Your Career
Integrated COVID Hub North East
The integrated Covid hub is the first of its kind in the UK and is made up of three elements:
- A Lighthouse laboratory, which carries out Covid testing
- An innovation laboratory, which evaluates and validates new diagnostic technologies
- A coordination and response centre, which provides additional regional resource, insight and information to assist the pandemic response, working closely with local councils and Newcastle University.
The Lighthouse laboratory at Baltic Park in Gateshead significantly increases regional capacity for Covid testing and is currently processing around a million tests every month.
We really want local people to benefit from job opportunities at the Covid hub, which is managed by The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.
We are particularly keen to receive applications from:
- people from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background
- people living with disabilities, hidden or visible
- those who have lost their employment during this pandemic or who have been out of work for a period
- students, including those on sandwich years.
Please come and join our team and play an active role in helping us tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
To find out more about the roles we have in the Lighthouse lab and the Innovation lab please see below.
Our roles at the Lighthouse Lab @ Baltic Park, Gateshead
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A new high volume Covid testing ‘Lighthouse laboratory’ at Baltic Park in Gateshead, receiving swab samples from across the north east, north Cumbria, Yorkshire and Humberside
Healthcare Science Associate
Will work as part of the laboratory team and carry out varied tasks including preparing specimens, RNA extraction and data manipulation using the laboratory computer system. (Educated to Foundation Degree level in Health Care Science or equivalent level qualification)
Team Leader
Supervises and trains the support staff, organising their day-to-day activities and arranging rotas, as well as carries out a variety of laboratory duties, including sample receipt, sorting, unpacking, stock control, data entry and primary specimen preparation plus some basic laboratory tests. Also monitors workflow dashboards taking appropriate action if warning flags occur. (Experience of supervising staff/educated to Foundation Degree level OR equivalent qualification OR has the equivalent level of experience)
Laboratory Support Worker
Carries out a variety of laboratory duties including sample receipt, sorting, unpacking, stock control, data entry and primary specimen preparation plus some basic laboratory tests. (No qualifications or previous experience required)
Laboratory Manager
Reporting to the Director of Laboratory Operations, the Laboratory Manager will be responsible for managing all functions in the lab, providing specialised scientific knowledge to assess, plan and contribute to the provision of a specialised service. (Educated to BSc BMS degree level or equivalent/HCPC/FIBMS or MSc in BMS or equivalent qualification or level of knowledge/previous experience as Manager in an NHS diagnostic laboratory)
Operational Manager
Will be responsible for the operational management of staff within the lab and will provide specialised scientific knowledge. Also ensuring laboratory diagnostic tests and procedures are performed accurately and efficiently. (Educated to BSc in BMS level or equivalent/HCPC/MSc, FIBMS or equivalent level of knowledge)
Senior Scientist (Registered)
Will have technical charge of a section of the laboratory and will be responsible for organising the work. Will also be required to lead on specific management functions such as training, quality and IT or working on assay validation. In liaison with the senior scientific team and Laboratory Manager, the post holder is responsible for the production of results within specified turnaround times. (Educated to BSc (Hons) degree level in relevant science subject or equivalent qualification/MSc, FIBMS, MPhil, PhD or equivalent level of knowledge/HCPC Registered)
Senior Scientist
Will have technical charge of a section of the laboratory and will be responsible for organising the work. Will also be required to lead on specific management functions such as training, quality and IT or have specific roles in the Innovation Centre or working on assay validation. In liaison with the senior scientific team and Laboratory Manager, the post holder is responsible for the production of results within specified turnaround times. This post rotates between the Lighthouse and Innovation Laboratories. (Educated to BSc (Hons) degree level in relevant science subject or equivalent qualification/MSc, FIBMS, MPhil, PhD or equivalent level of knowledge)
Inventory Manager
Will manage four teams of Inventory Management Officers, responsible for receipt, distribution and storage relating to all Baltic Park laboratory activity. Also ensuring that targets are met in respect of all inventory activities and that goods are ordered, progressed and delivered in a timely manner. (Holding an appropriate Professional Purchasing qualification, NVQ 4 (Purchasing), CIPS, or equivalent experience )
Inventory Team Leader
Will manage a shift of Inventory Management Officers, responsible for receipt, distribution and storage relating to all Baltic Park laboratory activity. Also ensuring that targets are met by the teams in respect of all inventory activities and ensuring effective. (Holding an appropriate Professional Purchasing qualification, NVQ 4 (Purchasing), CIPS, or equivalent experience)
Inventory Officer
Will provide a replenishment service, distributing and storing goods within the laboratory facility, whilst using the NHS Supply Chain computer system. (Will be able to demonstrate a good level of basic education)
Our roles at the Innovation Lab @ Biosphere, Newcastle Helix
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An Innovation lab based in the Biosphere at Newcastle Helix. This will have the flexibility to accommodate new technologies and methods in developing the next stage of Covid science, including a specialist lab tailored for the commercialisation of innovative discoveries.
