UK Health Security Agency
Senior Support Administrator

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Hybrid working based at our Colindale Scientific Campus
Job Summary
We are seeking 3 x full time permanent and 2 x part-time (18.75 hours per week) permanent Senior Support Administrators to join the Laboratory Data Services Team at our Colindale Scientific Campus.
The Senior Support Administrators Will Be Required To:
- Provide administrative support to Reference Microbiology Services (RMS)
- Contribute to quality assurance of data entry
- Deputise for the Data Entry Supervisor in their absence
- Carry out Data Entry tasks on MOLIS as required
- Provide a Financial and Resource Management (FARM) service for Reference Microbiology (RM) as cover for staff absences as required
- Provide support for RM meetings e.g. note taking as cover for staff absences as required
Job Description
Administrative Duties
- Contribute to a telephone answering/triage service to ensure that all telephone calls to RM are dealt with efficiently and/or transferred to the appropriate member of RM staff using judgement and discretion, where necessary, and to refer complex matters to relevant senior members of Unit staff
- Ensure administrative support is provided to RM staff including assisting dealing with queries via telephone/email as necessary
- Be the point of contact for staff reporting in sick at the beginning of the day and ensuring that appropriate staff in RM are informed in a timely manner
- Responsible for briefing managers on staff absences, e.g., sickness, which will involve close liaison with Supervisors as appropriate
- Support the Operations Administrator and RM Operations Safety Manager after they have carried out quarterly Health and Safety inspections of the non-laboratory areas within RM; scan paperwork and file appropriately on relevant network drive as required
- Take part in the DART rota as required to support postal distribution of results
- Contribute to a “buddy” system with the EO (Band 5) Administrative Unit Leads to ensure familiarity with the key roles of the Team Administrative Lead roles and be confident in being able to cover tasks during periods of annual/sick leave
Data Entry Support
- Provide data entry support for Unit specific work using MOLIS (LIMS database)
- Ensure quality of work and undertake weekly/daily MOLIS housekeeping, as required and during times of surge due to increase in numbers of specimens
- Responsible for quality control of data input by Laboratory Support Administrators, checking work and ensuring all outputs are accurate prior to dispatch to users
- Retrieve information from MOLIS in order to liaise with hospitals and private labs to respond to or resolve any queries
General Duties
- Provide flexible administrative cover within RM
- Assist senior Unit staff in ensuring accreditation is maintained for all Units and contribute to achieving single accreditation for RM
Other
- Ensure that the laboratory equipment in the Units are reported to the RM Operations and Maintenance Team if not in good working condition or require a service engineer visit
It should be noted that the work of the RM division is of a confidential nature and must not be communicated to other persons except where required for authorised purposes.
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of these roles.
They will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required. The job descriptions and person specifications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.
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Administrative Duties
- Contribute to a telephone answering/triage service to ensure that all telephone calls to RM are dealt with efficiently and/or transferred to the appropriate member of RM staff using judgement and discretion, where necessary, and to refer complex matters to relevant senior members of Unit staff
- Ensure administrative support is provided to RM staff including assisting dealing with queries via telephone/email as necessary
- Be the point of contact for staff reporting in sick at the beginning of the day and ensuring that appropriate staff in RM are informed in a timely manner
- Responsible for briefing managers on staff absences, e.g., sickness, which will involve close liaison with Supervisors as appropriate
- Support the Operations Administrator and RM Operations Safety Manager after they have carried out quarterly Health and Safety inspections of the non-laboratory areas within RM; scan paperwork and file appropriately on relevant network drive as required
- Take part in the DART rota as required to support postal distribution of results
- Contribute to a “buddy” system with the EO (Band 5) Administrative Unit Leads to ensure familiarity with the key roles of the Team Administrative Lead roles and be confident in being able to cover tasks during periods of annual/sick leave
Data Entry Support
- Provide data entry support for Unit specific work using MOLIS (LIMS database)
- Ensure quality of work and undertake weekly/daily MOLIS housekeeping, as required and during times of surge due to increase in numbers of specimens
- Responsible for quality control of data input by Laboratory Support Administrators, checking work and ensuring all outputs are accurate prior to dispatch to users
- Retrieve information from MOLIS in order to liaise with hospitals and private labs to respond to or resolve any queries
General Duties
- Provide flexible administrative cover within RM
- Assist senior Unit staff in ensuring accreditation is maintained for all Units and contribute to achieving single accreditation for RM
Other
- Ensure that the laboratory equipment in the Units are reported to the RM Operations and Maintenance Team if not in good working condition or require a service engineer visit
It should be noted that the work of the RM division is of a confidential nature and must not be communicated to other persons except where required for authorised purposes.
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of these roles.
They will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required. The job descriptions and person specifications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- 3 GCSE’s or equivalent qualifications, one of which must be English language and/or relevant office experience
- Knowledge of Excel and Outlook (Microsoft Office) to intermediate level
- Good organisational skills with accuracy and eye for detail
Desirable Criteria
- Good interpersonal skills and team player
- High level of self-motivation
- Flexible and adaptable
- Willing to learn and acquire new skills through training as necessary
Alongside your salary of £29,613, UK Health Security Agency contributes £8,578 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- 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%


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We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Please visit our careers site for more information: Reasonable Adjustments, Civil Service Careers
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Selection process details
Application & Sift (Competency-based)
At sift stage you will be assessed against the 3 Essential Criteria listed in this job advert.
You Will Be Required To Complete:
- an Application Form (‘Employer/Activity history’ section on the application)
- a 750 word Supporting Statement - do not exceed 750 words as we will not consider any words over this amount
This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role. You will receive a joint score for your application form and supporting statement.
The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV – please be advised you will not be able to upload or email us your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible.
Longlisting
In the event of a large number of applications, we may longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all Essential Criteria
- Meets some Essential Criteria
- Meets no Essential Criteria
Only 'Meets all Essential Criteria' will progress to Shortlisting.
Shortlisting
In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift on the following Essential Criteria:
- Good organisational skills, with accuracy and eye for detail
Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/successful candidates.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview. Please note feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Interview (Competency-based)
You will be invited to a single face-to-face interview at our Colindale Scientific Campus in North London. Interview date(s) to be confirmed.
During the interview we will assess against the below in relation to the 3 Essential Criteria:
- Knowledge
- Experience
- Skills and Abilities
There will be a 10-minute administration assessment during your interview which will assess your speed and accuracy. Further details will be provided at the interview. No preparation is required.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your
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