About the job

Job summary

DEFRA is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.  

Our team’s remit is responsible for improving transparency in the agri-food chain, improving the negotiating power of the farmers that work hard to keep us fed.  

This will be a fast-paced role in a priority policy area for Defra; the first of its kind in an area with a vital remit for British industry and consumers

Job description

This role is flexible working and is part-time with the potential to expand to full-time.

This will be a fast-paced role in a priority policy area for Defra and requires a candidate with the experience to establish a brand new function of this kind.You will need to hit the ground running in understanding the sector and its key players, and the new statutory powers of this office. Influence and authority will be vital in encouraging compliance with the new legislation. You
will personally be the face of the enforcement office and will make binding decisions independently, but on behalf of Ministers.

You will lead a new office dedicated to reviewing allegations of non- compliance with the regulations. You will discharge adjudicatory authority where required, on behalf of the Secretary of State, and may issue financial penalties where you deem it necessary.
While the initial focus of the role will be compliance with the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations, the role will expand to encompass similar regulations in the UK Pig sector (due to be introduced later in 2024), and potential expansion into Eggs and Fresh Produce.

Initially, the role will be on the basis of 2 or 3 working days, with the potential to increase to full time. This can be a flexible arrangement, although must accommodate senior management and external engagement requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Building relationships with industry through a proactive advocacy role. Publicising the new requirements introduced by the regulations.
• Overseeing the operation of the enforcement office.
• Undertaking initial market intelligence activities and reporting insights and trends to departmental and ministerial leads.
• Issuing guidance relating to how the legal text of the regulations should be interpreted and providing advice on compliance.
• Issuing statutory guidance on how fines will be calculated and issued in the event of a finding of non-compliance.
• Investigating complaints and making the final decisions as to whether a dairy processor has breached the regulations and whether to issue a penalty.
• Compiling an annual report (which may be published) covering enforcement activities, investigations, trends and issues.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Ability to build positive, influential relationships with industry to encourage compliance with the regulations.
• Ability to review complex evidence and determine whether there has been a regulatory breach.
• Experience in producing high-quality documents that simplify legal concepts into clear and concise guidance for industry.
• Experience working independently and supporting a team when making potentially contentious decisions.y
• An in-depth understanding of statutory regulation and its enforcement.
• The ability to shape and define a new organisational function, ready to expand into other agricultural sectors, building capacity and capability.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in commercial law or contractual dealings, including the issuing of contracts that meet a regulatory standard.
• Knowledgeable in workings of the agri-food chain, with experience / insight into
  agri-food role(s) in production, processing, manufacture, food service or retail.

The successful candidate will undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard and should be prepared to undertake Counter Terrorist Check clearance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £20,250 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

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process no later than 23:55pm on Wednesday 6
March 2024.

All applications must be submitted using the link www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe108924

You will be asked to submit the following:

1. Some basic personal information collected by the online system.
2. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons
for any gaps within the last two years
3. A Statement of Suitability, (max 2 pages, minimum font size 11) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities
and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person
specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked several diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide
a declaration on any of the characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'.

Failure to submit both a CV and Statement of Suitability will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your
application against the criteria in the person specification. Your application will be acknowledged by GatenbySanderson.
Please ensure that both documents contain your full name. The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which
decisions are expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.
If you are unable to apply online, or have any issues with the online application process, please contact: emma.clark@gatenbysanderson.com

For an informal conversation about the role and your suitability, please contact Matt Malone, of our recruitment consultants, GatenbySanderson, at matt.malone@gatenbysanderson.com.

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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.