The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1400 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.

At the same time as Britain was preparing to leave the EU, we also found ourselves facing up to the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again, the UK public has been afforded a look at the way incidents impacts our food which can be felt by all. It is important, then, that we have in place plans that allow us to deal with whatever incidents might affect food safety.

Whether it is a major national crisis, like the pandemic, or smaller, more localised incidents, it is important that we are prepared at all times to ensure food is safe and what is says it is.

The role of the Business Continuity and Resilience Planner is to be a proactive force in the creation and development of the FSA’s emergency preparedness, capability and capacity. Developing response plans and taking lessons from previous incidents, as well as Agency exercises, the successful candidate will make recommendations that impact the way the Agency responds to challenges in the future.

Through collaborating with Agency colleagues and external stakeholders, you’ll seek to ensure we are prepared for any emergency or business continuity event we might face - providing training so that everyone knows their role and validating these arrangements through exercising.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative worker who is also able to take ownership of problems when necessary, working hard to ensure objectives are reached. You will excel as a communicator who can persuade and extol the values of our preparedness to colleagues across the Agency, as well as our external stakeholders. Above all else, you will have a clear vision of the big picture yourself and be decisive in moving our efforts in the right direction. If you believe this is you, we await your application eagerly.

Security Clearance

Please note that the successful candidate will only need to clear basic checks in order to commence employment with the FSA.  However, there is the expectation that the successful candidate will be willing to work towards achieving SC clearance once in the role, in order to carry out the full range of responsibilities.

Professional Qualification

Although it’s desirable that candidates will hold a recognised professional Business Continuity qualification, this is not essential.  Should the successful candidate not currently hold this qualification, we’ll support you in achieving it once you commence employment with the FSA.

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).

Experience

1.       Lead criteria: Experience of working in a Business Continuity role.   

2.      Experience of working quickly, accurately, and effectively at all levels with minimum supervision to improve and implement effective and streamlined resilience approaches and initiatives.

3.      Proven experience of making things happen through influencing others by providing advice, guidance, and support (both in writing and verbally).

4.      Experience of building and maintaining productive working relationships at all levels with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

5.      Experience of identifying priorities and grasping key points at pace, and of implementing appropriate processes/responses.

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 Civil Service Behaviours Level 3

Behaviours

·         Seeing the Big Picture

·         Making Effective Decisions

·         Communicating and Influencing

·         Delivering at Pace

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

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 18/02/24

Sift: Expected to take place w/c 19/02/24

Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 04/03/24

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.

As UKSV SC is required for this role, please confirm you have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 of the last 5 years (or have extenuating circumstances e.g. have been serving abroad with HM Armed Forces).

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) Requirements (SC)

Appointment will be subject to the candidate having, or being able to achieve, National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) level.

All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years (although there are some exceptions e.g. if you have been serving abroad with HM Armed Forces).

Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.

Checks will be made against:

·        a departmental/company records check which will include, for example personal files, staff reports, sick leave returns and security records

·        a check of both spent and unspent criminal records

·        a check of credit and financial history with a credit reference agency

·        a check of Security Service (MI5) records

·        exceptionally, if there are any unresolved security concerns about the individual, or if recommended by the Security Service, the individual may also be interviewed

·        in the event of any unresolved financial concerns, the individual may also be required to complete a separate financial questionnaire so that a full review of personal finances can be carried out

·        checks may extend to third parties included on the security questionnaire.

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.