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. 

Do you have a passion for working with data and data analysis?

Do you have excellent communication skills?

Do you enjoy variety and making a difference through your work within a positive team environment ?

If so, we would love to hear from you!  

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. 

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Customer Service Centre Team providing Customer Service Data and Manager Information. The primary responsibility of this position revolves around the proficient handling and analysis of Animal Movement Reports in alignment with veterinary directives. Collaboration with the veterinary team is essential to analyse data and generate movement results, contributing to informed decision-making during outbreaks. Additionally, your responsibilities will extend to collaborating with administrative teams to develop efficient tools for time management and reporting. You will also play a pivotal role in creating comprehensive management information reports to enhance overall time management and effectiveness, enabling each cell to strategically plan, oversee, and report on their activities and progress.

This is a varied role, and you will have the flexibility to turn your hand to different tasks as the situation demands. The key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Providing consolidated animal movement reporting data on suspicion of disease or during ongoing/confirmed investigations
• Formulate and compile comprehensive management information reports to facilitate the operations of the outbreak cell. This data will support reporting to the Contingency Disease Control Centre (CDCC) and National Disease Control Centre (NDCC), encompassing data on the progress of tracings for each Infected Premises (IP), overall outbreak status, and the performance metrics of staff within the outbreak cell
• Analyse data to identify risks, predict trends, identify concerns, and make recommendations
• Investigate and resolve any data issues or inaccuracies
• Create and maintain Manager Information (MI) for performance monitoring, identifying compliance issues, and generate reports to assist teams in recognising training needs. Additionally, highlighting areas of concern and proposing improvements
• Deliver ad-hoc data requests or requests for information
• Work closely with colleagues and shareholders to identify and share best practice
• Work with digital colleagues to ensure reporting tools are kept up to date and support accompanying work
• Undertake training and succession planning on data systems, MI tools and animal movement systems
• Assist with auditing and data management

Person specification

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

• Carrying out data manipulation in Excel, including formulas and pivot tables
• Able to interrogate information to gather essential information in a time critical environment
• Experience creating effective reporting suites to assist the management of key information
• Possess excellent IT literacy with Microsoft Office tools, specifically SharePoint Online
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Effective analytical and numerical skills
• Ability to escalate issues or risks, clearly highlighting the impact, mitigations, and improvements
• Strong Interpersonal skills
• Able to work with minimal supervision and as part of a team
• Reacting positively to change and dealing with conflicting priorities
• Responding positively to setbacks and learning from them
• Resolving problems and making suggestions for improvements
• Working within a fast-paced environment where it is critical to provide information of a time sensitive nature to a variety of end users

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. 

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:

• CV, outlining your full job history, previous experience, and Qualifications
• A personal statement of 500 words - Considering the Job Description and Person Specification, please demonstrate how you are most suited to this role
• Two behaviour statements of 250 words per behaviour

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

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, and the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 

Interview 

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

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed. 

Interviews to be held via video link.

Location 

Please be aware that this role will be contractually based in a Defra group workplace/office. 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. 

As part of the pre-employment process, 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.

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.

Reserve List

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

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

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 maybe 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. 

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 for Customer Service Data and Manager Information 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 31/03/2025.

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.