The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a small government department with a big mission: to keep food safe, ensure that it is what it says it is, and that it is increasingly healthy and more sustainable. As well as working proactively to deliver this remit, we have to be ready to react to incidents that threaten food safety across the UK.

We are hiring a Business Change Manager who can support the wider organisation by embedding our change plan and ensure consistency in our work to deliver ‘food you can trust’. You will be an expert in supporting the implementation of change and delivering work within a project environment.

Collaboration will play a key part in your success, and you’ll be a talented communicator who can build relationships and influence business perspectives. Your understanding of the bigger picture will enable you to recognise issues and areas that need focused attention, and you’ll be able to offer valuable insights that enable your colleagues to adapt to necessary change and build upon their existing successes.

This role offers an opportunity for you to shape the way we embed change within the FSA, and you’ll be adept at working at pace to make a real change within the organisation.

If you are a looking for an opportunity to make a difference that has real-world benefits, and can use your stakeholder management skills to help colleagues across the FSA embrace positive change, apply today and join us as a Business Change Manager.

Please read before applying

This post is a temporary Fixed Term/Loan appointment until 28/02/25 with the possibility, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency.

Candidates that are already established Civil Servants or from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this vacancy.

Note for FSA employees

You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any non-permanent vacancy, this includes applying for a new post during an existing temporary posting.  Please note that if applying for a temporary post within the FSA or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent).

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. 

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential and desirable criteria. (Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie between candidates).

Essential criteria

Experience

·         Lead criteria: Well-developed stakeholder management skills and experience of successfully building influential and collaborative relationships to enable delivery of significant business change outcomes at pace   

·         Experience of working within a project environment and using standard PPM (Programme and Project Management) tools and techniques (planning, risk/dependency management etc) to effectively manage project activity to time cost and quality

·         Experience of understanding and influencing business perspectives and aligning approaches with wider project strategy

·         Demonstrable experience of business change management, implementing business change using various frameworks, methodologies, models and theories

Desirable criteria (Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie between candidates).

Experience   

·         Evidence of developing and delivering creative and effective communications to multiple audiences, often in ambiguity, creating a narrative that maximises adoption and acceptance

Lead Criteria An initial sift may take place on just the identified Lead Criteria indicated.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Technical requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours Level 3

Behaviours

·         Seeing the Big Picture

·         Communicating and Influencing

·         Delivering at Pace

Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack.

Technical

·         Business Change and Implementation (Practitioner Level)

·         Stakeholder Engagement (Working Level)

Please see link to the Project Delivery Capability Framework for further information on the technical competencies.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65561f36046ed4000d8b9a33/PDCF-V3.pdf

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 10/04/24

Sift: Expected to take place 11/04/24

Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 22/04/24

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

The FSA is dedicated to a policy of equal opportunity for all.

Being truly reflective of our society and building a culture where everyone can perform at their best is critical to the work of the FSA. We are looking to recruit from the widest possible talent pool and encourage candidates to apply from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer and are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment and selection process and beyond. All appointments are made on merit.

Please be assured that diversity or socio–economic information requested during the course of your application plays absolutely no part in our selection processes and is not seen by anyone assessing applications.  Any information provided is anonymised and used for statistical purposes only.

We actively review the deployment of talent on a periodic basis in the interests of optimising personal development and the achievement of business plans.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.

Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reserve List

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Candidates that do not pass the interview, but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas.