About the job

Job summary

We are looking for people with a passion for leadership, wanting to do interesting and creative roles that help civil servants and public sector leaders to succeed in their roles and support citizens by collaborating across the public sector. 

This role will provide business, science, and people leadership driving transformative change, innovation, and science excellence for APHA 

Are you someone who can lead and manage change in a challenging and dynamic environment?  

Do you want a role safeguarding standards of animal and plant health and welfare? 

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? 

The SHaW Operational Health and Safety Advisor will play a key role in APHA becoming a high performing health and safety organisation that adopts best practice and is seen as a leader in the sector. 

The Operational Health and Safety Advisor drives and supports the delivery of the SHaW Team Plan and acts as a source of advice and guidance for Service Delivery Directorate on all matters relating to health and safety. 

The Advisor is a single point of contact (SPOC) for APHA staff within a geographic and/or specifc area of the business.The Advisor undertakes investigations into reported incidents, conducts assurance visits and  delivers relevant training to staff within their area of the Service Delivery Directorate and provides guidance and advice to relevant senior managers. The advisor is required to be NEBOSH qualified and have the experience and ability to react and respond in dynamic situations. 

The SHaW Advisor will continually develop the safety culture of the Agency, through leading by example and being exemplar in the Agency's Health and Safety Actions and Behaviours and Standards

Job description

Key areas of work will include, but won't be limited to:

• Accident and Incident Investigation - Undertake investigation of incidents and accidents that occur within responsible Service Delivery specific areas. To provide root cause analysis and identifying any associated human factors. To coordinate and monitor actions arising from incidents and tracking them through to completion. To communicate at a high level within the directorate to senior managers, typically SEO, Grade 7 and Grade 6 staff to discuss issues, trends in incidents and actions to mitigate further occurrence. To provide lessons learnt documents where appropriate for publication to the Agency, to share experience to further prevent an accident or incident reoccurring.
• Training and Competency – Using relevant H&S experience and presentation skills to prepare and deliver SHaW training packages to groups of staff at all grades across GB such as toolbox talks, workshops and full training events such as Dynamic Risk Assessment and Health and Safety for Managers training. Monitoring application of the training through conducting competency assessments to monitor understanding and success of delivery.
• Audits, Inspections and Assurance – undertaking compliance activities - audits, inspections and sampling, activities on a regular basis in line with the assurance plan, the SHaW Advisor will identify corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs) and ensure their implementation. The advisor is expected to act and make effective decisions that will at times be unpopular, they will base their decisions on their Health and Safety qualifications of legislative knowledge and practical experience.
• Risk Management - a SHaW Advisor will be competent to understand and undertake Risk Assessments and will be expected to work with colleagues to ensure that all risk assessments are suitable and sufficient and that they are reviewed as required. The Advisor will ensure that any new or significantly changed activities are appropriately assessed and approved in accordance with the Agency's Risk Management Policy, Standards and Guidance prior to the work commencing.

Person specification

Essential skills and experience:

• Knowledge of health and safety legislation and experience of its application across a wide range of risks reflecting areas of responsibility.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite especially the use of Excel and PowerPoint.
• Good communication skills at all levels.
• Analytical skills including root cause analysis techniques.
• Assessment and determining of risk considering all factors and circumstances.
• Report drafting and writing.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,439, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £10,648 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 and Experience.

Application Process
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete:

• A  CV
• A Personal Statement. For the personal statement, please write up to 500 words demonstrating how you match the required skills and experience for this post.
• A 250-word statement on the lead Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions.

Please use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide evidence of each 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: Making Effective Decisions.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates as well as the interview location to be confirmed.

Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours and your Experience.

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed, further details of this will be given at the time.

Location
This role can be based at Newcastle, York, Preston, Stafford, Crewe, Lincoln, or Leicester. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from their base location, and cannot do so remotely at any time.

The role will require regular travel across the North region based on business needs. Travel to other regions will occasionally be required for other purposes such as meetings or deployment on disease outbreak work. Allowances will be paid subject to meeting eligibility criteria. A valid UK driving licence is required, or access to an alternate means of transport.

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.

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

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 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.

Full Time Only
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. We may consider two part-time staff on a job share basis if continuity can be arranged. Part-time hours will only be considered as part of a job share.

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.

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.