Employing consultant clinical scientists

The College provides a free service to review and endorse job descriptions for consultant clinical scientist appointments, to arrange assessors to attend appointment committees, and provides guidance on the process from job planning to recruitment of consultant clinical scientists.

Requesting a job description review or College assessor

Job descriptions

We offer a centralised service of review and endorsement of job descriptions. An experienced College staff member will review the draft job description against the relevant model job description. These job descriptions have been created by the College in conjunction with the relevant Specialty Advisory Committees (SAC), and are used to:

ensure the job description contains the proper balance of clinical, academic and where relevant, research and managerial activities
check there are sufficient support and facilities to enable these activities to be performed.

Once we have received your job description, we will acknowledge receipt and provide initial comments. A College assessor will be contacted when required. The College will respond to your request with suggestions for modification or an endorsement of the job description.

Please submit your job description at least 15 working days before it is needed to allow sufficient time for review and approval.

College assessors

We can provide a College assessor to attend your appointment committee. College assessors have a vital role on an appointment committee as a spokesperson who advises on the candidates suitability for the post.

If you have requested an assessor for your AAC, we will identify a suitable representative based on their experience and qualifications, as well as their availability. We will then provide you with their contact details in order for you to liaise with them directly.

Please request a College assessor at least 8 weeks prior to the interview date to ensure sufficient time to secure an assessor. You must supply the date, time, venue and pathology specialty required in the request.

CCS employment guidance

Guidance on the appointment of consultant clinical scientists in microbiology and virology to employing bodies in the UK (2025)

This updated guidance supports the appointment of consultant clinical scientists to consultant posts in microbiology and virology across the UK. Developed collaboratively by the College, the Association for Laboratory Medicine (LabMed) and the British Infection Association (BIA), it reflects current workforce challenges and the increasing role of clinical scientists in consultant positions. The guidance provides practical advice for employing bodies, covering all stages of the appointment process – from job description to interview – and includes microbiology- and virology-specific considerations. It is intended to support employers in appointing high-quality candidates to consultant posts.

Guidance on the appointment of consultant level clinical scientists to employing bodies in the UK (2014)

This guidance is currently under review.

The historical version provides an overview of the appointment process for consultant clinical scientists posts in pathology across the UK, covering all stages, from preparation of the job description to conducting interviews.