About the job

Job summary

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking for a Chief Executive who can lead the delivery of our mission of ‘food you can trust’.  You'll be responsible for a broad range of work that ensures consumers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have access to food that is safe and what it says it is, as well as supporting wider government priorities for food that is healthier and more sustainable.

Job description

Everybody eats, and our science and evidence-based work impacts food on tables across the country. Reporting to the FSA Chair, you will be leading a non-ministerial government department and industry regulator with responsibility for the safety and standards of food and animal feed, tackling serious food crime, and developing policies to improve the food system. You will provide advice to Ministers in England, Wales and NI, and work in partnership with Local Authorities. 

You’ll be a talented and energetic leader who can champion our values within the organisation and with our stakeholders. You will need to combine strategic insights  with a sharp focus on delivery, allocating resources appropriately across a broad variety of priorities and empowering our teams to deliver effective and consistent work. You will have experience in managing change and be an advocate for continuous improvement in delivery and efficiency. You need to understand how to get the best from the food industry so that it delivers in the interests of consumers.  

Communication will be key to your success in the role, including representing the FSA in the media and inspiring trust among consumers. You will be the public face of the FSA’s executive, engaging with senior government figures, international counterparts and stakeholders both in the UK and overseas and accountable to the FSA Board.

The FSA’s work is felt by every single person in the country, every day. If you are a resilient and experienced leader with an exceptional background in strategic implementation and a talent for delivering meaningful value for our most important stakeholders – the consumer – apply today and help us fulfil our promise of ‘food you can trust’. 

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by.

Person specification

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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £130,000, Food Standards Agency contributes £35,100 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

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

Application and shortlisting

You will need to complete the online application process, this should be completed no later than 23:55 on 1 September 2024 and will involve uploading the two documents outlined below:

1. 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 and limit your CV to no more than 5 sides.
2. A Personal Statement explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience to provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria identified as being assessed at sift in the person specification (1250 words).

Essential criteria

Experience

• An excellent understanding of regulatory policy development and delivery, with the proven ability and resilience to operate effectively, including on the international stage.
• A successful track record of balancing attention to detail with embedding organisational-level strategy, ensuring excellent service delivery and organisational change to increase operational effectiveness.
• Exceptional communication skills and personal credibility to build and manage highly effective, influential, and collaborative relationships at both Board level and across complex stakeholder groups within the public and private sectors.
• Demonstrable experience of leading an organisation’s strategic level response to incidents in complex and evolving situations with multiple actors, managing significant political and operational risks.
• Outstanding people leadership skills gained in a complex, geographically dispersed organisation with a proven ability to develop an inclusive, motivated, engaged and high performing workforce.
• Financially and commercially astute with a proven track record of driving and delivering cost efficiencies.

If you are successful at sift you may be invited to a longlist meeting to conduct a further sift.

Staff Engagement Exercise and Media Exercise

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) and Media Exercise, before going on to attend a panel interview on a different day.

Interview

You will be asked to attend an in-person panel interview in London to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. The interview will include experiential questions assessing you against the experience criteria in the person specification and a presentation. The presentation topic will be provided in advance.

Shortlisted candidates will be offered the opportunity to meet (remotely) with the Chair of the FSA, Professor Susan Jebb, or the outgoing Chief Executive, Emily Miles prior to the final selection panel interview to learn more about the organisation and role; further details of this will be confirmed with the applicant at shortlisting stage. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

The panel may request two work-based references to be taken for shortlisted candidates prior to the final panel interview.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 1st September 2024

Sift meeting: W/c 9th September 2024

Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) and Media Exercise: Expected to take place from w/c 28th October 2024         

Informal discussions: Expected to take place from w/c 14th October

Final panel interview: Expected to take place from w/c 18th November

We are hoping to conduct assessments and interviews face to face.

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

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.

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.

Regrettably we are unable to refund travel costs if candidates attend an interview/selection stage for the vacancy.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.