About the job

Job summary

APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

Are you passionate about leading people and have the ability to coach and drive team performance to achieve performance and quality outputs?

Can you lead others through change and motivate them to reach their full potential?

Would you like the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, challenging but rewarding role with opportunities to influence how we deliver services across our business and make a difference to the experience of our customer?   

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for 2 Executive Officers to join our Customer Service Centre (CSC) Team, ensuring the delivery of SLA's for a diverse work area, working with EO colleagues to deliver workforce planning and specific work area led targets. You will play a major part in CSC wide delivery of common goals and leading by example. 

Your primary responsibility is to ensure that the team deliver their work within our established SLA. 

Other responsibilities will include monitoring and ensuring your staff deliver a quality customer service, recruitment, onboarding of new staff, monitoring performance and attendance, and dealing with complex HR queries. 

The positions are customer facing and will suit those who have an ability to communicate well to a diverse group of customers.     

You will be engaging with a broad range of partners and forming relationships with colleagues across the wider Defra team.    

Please note that your role may involve overseeing removal of diseased animals to an abattoir, liaising with farmers and their agents over compensation valuations and payments (TB operational Delivery roles only).

The key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:  

Leadership   

Act as part of the Management structure, leading a team and taking ownership and responsibility for actions and initiatives within that structure. 

People Management   

Be familiar with and implement APHA People Policies and action as appropriate. Proactively manage the performance, conduct and attendance of the team, reviewing performance on a regular basis and establishing performance improvement plans where these are necessary. 

Target Delivery   

Manage own team’s workload and prioritise and communicate expected targets. Demonstrate an awareness of resource constraints and potential issues or difficulties and take a proactive approach to dealing with these, identifying issues and offering solutions, making senior managers aware as appropriate. 

Customer Service  

Manage and monitor customer service delivered across the Business Unit providing both positive feedback and constructive improvement advice to the administration team as and when required.

Person specification

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

• Good planning and organisational skills. We are looking for candidates who are disciplined, organised and able to make effective decisions in a changing environment. 
• Ability to meet targets. Successful candidates will be open minded and proactive in continuous improvement to the work streams. 
• Good communication skills.  
• Positively responds to change.  
• Effective team working. You will be confident even when under pressure and be able to lead and support your team with clarity and conviction. 
• Management skills (performance management).  
• Familiar with the use of basic Microsoft packages Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel.    

Learning and Development  

Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.    

In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. 

Due to the job requirements some of your training will be carried out in person and therefore whilst completing the training there may be an expectation to work from the Exeter office. In addition, there is an expectation that inductions are attended in person.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,470, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £7,416 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Process 

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a full CV and a 500-word Personal Statement.  

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

Sift 

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, behaviours, technical skills, and strengths. 

 A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed. 

For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be Leadership.

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.

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.

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.

For most candidates your hours of work will be a blend of working from an  APHA workplace (specific to the team location) with working at home.  

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 maybe carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service. 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. 

Loan and Fixed Term Appointments 

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return. 

This is a Fixed-term Appointment as a TB Customer Service Centre Executive Officer on the Customer Service Centre Team because the post is not permanent. It is time limited due to a fixed funding period or as part of a specific project. The fixed-term will end when the funding or the project expires. 

Your responsibilities will include those shown on the Responsibilities section of the advert. This post will therefore begin from the agreed start date and end on 31/03/25.

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.