About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience in the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Job description

Are you a skilled leader with an extensive understanding of criminal intelligence and investigation?

Can you build capability and develop those around you so that they can better achieve their goals?

Are you excited by the opportunity to lead positive change that will impact lives across the country?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking for a Deputy Head of National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), who can lead our Investigation Command and help fuel our vital work to disrupt and act against those committing food crimes across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The unit plays a key role within the FSA, providing a law enforcement capability that works proactively and reactively to minimise the impact of food crime on the UK. From producing a compelling, accurate and dynamic intelligence picture of relevant threats to delivering a comprehensive response, our work makes a real difference to delivering food you can trust.

Leading the NFCU’s Investigation Command, you will offer strategic management of all investigations and many of the intelligence development cases to ensure that they are carried out thoroughly, professionally, and expeditiously so that we are best positioned to disrupt and deter criminals looking to profit from food fraud.

Your expertise will enable you to deliver vital support to the team, offering key advice, developing effective relationships with key figures and providing guidance as we develop and evolve the NFCU to better deliver its important work in keeping food safe, and ensuring that it is what it says it is.

As well as managing budgets, business plans and the overall capability of the unit, you will be an external-facing representative for the NFCU, promoting our work at domestic and international events and helping us secure the support we need as we look to better prevent  food fraud across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This is an opportunity to bring your skills to an important area of government work. As you seek to empower the NFCU in its efforts to disrupt and deter food criminals, you’ll make a real difference to both the safety of food and the wellbeing of consumers across the length and breadth of the country.

Please read before applying

As this is an investigatory / intelligence role we need to be aware if any of our employees have any of the following: any misconduct or gross misconduct findings or where proceedings are not complete. You will be asked to complete a declaration form covering the above if offered a role with the FSA.

You must declare to the best of your knowledge:

• Any disciplinary finding of guilt / failure to meet the appropriate standard of conduct relating to your employment you have ever had
• Any charge of a disciplinary offence / notification of a failure to meet the appropriate standards you have ever had where the case has not yet been concluded

The disclosure of this information will not automatically disbar you from this role but we need to be aware of any event or issue which could impinge on your credibility if questioned in court

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 £63,949, Food Standards Agency contributes £17,842 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 Experience and Technical skills.

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 criteria.

Experience

• Lead criteria: Experience of strategically managing complex criminal investigations by giving advice and guidance to Senior Investigating Officers in order to manage high level risks. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience of providing operational updates, advice, guidance, and recommendations about operational activities to senior leaders.
• Experience of making sound and timely decisions, using a combination of analytic thinking, problem solving and a thorough understanding of data. With a track record of navigating complex situations, adapting to changing circumstances and implementing decisions that contribute to the overall success of operations.
• Experience of being an inclusive leader, embracing challenge and diversity of thought and building diverse and inclusive teams that are performance focused.
• Experience of forging both strategic and tactical relationships with key stakeholders to ensure effective partnerships during joint criminal investigations.

Technical

• In-depth knowledge of key legislation to enable leadership of complex criminal investigations including the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, Fraud Act 2006 and Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.

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 Experience requirements of the role.

Experience

• Experience of strategically managing complex criminal investigations by giving advice and guidance to Senior Investigating Officers in order to manage high level risks.
• Experience of making sound and timely decisions, using a combination of analytic thinking, problem solving and a thorough understanding of data. With a track record of navigating complex situations, adapting to changing circumstances and implementing decisions that contribute to the overall success of operations.
• Experience of being an inclusive leader, embracing challenge and diversity of thought and building diverse and inclusive teams that are performance focused.
• Experience of forging both strategic and tactical relationships with key stakeholders to ensure effective partnerships during joint criminal investigations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience of providing operational updates, advice, guidance, and recommendations about operational activities to senior leaders (assessed via briefing exercise and seen presentation).

Technical

• In-depth knowledge of key legislation to enable leadership of complex criminal investigations including the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, Fraud Act 2006 and Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.

As part of the interview process, you will be asked to prepare for, and deliver, a briefing exercise and seen presentation. Further information will be provided to you on the invitation to interview email.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 7 January 2024

Sift: Expected to take place during week commencing 8 January 2024

Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 22 January 2024

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.

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.

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.