About the job

Job summary

In 2025, Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) will come fully into force and more than 7,000 businesses will be obliged to compensate local authorities across the UK for the costs they incur managing packaging at the end of its (first) life. This is a flagship policy for Defra, DAERA in Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government, who are working together to operationalise the policy. A new body, the Scheme Administrator (SA) will be responsible for invoicing producers and making payments to local authorities. To fulfil this function, it will need to operate a ‘Fees and Payments Calculator (FPC)’ which Defra is currently building on its behalf.

The FPC team is responsible for designing, building and quality assuring key functionality of the calculator and for liaising with the digital team, which is responsible for other functional elements. Three quarters of the team are modellers and data analysts. This role sits within the other quarter of the team – the delivery readiness team – which is responsible for delivering, directly and through other teams, non-analytical projects to ensure the FPC is delivered on time, within cost, time and to the required quality standards.

Job description

Delivery Officers support Senior Delivery Officers and work alongside analytical and project management colleagues. They work across organisational boundaries to deliver non-analytical projects and ensure delivery is visible to and aligned with requirements of communications, engagement, digital, policy, programme and project management offices, regulation, commercial, legal and finance.

There are two posts which will initially be located within the Fees and Payments Calculator Modelling and Readiness Team. We intend to transition one or both into the pEPR Scheme Administrator, which will be a public body consisting of civil servants, as it becomes established over the next 12-18 months.

Key responsibilities are to:

1. Support Senior Delivery Officers deliver non-analytical tasks within analyst-led projects, working closely with analytical colleagues to ensure scope and approach meets needs. This will include:

• • Supporting data collection, by working with contractors to monitor progress, and unlock issues as appropriate, ensuring analysts and other experts, within and outside Defra, are engaged and deployed within the project as appropriate
  • Supporting the day-to-day management of research projects, for instance coordinating clearance and external communication, also ensuring FPC specialists are involved at the right points in time – it may also involve managing smaller scale projects;
  • Working with seniors to co-ordinate stakeholder engagement to support the needs of the analytical team, for instance to communicate and receive feedback on analytical approaches
  • Working with others to ensure join-up of FPC with other key SA functions, for instance the finance function

      2. Deliver secretariat functions e.g. agenda-setting and/or note taking for several advisory and expert groups that analysts consult for input.

      3. Work closely with the FPC project manager (assigned to FPC from central PMO) in support of one or more Senior Delivery Officers, to:

• • Ensure that project plans, risks and dependencies are accurately reported and logged, and by identifying and implementing actions to address any issues.
  • Report readiness for the projects and tasks within the Module.
  • Ensure work packages (“Modules”) and the projects within them are understood by programme management. This will involve supporting the development of workstream-level and task-level delivery plans, supporting the delivery of those plans and ensuring they are feeding up into the FPC-wide plan, e.g. by recognising and signalling the impact of task-level delays so the FPC Project Manager can identify and action formal changes at FPC plan level.

Person specification

The work is intellectually challenging. To be successful, you will thrive in fast paced environments, working under pressure and to tight timelines, comfortable with demonstrating flexibility and adaptability. You will have worked in a complex delivery context, e.g. with many overlapping and interconnected parts.

Ideally, you will have delivered aspects of stakeholder engagement and have operated in a context requiring close working with one or more of the following: policy, digital, legal, commercial, finance, project management, evidence and analysis, regulation, devolved administrations.

Essential criteria

Delivering across boundaries The successful candidate will be able to work effectively with different professions and disciplines, particularly evidence (modelling, data, research), policy and digital and be able to work effectively across different levels of seniority and experience.

Commercial management The successful candidate will be able to take responsibility for specific aspects of our relationships with contracted suppliers; support work with commercial colleagues to on contractual frameworks and suppliers; support Senior Delivery Officers manage and negotiate with contracted suppliers; and assist in getting good value out of contracts and suppliers.

Communicating between the technical and non-technical The successful candidate will be able to help identify stakeholders needs; help mediate between people and mend relationships; help manage stakeholder expectations and moderate discussions; and help speak on behalf of their elements of work inside and outside of government.

Management of projects’ lifecycles The successful candidate will be able to help plan and manage across multiple projects and task and across parts of their life cycles; support seniors to recognise when it is right to move projects and tasks forward and when it is right to stop or pause; support seniors recognise appropriate deliverables and the right people to deliver them and approve them; and help plan and engage with appropriate experts, stakeholders and approvers at a particular stage in the project.

Maintaining momentum The successful candidate will be able to support optimisation of the delivery flow of projects, tasks and teams; help actively address the most complicated risks, issues and dependencies associated with bundles of work, including where ownership exists outside the team or no clear ownership exists; and identify and suggest innovative ways to unblock issues.      

Making processes work The successful candidate will be able to identify and challenge processes including those that are unnecessarily complicated or unhelpful to delivery; help inspect and adapt processes to facilitate smooth and pacey delivery; and support affected teams implement new processes.

Planning project delivery The successful candidate will be able to support a continual planning process for projects and tasks, working in a complex, interconnected environment; help plan delivery, including transitioning products into the Scheme Administrator if required; and help identify dependencies in plans with other parts of EPR delivery, working with Project Management Office to align and co-ordinate delivery.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,136, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £8,677 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, Ability and Experience.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a Numerical and Verbal Test and asked to submit a CV and personal statement.

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

• A CV detailing your career history (This will be used for information only)
• 750 personal statement.  You should use this to show how your skills and experience make you suitable for the role. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification, as detailed in the job advert. 

Online tests

After submission of the first stage of your application, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Numerical Test If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests and application is 23:55 on 25th March 2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. 

Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 25th March 2024.

While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible. 

It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet. 

Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits. Click https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reasonable-adjustments-for-online-tests-a-candidate-guide for test guidance

Sift

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview via MS Teams.

You may be required to do a presentation/assessment and we will ask you behaviour questions. 

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.

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 to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

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 may be 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.

NSV

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Higher Security Clearance 

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

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.