Laboratory Manager – Outbreak Response Team (ID4472)

Do you want to be part of a team safeguarding standards of animal and plant health and welfare? If so, why not join us and make a difference.

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.

APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions. We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.

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 Virology department is a multi-disciplinary team with a statutory remit in named reportable, endemic, notifiable and exotic diseases for the delivery of research, diagnostic services and surveillance programmes. As a laboratory diagnostic manager working in the Virology Outbreak Response team, you will assist in the frontline diagnostic delivery for diseases such as avian influenza. This role will include working in containment level 3 laboratories, carrying out molecular and serological diagnostics, test development and fitness for purpose testing. You will also be involved in the reporting of negative and positive report cases. This role is critical to support outbreak response, and commercial and statutory diagnosis of a broad range of viruses, and will line manage or functionally manage staff, including work planning.

Main areas of work will include:

• Conduct diagnostic work, some of which will involve the handling and sampling of laboratory animals, including holding a Home Office Personal License.
• Provide support to the Outbreak Response Team (ORT) in developing and maintaining involvement in international initiatives.
• Ensure that stocks of virus, serum and reagents are maintained to the required quality standards for the ORT, Reference Laboratory and APHA commercial catalogues.
• Work in Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) 3, Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) 4 laboratories safely and efficiently to conduct front line diagnostics and potential handling and processing of animal carcasses.
• Support participation in annual national and international proficiency exercises with presentation of results.
• Develop and implement new techniques as necessary including support in writing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and validation documents as well as maintain, troubleshoot or improve existing methods.
• Testing of diagnostic samples for both molecular and serological assays and reading and analysing results for reporting to stakeholders.
• Provide management support to the ORT in the delivery of frontline diagnostic assays.
• Participate in quality audits and support maintaining an efficient and effective quality management system, meeting the requirements of ISO9001:2015 certification and ISO17025 accreditation.
• Prepare written reports for inclusion into manuscripts, publications and project reports.
• Manage staff and train new staff members, visiting scientists and students as required.

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