Senior Scientist - Bacteriology & Aquatic Animal Health

Do you have a background in Microbiology and Bioinformatics?  Do you want a role with autonomy and have the freedom to shape your own future?

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced and motivated Senior Scientist to join the Bacteriology and Aquatic Animal Health team within the Animal Health Laboratory.  This fully funded, permanent role offers variety and unique opportunities to develop and enhance your career within a large and dynamic organisation.

About the Laboratory and team

The Animal Health Laboratory is part of the Operations Branch and is vital component of New Zealand’s biosecurity system.  It is New Zealand’s reference centre for exotic, new and emerging terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases and contains both PC2 and PC3+ laboratory facilities. We are ISO17025 accredited

This is an exciting time for the laboratory as construction has commenced on a new $87 million state-of-the art laboratory facility.  This major investment shows the value New Zealand’s government places on the work we undertake and will ensure we remain at the forefront internationally of microbial disease diagnostics (http://www.mpi.govt.nz/new-lab).

The Animal Health Laboratory is located in Upper Hutt and offers an excellent quality of life with a pleasant temperate climate, excellent outdoor activities, affordable living and close proximity to one of the world’s most vibrant small capital cities (http://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/).

The Bacteriology and Aquatic Animal Health team is a dedicated, high performing team that operate in a busy and varied environment to deliver our core work program supporting New Zealand’s biosecurity system and our stakeholders.

We have a broad remit that encompasses:

• International and domestic collaborations focussed on biosecurity
• Preparedness for biosecurity responses to high impact diseases
• Diagnostics for a wide range of exotic diseases of terrestrial and aquatic animals
• Operational research projects
• Reference service for commercial veterinary laboratories

We enjoy close working relationships across MPI and with a wide range of national and international agencies and laboratories.

Key skills and educational requirements

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with a PhD Microbiology or Veterinary Science and considerable post-graduate experience in animal health diagnostics and/or in classical bacteriology, molecular techniques and microbial genomics.

Our ideal candidate will have an excellent scientific track record and exceptional interpersonal skills.  We are looking for someone who is a team player and collaborator, effective communicator, adaptable, able to learn quickly, resilient and capable of independent working.

Responsibilities

This role represents an opportunity to develop and enhance your scientific leadership skills through direction and mentoring whilst driving innovation that will shape our future way of working.

Key responsibilities include:

• Oversee and conduct detailed diagnostic investigations on terrestrial and/or aquatic animals.  Liaise with MPI Incursion Investigators to obtain case histories and develop differential lists of pathogens. Determine appropriate routine and specialised laboratory/diagnostic test procedures to confirm diagnosis.
• Provide leadership to create a positive culture of engagement including training and mentoring of laboratory staff in aquatic and/or terrestrial animal diseases.
• Develop and manage operational research projects designed to improve laboratory testing capability, to survey for exotic diseases, and to understand pathogenesis and native species susceptibility.
• Provide expert scientific advice to stakeholders and represent New Zealand on international scientific working groups and committees.
• Maintain currency of knowledge in diagnostics, prepare scientific articles, represent at scientific meetings and build collaborative relationships.

The successful applicant must be able to obtain a “Confidential’ security clearance.  Please visit http://www.mpi.govt.nz/about-mpi/careers/apply/security-clearance for more information.

To view the position description and/or apply for the role (submitting a cover letter and current curriculum vitae), please click “APPLY NOW”.  For tracking and reporting purposes, all applications must be submitted through our online careers portal.

If you have any questions about the role, contact Carly Birse, Senior Recruitment Consultant on 021 719 928.