Head of Innovation Laboratory
Responsible for establishing and vision and managing the strategy for the Innovation Centre. The post holder will have overall accountability for running the Innovation Centre. (Degree level education supplemented by post graduate study and management or clinical experience to Master’s Degree level or equivalent)
Commercial Business Manager
Working as a senior member of the Innovation Centre, the post holder will play a key role in establishing a COVID Diagnostic and Innovation Centre that will provide an end to end service, linking the development needs of Industry with the capability and assets of the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust to enable rapid adoption of molecular diagnostics into high volume testing facilities. (Degree level education supplemented by postgraduate qualifications or significant relevant experience)
Principal Scientist
Will work as part of a team who are collectively responsible for the day to day running of the Innovation Centre. This will include evaluation and assessment of new technologies and molecular assays, horizon scanning for new technologies, liaison with external industry and academic partners, and internal Trust clinicians. (Degree level education, supplemented by Masters level study in Molecular or Biomedical Science or equivalent level experience)
Senior Scientist
Will rotate between both the Biosphere and the Covid Hub Laboratory having technical charge of a section of the laboratory and will be responsible for organising and participating in the work of the laboratory, ensuring that work is carried out to agreed standards and a high quality. (Educated to BSc (Hons) degree level in relevant science subject or equivalent qualification/MSc, FIBMS, MPhil, PhD or equivalent level of knowledge)
Healthcare Science Associate Practitioner
Part of the clinical support team for the Innovation Centre whose primary purpose is to oversee all aspects of bio banking, specimen preparation and running of laboratory assays. (Educated to NVQ4 level, or Foundation Degree in Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities, or equivalent level experience)
Phlebotomist
To perform venepuncture blood collection as requested and to ensure blood samples are labelled correctly in line with Trust recommendations. (No qualifications or previous experience required)
Our roles at the Coordination & Response Centre @ Lumen Building, Newcastle
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A Coordination & Response Centre (CRC) based in the Lumen building at Newcastle Helix. This centre brings together information, data and specialist knowledge from the NHS, local councils and other partners to identify patterns of virus spread and support timely,effective management of potential or actual outbreaks.
Research Associate (Diagnostic Evaluation Healthcare Scientist)
Working as a senior member of the Innovation Lab, the post holder will play a key role in establishing a COVID Diagnostic and Innovation Lab that will provide an end to end service, linking the development needs of Industry with the capability and assets of the Newcastle Hospital Foundation Trust to enable rapid adoption of molecular diagnostics into high volume testing facilities. (Will hold a relevant postgraduate level qualification to a minimum of masters level with substantial work experience in evaluating medical devices and clinical test)
CRC Coordinator
The post holder will support the CRC Management Team to implement and embed CRC initiative across the NE region.
CRC Support Officer
Responsible for the health promotion services throughout the NE region, working in close liaison with Regional Local Authorities (LAs), Public Health England and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies to ensure that local and national health priorities and health inequalities are addressed. (Educated to Degree level or an equivalent qualification or equivalent level of experience)