Technical Authority - Controls & Instrumentation

Job summary

Reporting directly to the Head of Site, the Controls and Instrumentation role serves as the technical authority for the site's Control and Instrumentation (C&I) systems and assets. The role is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable and efficient operation of critical national infrastructure within a large and complex scientific research facility in Colindale. Due to the nature of the position, the role is site-based.

The postholder will translate complex technical information into clear, concise and accessible information for a wide range of stakeholders, providing assurance that C&I assets are being effectively maintained and managed throughout their lifecycle. Building and maintaining strong relationships across the organisation will be essential, particularly with scientific and operational stakeholders, to ensure confidence in the performance, reliability and resilience of critical systems and services.

The role requires excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage, influence and collaborate with individuals at all levels of the organisation, often balancing differing priorities and perspectives. The successful candidate will be a member of a recognised professional engineering institution, such as the IET or IMechE, and will either hold Chartered Engineer status or be actively working towards professional registration.

Working for your organisation

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 https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Job description

• Support the safe and reliable operation of critical national infrastructure by ensuring essential C&I assets are maintained, monitored, and improved in line with business and operational requirements.
• Act as the technical authority for Control and Instrumentation (C&I) systems, providing expert advice and assurance on the operation, maintenance, performance, and lifecycle management of critical assets.
• Translate complex technical information into clear, practical guidance for engineering, operational, scientific, and senior management stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making at all levels.
• Develop, implement, and maintain asset lifecycle strategies for C&I systems, including condition assessment, maintenance optimisation, obsolescence management, asset renewal planning, and business case development.
• Proactively identify, assess, and manage engineering risks, ensuring appropriate mitigation measures are implemented and that emerging risks are effectively recorded, communicated, escalated, and monitored.
• Develop, review, and improve engineering standards, procedures, specifications, and maintenance strategies, ensuring compliance with UKHSA policies, statutory requirements, and industry best practice.
• Provide technical leadership and support for maintenance activities, including installation, commissioning, inspection, calibration, fault diagnosis, repair, and modification of C&I systems.
• Support capital projects and infrastructure improvement programmes, providing specialist engineering input throughout project development, design review, installation, testing, commissioning, and handover
• Prepare and review technical documentation, including engineering specifications, reports, risk assessments, method statements, operating procedures, and performance analyses
• Maintain the highest standards of health, safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance, ensuring engineering activities are planned and executed in accordance with relevant legislation, site procedures, and industry standards.
• Undertake and review risk assessments and safe systems of work, ensuring hazards are identified, controlled, and communicated effectively to all parties involved.
• Ensure compliance with UKHSA engineering policies, statutory requirements, and industry best practice, maintaining the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of C&I assets.
• Provide technical oversight of maintenance activities, including installation, commissioning, calibration, fault diagnosis, repair, and lifecycle replacement of C&I systems.
• Manage and provide technical assurance for Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS) assets, ensuring alignment with ISA/IEC 62443 principles and HSE guidance.
• Provide specialist engineering input to strategic planning, capital projects, and infrastructure developments to support current and future operational needs.
• Develop and continuously improve engineering standards, procedures, and maintenance strategies, ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational requirements.
• Analyse asset performance and maintenance data to drive continuous improvement, optimise reliability, and improve asset resilience and value.
• Act as the subject matter expert for Control and Instrumentation systems, providing technical advice and assurance to engineering, scientific, and project teams.
• Build effective relationships with stakeholders, communicating complex technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Please note the above list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Degree, HNC/HND, or equivalent qualification in Control & Instrumentation, Electrical, Electronic, Automation, or a related engineering discipline.
• Membership of a recognised professional engineering institution (e.g. IET, IChemE, IMechE) with Chartered Engineer status, or demonstrable progress towards chartership.
• Knowledge of Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS), including awareness of operational technology cyber security principles and associated risks.
• Significant experience managing and maintaining complex engineering assets within a regulated, industrial, scientific, or critical infrastructure environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of Control and Instrumentation systems, including maintenance, fault finding, commissioning, and asset performance improvement.
• Experience of developing and managing engineering risk assessments, method statements, technical procedures, maintenance documentation, and engineering reports.
• Sound knowledge of relevant health, safety, and statutory compliance requirements, with experience of maintaining safe systems of work and ensuring engineering activities are delivered in accordance with legislative and organisational standards.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,494, UK Health Security Agency contributes £17,525 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%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 7 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1500 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting

In the event of a large number of applications, we will longlist into 3 piles of:

1. Meets all essential criteria
2. Meets some essential criteria
3. Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we will conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Degree, HNC/HND, or equivalent qualification in Control & Instrumentation, Electrical, Electronic, Automation, or a related engineering discipline.
• Knowledge of Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS), including awareness of operational technology cyber security principles and associated risks.
• Strong technical knowledge of Control and Instrumentation systems, including maintenance, fault finding, commissioning, and asset performance improvement.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Competency Based

You will be invited to a single face to face interview at UKHSA Colindale 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ

When face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Knowledge,experience,skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

There will be a Presentation of no more than 15 minutes.

'What would you consider when developing and delivering a BMS upgrade strategy within a live healthcare environment, where maintaining operational continuity and resilience is critical? Please consider IACS, system dependencies, risks, mitigations and the transition from the existing to the future system.'

Interview dates are yet to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as office based at our Scientific Campus in Colindale.

When based at our scientific campus, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. In exceptional circumstances UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Please note, hybrid working is not available for this role.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Counter-Terrorist Check.

Eligibility Criteria

This vacancy is open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service as well as internal applicants.

If this role is fixed term and you are not currently a Civil Servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment; you may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. Loans are normally agreed for a period of two years. However, this may be extended where required, subject to agreement between UKHSA and your home department. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. If this role is permanent, it may also be available as a loan (for existing Civil Servants only) or secondment arrangement, subject to business need and agreement from the hiring manager and, where applicable, the employee's home organisation.

Reserve List

If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Incident Response Activity

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day-to-day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see:Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil
Service here: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud Check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Charlene Gwekwerere
• Email : charlene.gwekwerere@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Visit the Civil Service Commission website for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/8357071