Director General Food, Biosecurity and Trade
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
About the job
Job summary
This is a critical time to join Defra as we continue to deliver our ambitious agenda, setting global standards in protecting and enhancing our natural environment for future generations and leading the world in food, farming and fisheries, and animal welfare.
Our work profoundly affects people’s lives. In the UK and globally we face an ever more complex set of external challenges, from climate risks, to global food security and supply chain fragility, to cost of living pressures for our citizens. What we do in Defra is vital for human health and happiness, for our economic growth, resilience and wellbeing, and for all the wondrous and diverse forms of nature we share the planet with. We have a vital role to play across government on the economy and Net Zero, on climate adaptation and on national security risks and resilience.
Job description
The Director General for Food, Biosecurity and Trade is a key senior leadership role in the Department. Reporting directly to the Permanent Secretary, you will have lead responsibility for a significant portfolio, including the biggest reforms to farm policy and spending in 70 years, the delivery of the agriculture sector’s share of the pathway to Net Zero, and the management of plant and animal disease risks included on the National Risk Register. You will have end-to-end responsibility to set and shape strategy for food, biosecurity and trade, develop government policy across a varied portfolio, to lead major programmes of change, and to oversee operational performance and delivery of three customer-facing Arms-Length Bodies. The role requires the ability to influence on an increasingly international stage as the UK negotiates new trade deals, develops its exports markets and participates in critical global responses to risk, for example food insecurity. This will be underpinned by constructive relations with senior industry stakeholders, Ministers and colleagues across government.
A member of Defra’s Executive Committee, you will play a role in shaping the ambitions, delivery and culture of the Defra Group, as well as contributing as a senior leader across government, with five Director-level reports, including the government’s Chief Veterinary Officer, and line management and oversight responsibility for the work of the Chief Executive Officers of three agencies: the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Rural Payments Agency, and Veterinary Medicines Directorate. In total, your team extends to around 7,000 people, with budget responsibility for c.£3 billion annually.
Person specification
Candidates for this pivotal role will require strong strategic ability, with a record of translating strategy into successful delivery, operating at scale. Prior experience of performance improvement, programme management and driving change in large systems should be allied to first class stakeholder management skills at a senior level.Benefits
Alongside your salary of £135,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £36,450 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
Please see the Candidate Brief attached below for more information.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
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.