About the job

Job summary

Do you want a role safeguarding standards of animal and plant health and welfare?

This role is a unique development opportunity. It is an ideal position for able and ambitious candidates who are looking to expand and refine their skill set in a demanding environment. 

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice, and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact, and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.

The purpose of the job is to provide support to Veterinary staff within the Veterinary Investigation Centre’s Post Mortem Room. Also to support the Parasitology, Salmonella and Gamma Interferon departments, though the role is primarily based in the post mortem room.

Job description

To carry out any duties commensurate within the grade and purpose of the post including, but not  limited to the following:

• General support.
• Responsibility for the receipt of carcasses/live animals and preparation of carcasses for veterinary inspection, including weighing, skinning, opening body cavities, removal of viscera as required.
• Ensuring appropriate disposal of carcass and other clinical, laboratory and animal waste.
• Assisting veterinary staff with euthanasia where necessary.
• Assisting veterinary staff with carcass sampling and recordings of findings, including collection of instruments/trays for sampling.
• Prepare and process smears on to suitable media, including smear reading as required.
• Bench side tests relating to Post Mortems to include microscopy, ZN and MZN smears.
• Responsibility for the storage, archiving and retention of samples.
• Ensuring samples are collected, collated, appropriately packed and dispatched to other processing centres as required.
• To carry out statutory sampling such as BSE, Scrapie and poultry sampling.
• To complete necessary paperwork accurately, maintain laboratory records.
• Monitor and maintain relevant stocks and sundries, ordering of media and other consumables as needed.
• To carry out cleaning and disinfection routines, including sterilisation and fumigation of the equipment used within the laboratory and PM room.
• Monitor and maintain cold stores, safety cabinets, balances, fridges and other equipment used within the laboratory and PM room, including arranging servicing of equipment as required, carrying out calibration and reporting malfunctions or other discrepancies to line manager, ensuring the safety of equipment.

You may also be required to support the following departments; 

Parasitology:

• To be responsible for the receipt of samples into the centre, including opening of post and booking in samples.
• carrying out parasitological techniques for the identification and enumeration of various ecto and endoparasites.           
• Preparation of reagents, sterile/clean equipment.
• Staining for specific organisms, such as Cryptosporidia and Toxoplasma

 Gamma Interferon:

• Ensure all samples received for gamma testing are processed as efficiently as possible.
• Ensure reagents and consumables records are maintained. 
• Register submissions on to the LIMS system.
• Carry out sensitisation/harvesting and ELISA testing.

Salmonella:

• Isolation and Serotyping of Salmonella from routine diagnostic material.

Health and safety:

• Contributing to a positive safety culture by following APHA safety policies and procedures.
• Understanding and following controls in risk assessments.
• Ensuring equipment maintenance duties are carried out in all areas of the laboratory.
• Participate in contingency exercises and other safety training.
• Participate in safety audits/ inspections to support the local safety manager.

Quality:

• Accurate record keeping.
• Working to Standard Operating Procedures.
• Working to quality standards (ISO 17025).
• Participate in proficiency testing schemes.
• Participate in audits to support the local quality manager.
• Keeping line management informed of problems/ anomalies.

Administration Support

• To assist with general administrative duties within the centre and across the wider Department to include telephone duties, use of APHA bespoke IT systems, dealing with enquiries etc.

Outbreak Response

• Flexible to adapt to changing situations within the Regional Laboratory and prepared to support other parts of APHA in the event of an outbreak.

Person specification

Experience and skills:

You will need to demonstrate the following:

 We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following essential experience and skills.

• Well-organised and be able to respond to competing priorities, adapting skills and resources to changing circumstances.
• A team player, working well with others but can carry out individual tasks as required with the minimum of supervision.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Proactive in their approach to work.
• Accuracy inputting data and storing of records.
• Be physically fit.
• Experience of using Microsoft packages Outlook, Excel, Word
• Customer service focused.
• Previous experience of working with Carcasses or livestock.

This post requires you to be working in the Laboratory five days per week. Flexibility in working hours may be required if called upon to finish a particular urgent task or call upon in an event of an outbreak. The post is full-time, we may consider two part-time staff on a job-share basis if continuity can be arranged. The role is based at Carmarthen due to the nature of the role and duties required. Travel may be required to various different locations around the country for example for training courses and meetings.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £23,811, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £6,428 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application Process

As part of the assessment process, you will be asked to give examples of Behaviors using the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format. You will also be asked to complete a CV and personal statement:

• CV – you should include details of qualifications, career history, skills and experience.
• Personal statement – In a maximum of 500 words, please demonstrate how you are suited to this role. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

If successful for an interview, you will be assessed on your Experience and Behaviors.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, "Delivering at Pace". Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates as well as the interview location to be confirmed.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on your experience and behaviours.

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s)

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

This post requires you to be working in the Laboratory five days per week.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Salary

New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. 

Full Time Only 

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

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.