About the job

Job summary

Do you have the ability to influence others and guide your team in a shared strategy? 

Would you like to be part of an agency where we value managers responsible for building and maintaining employee morale, helping employees reach their full potential and inspiring employee loyalty? 

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a civil service pension scheme, as well as 25 days leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service.  

The Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a government agency that sits within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

This is an exciting role within the Contingency Planning Division to drive improvements to the level of readiness for animal, plant and bee disease outbreaks in APHA. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a varied, challenging yet collaborative and supportive environment working with the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), Scottish Government and Welsh Government along with APHA business units to deliver the agreed level of readiness.  

Utilising your strong leadership skills, experience in emergency planning, critical incident response and command and control structures, you will develop strong relationships with Directorates in APHA, including the national field delivery areas for both animals and plants as well as other government departments and agencies. You will drive operational readiness to respond to disease outbreaks across Great Britain ensuring plans in place are practical, deliverable, regularly tested and robust. 

You will consistently develop and lead on forward planning, delivery, reporting and assurance on the state of readiness to tackle exotic disease in animals, and pests and pathogens in plants and bees.

Experience of emergency planning, critical incident response, implementing effective command and control frameworks/capability at organisational level is essential to this role. APHA has moved towards an evidence-based and data driven delivery model, so you must be comfortable with the analysis, modelling and presentation of data.

Reflecting the Contingency Planning Team’s GB-wide responsibilities, you will work collaboratively with different business and geographical areas (including the Devolved Administrations) to achieve corporate goals. This means travel across England, Scotland and Wales is required.

The post holder will occasionally participate in an on-call roster for which on call allowance is payable.

Job description

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:

• Proactively lead APHA outbreak preparedness ensuring clear, operational, robust plans are in place for animal, plant and bee disease outbreaks
• Ensure frameworks and processes are in place for the management of outbreaks which are practical, robust and tested regularly
• Develop a resourcing plan against disease outbreaks, which ensures surge capacity availability to be deployed sufficiently to meet operational response demands
• Work with third parties to develop a training framework to ensure sufficient APHA operational capability and capacity to manage disease outbreaks as well as capability to operate with OGD’s under recognised emergency response command and control frameworks
• Develop and deliver the annual training plan to maintain operational readiness for outbreak response – ensuring the Agency maintains sufficiently trained resources to deliver outbreak response
• Develop and own the role descriptions for required outbreak response roles iterating and ensuring they are regularly reviewed and updated
• Develop and promote tools and reporting the state of readiness in APHA to respond to and eliminate diseases in animals, plants and bees. ensuring gaps are managed or escalated
• Oversee and manage the delivery of critical readiness reporting to the Executive Board and other governance groups within APHA including the Outbreak Readiness Board, the Animal Disease Policy Group and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England
• Provision of proportionate risk-based advice to the appropriate level of readiness through consideration of epidemiological modelling and resource constraints
• Oversee the Disease Risk Capability Assessment and the Emergency Readiness Management Assessment System processes
• You will be expected to work on detached duty and out of hours in the event of disease outbreaks or emergencies

Person specification

We are looking for a team player, who has good communication and interpersonal skills combined with a calm and analytical approach to a wide range of business issues. The ability to clearly articulate issues as they arise is essential, so that decisions can be made under pressure.  You will require a willingness to learn, develop, adapt and be flexible.

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

• Experience working in resilience, command and control, or critical incident management or emergency planning inside or outside government
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, able to express themselves clearly, concisely and engage with a diverse range of stakeholders in a professional manner
• The ability to demonstrate the drive and commitment to deliver stretching or demanding operational outputs while remaining customer focused
• Strong leadership skills
• Enthusiastic, engaging and focused on delivering change within the organisation
• Confident dealing with a wide range of high-profile stakeholders across the Agency and be comfortable challenging current ways of working
• Direct experience of developing and implementing command and control structures, frameworks, and capabilities at organisational level
• Experienced in the analysis and presentation of complex data and be able to make clear recommendations of the basis of that data
• Project / Programme management experience
• A knowledge or understanding of risk assessment and management principles

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. Our benefits include generous annual leave of 25 days (rising one day per year up to 30 days after 5 years), flexible working, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,120, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £14,541 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
• 250-word Personal Statement. Considering the Job Description and Person Specification, please demonstrate how you are most suited to this role.
• 250-word Statements for each of the specified Behaviours

For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be Changing and Improving.

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: Changing and Improving.

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 Behaviours, Strengths and Technical. 

Your technical skills will be assessed through a presentation or additional exercise. 

Interviews will be held via Video link.

Location 

Please be aware that this role(s) 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. 

Internal (core Defra) employees can apply for this role and choose to remain in their current location or to be based in one of the advertised Defra hub locations. All other applicants will be based in one of the advertised Defra hub locations. Defra’s current policy is that no more than 40% of the working week should be spent at home, averaged over a month unless exceptional circumstances apply and/or the post-holder is a contractual home worker. Office attendance will enable candidates to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. Travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to a base office location.

Reserve List 

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

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 maybe carried out. 

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

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

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. 

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.