Science Advice - Wastewater-Based Surveillance Lead

Location: National*

Closing Date: 22nd April 2026

Interviews: Week commencing 11^th May 2026 (subject to change)

Grade 7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary:

National £58,511 - £65,329
London £63,343 - £70,725

Working pattern: Full time, Part time, Flexible Working

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 16493

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS) Lead here at Justice Digital, Data and Science to be part of our warm and collaborative Science Office.

This is a strategic science leadership role with direct responsibility for delivering MoJ’s WBS Research & Development (R&D) programme. Supported by a G7 Project Manager, the post holder will lead all aspects of WBS across MoJ and HMPPS, providing scientific oversight, operational coordination, stakeholder leadership, and capability development. They will manage delivery of research and operational trials, guide innovation in method development, and ensure the programme contributes to national surveillance goals. Reporting to the Grade 6 Head of Science Advice, they will work closely with policy, operational, commercial, and scientific partners, including external laboratories, universities, other departments, and delivery bodies.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is a fast-developing scientific capability that can be used to detect signals of illicit substances and health-related biomarkers in wastewater samples from prison and community settings. MoJ has moved from an advisory role to a leadership role in this programme. The Science Office will be accountable for end-to-end scientific governance and delivery, including shaping future direction, designing R&D trials, assuring quality, and demonstrating impact.

The MoJ Science Office sits within Justice Digital, Data and Science (JDDS) group, and is led by MoJ Chief Scientific Adviser, Hugh Stickland. We are the MoJ's centre of expertise for science, R&D strategy, foresight and emerging technology, ensuring that decision making across the justice system is informed by robust evidence, scientific thinking, and forward-looking insight. Our work brings together futures and horizon scanning, deep-subject specialism in natural and behavioural sciences, and the responsible application of new and emerging technologies to address current challenges and support long term, strategic decision making.

As a team we are collaborative, outward facing, and impact driven. We operate as an open innovation unit working closely with other government departments, the Government Office for Science, regulators, academics and industry partners to bring fresh thinking and robust insight into the heart of MoJ.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and lead the end-to-end delivery of the MoJ’s WBS programme, including governance, planning, delivery, assurance, and reporting.
• Shape the scientific strategy for WBS, including alignment with wider surveillance priorities across government, articulating this to senior stakeholders to secure buy-in
• Lead design and implementation of new wastewater methodologies, pilots, and intervention trials.
• Act as the primary point of contact for internal and external WBS stakeholders, including senior HMPPS leaders, commercial suppliers, academic partners, and cross-government departments.
• Oversee the development of programme plans, risk registers, and budget tracking systems.
• Lead troubleshooting and quality assurance processes, including validation of laboratory methods and interpretation of complex data.
• Translate technical findings into actionable policy and operational insights for decision-makers.
• Represent the MoJ in cross-government WBS discussions and scientific fora.
• Line manage/ task manage up to 3 staff (G7 project manager, SEOs and HEOs) and contribute to leadership of the wider Science Office.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Benefits

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms
• Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024
• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
• Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
• 5 days volunteering paid leave.
• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym

Person Specification

Essential

• Strong experience leading end-to-end scientific or technical projects with relevance to public health and/ or environmental science, effectively managing budget and risk while setting the overall vision to drive maximum impact for end users.
• Excellent communication and leadership, with experience managing complex stakeholder relationships across different organisations, as well as managing a diverse team.
• Strong scientific and strategic judgement, balancing subject matter expertise with the needs of different groups and ensuring that decision making is underpinned by robust scientific advice that non-experts can easily engage with.

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV and 750-word personal statement which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement

Application Guidance

In MoJ, we recruit using a combination of the Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

• Changing and improving
• Communicating and influencing

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on strong experience leading end-to-end scientific or technical projects with relevance to public health and/or environmental science, effectively managing budget and risk while setting the overall vision to drive maximum impact for end users will be conducted before the sift

When sifting applications, we’ll be assessing candidates based on the following criteria:

• Strong experience leading end-to-end scientific or technical projects with relevance to public health and/ or environmental science, effectively managing budget and risk while setting the overall vision to drive maximum impact for end users.
• Excellent communication and leadership, with experience managing complex stakeholder relationships across different organisations, as well as managing a diverse team.
• Strong scientific and strategic judgement, balancing subject matter expertise with the needs of different groups and ensuring that decision making is underpinned by robust scientific advice that non-experts can easily engage with.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk