About the job

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for 4 Agricultural Officers to join the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate) in the Perth (3) and Ayr (1) Area Offices.

RPID teams of professional agricultural, customer service and administrative staff are based in a network of 17 offices located around rural Scotland.  These teams manage the implementation of agricultural, environmental and rural policies, process applications for funding and provide high quality customer service.

Within the Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) Directorate, the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) are accountable for the strategic process that regulates and oversees the payment of Agricultural grants and subsidies and related inspection regimes totalling £700m/annum.

As an Agricultural Officer, you will perform a key role in the work of the Division and will be a primary point of contact for farmers and the rural community. You will be engaged in a wide variety of duties, many of an outdoor nature, including visits to farms to carry out inspections. Our inspections may involve working in a livestock environment, verifying land eligibility in diverse landscapes and assessing growing crop plant health in the field. The varied role of an Agricultural Officer may also involve elements of desk-based processing and engaging directly with customers and stakeholders from the rural sector in order to provide valuable support to the Scottish agricultural industry.

It is important to note that this role includes carrying out site visits to diverse types of agricultural establishments, often over extensive and difficult terrain and in all weather conditions. Experience of crossing this type of land and a willingness to undertake these visits are prerequisites for the post.

This vacancy contributes towards the Scottish Government National Outcome ‘Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people's needs. For information on Scottish Government National Outcomes visit this Website.

Mandatory qualification for this role is a driving licence.  Please indicate in your application that you hold this qualification.

Job description

• Visit farms to inspect and measure land using GPS equipment.
• Inspect cattle and sheep and associated records to confirm traceability and cross compliance requirements.
• Office based processing of claims under the Single Application Form (SAF). This will include interpreting mapping data and other forms of evidence to check eligibility of claims.
• Assess applications from land managers under our Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).
• Inspect growing crops of cereals and seed potatoes to ensure they meet classification standards.
• Assess applications from farmers under our capital grant schemes. 

Person specification

1.  Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders.

2.  Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to produce clear and concise written material.

3.  Demonstrate a practical experience of working in agriculture, crofting, land management or a related rural discipline and an understanding of farming practices in Scotland.

4.  Proven and current experience using a wide range of IT Packages including Microsoft Office.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,140, Scottish Government contributes £8,407 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Sift and Interview dates TBC
Please apply using the link provided

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.