Assistant Scientific Officer (Post Mortem) - ID 2181
| Posting date: | 05 July 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £23,811 per year |
| Additional salary information: | pro rata for jobshare/part time |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 July 2024 |
| Location: | Carmarthen |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 357763/1 |
Summary
This role is a unique development opportunity. It is an ideal position for able and ambitious candidates who are looking to expand and refine their skill set in a demanding environment.
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 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 purpose of the job is to provide support to Veterinary staff within the Veterinary Investigation Centre’s Post Mortem Room. Also to support the Parasitology, Salmonella and Gamma Interferon departments, though the role is primarily based in the post mortem room.
To carry out any duties commensurate within the grade and purpose of the post including, but not limited to the following:
- General support.
- Responsibility for the receipt of carcasses/live animals and preparation of carcasses for veterinary inspection, including weighing, skinning, opening body cavities, removal of viscera as required.
- Ensuring appropriate disposal of carcass and other clinical, laboratory and animal waste.
- Assisting veterinary staff with euthanasia where necessary.
- Assisting veterinary staff with carcass sampling and recordings of findings, including collection of instruments/trays for sampling.
- Prepare and process smears on to suitable media, including smear reading as required.
- Bench side tests relating to Post Mortems to include microscopy, ZN and MZN smears.
- Responsibility for the storage, archiving and retention of samples.
- Ensuring samples are collected, collated, appropriately packed and dispatched to other processing centres as required.
- To carry out statutory sampling such as BSE, Scrapie and poultry sampling.
- To complete necessary paperwork accurately, maintain laboratory records.
- Monitor and maintain relevant stocks and sundries, ordering of media and other consumables as needed.
- To carry out cleaning and disinfection routines, including sterilisation and fumigation of the equipment used within the laboratory and PM room.
- Monitor and maintain cold stores, safety cabinets, balances, fridges and other equipment used within the laboratory and PM room, including arranging servicing of equipment as required, carrying out calibration and reporting malfunctions or other discrepancies to line manager, ensuring the safety of equipment.
You may also be required to support the following departments;
Parasitology:
- To be responsible for the receipt of samples into the centre, including opening of post and booking in samples.
- carrying out parasitological techniques for the identification and enumeration of various ecto and endoparasites.
- Preparation of reagents, sterile/clean equipment.
- Staining for specific organisms, such as Cryptosporidia and Toxoplasma
Gamma Interferon:
- Ensure all samples received for gamma testing are processed as efficiently as possible.
- Ensure reagents and consumables records are maintained.
- Register submissions on to the LIMS system.
- Carry out sensitisation/harvesting and ELISA testing.
Salmonella:
- Isolation and Serotyping of Salmonella from routine diagnostic material.
Health and safety:
- Contributing to a positive safety culture by following APHA safety policies and procedures.
- Understanding and following controls in risk assessments.
- Ensuring equipment maintenance duties are carried out in all areas of the laboratory.
- Participate in contingency exercises and other safety training.
- Participate in safety audits/ inspections to support the local safety manager.
Quality:
- Accurate record keeping.
- Working to Standard Operating Procedures.
- Working to quality standards (ISO 17025).
- Participate in proficiency testing schemes.
- Participate in audits to support the local quality manager.
- Keeping line management informed of problems/ anomalies.
Administration Support
- To assist with general administrative duties within the centre and across the wider Department to include telephone duties, use of APHA bespoke IT systems, dealing with enquiries etc.
Outbreak Response
- Flexible to adapt to changing situations within the Regional Laboratory and prepared to support other parts of APHA in the event of an outbreak.