift will take place during the week commencing 11th November.
Interview Information
If you are successful at sift stage you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on the two Behaviours, Technical Skills and Experience, as detailed in the job advert.
The interviews will take place in person at our Buxton site, SK17 9JN during week commencing 25th November.
Please note sift and interview dates may be subject to change depending on panel availability.
AI Tools & Platforms
During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CVs and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.
Sponsorship
This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.
Further Information
Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.
We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post.
If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk
Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at Homepage , Childcare Choices
Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further;
Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Laurie Davies
- Email : laurie.davies@hse.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk
