About the job

Job summary

The Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an arm’s length body, government agency that sits within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

We have one mission, which is to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of everyone in society, the environment, and the economy. Every one of our employees is passionate about achieving this mission.

We have three exciting opportunities for Field Delivery Managers to lead our operational teams. 

The role of the Field Delivery Manager is to provide visible leadership and management for the delivery of Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) field activities. Also, to ensure the effective and efficient deployment of field staff throughout APHA’s integrated field teams (Veterinary and Technical, Plant & Bee) and administrative management in the devolved administrations of Scotland & Wales.

The Field Delivery Manager is accountable for the operational delivery of both business as usual and outbreak /emergency response and will play a pivotal role in the leadership and management of geographically dispersed teams.

The post-holder would be responsible for leading operational excellence across service delivery, stakeholder engagement and customer service. Ensuring delivery of the agreed outcomes of policy customers to safeguard GB from the incursion of Animal, Plant & Bee Health related disease and harmful organisms.

The roles advertised will involve regular travel to APHA locations within a geographical area and across wider GB. Out of hours and detached duty work will be required in the event of an outbreak or incident. The post-holder will support an on-call rota for incident management and some evening & weekend work maybe required.

There are several national roles with a geographical focus:

FDM England (focused on animal health and welfare) covers all APHA offices within England Field Delivery. Base location can be any APHA office in England, with travel expected to the South West region. This is a fixed term appointment for 103 weeks with a view to permanency. 

FDM Scotland (focused on animal health including operational oversight of administrative services) covering all APHA offices within Scotland. Base location must be from a Scotland APHA office location.

FDM Plant & Bee Health (focused on National Bee Unit (NBU)) including oversight of technical expertise for NBU. The role covers all APHA offices within England and Wales and can be based from any APHA location.

Candidates will be given the opportunity to select their preferred employment location in accordance with the order of merit.

Job description

To carry out any duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post including, but not limited to the following:

Leadership and Managing Change

• Demonstrate and role model high calibre leadership of a large and diverse team, championing best practice in workforce planning, building capability, talent management, building high performing teams, diversity and equality, employee relations and engagement
• Provide cover for Head of Delivery area as the business may require, including the potential for deputising at some meetings and stepping-up during incident responses to lead business as usual or incident response activities
• Play a leading role in the design, development and implementation of business reforms and policy initiatives, undertaking a key role in project teams and cultural change

 Strategy & Planning

• APHA are passionate about evolving and transforming services and we need our leaders to play a key part in contributing to the development of Agency-wide approaches that reflect variation across geography where necessary but also encourage national consistency and best practice
• Responsible for meeting the agreed operational performance targets across England, Scotland and Wales for delivery field teams, on time and on budget, and to the right quality following the relevant safety standards
• To provide advice to policy development, central projects, and activities to represent operational experience and expertise

 Resource and Performance Management

• To ensure the performance, behaviours and attendance of assigned teams is proactively managed, reviewing performance on a regular basis and establishing an environment in which everyone can, and does, contribute effectively and that different perspectives are heard and channelled towards achieving the Agency’s objectives
• To provide visible and effective leadership to the teams, providing coaching and mentoring as necessary and to develop the veterinary, technical and customer delivery team leaders and their staff as required

 Resilience & Risk

• To contribute to a coordinated approach to business continuity & resilience including stakeholder and operational partner liaison both within assigned lead work areas and more widely across Service Delivery
• To monitor current and future risks within the remit of the field teams, ensuring that plans are in place to effectively manage the risk and ensure that performance can be maintained
• To lead the response for staff in disease emergency situations: deploying to and undertaking roles to support emergency activities, providing leadership and direction

 Safety, Health & Wellbeing

• To ensure that risk assessments for health and safety (H&S) are conducted as required throughout their workgroup/geography, liaise with the Safety Health and Wellbeing team to ensure appropriate procedures are in place and risks mitigated. Ensure H&S policy compliance in their workgroup/geography

 Additional information:

• Providing leadership, accountability and management for the delivery of APHA field activities across a range of key delivery areas. Ensure the effective and efficient deployment of field staff in accordance with policy, business plans, performance and financial targets, whilst seeking improved efficiency to demonstrate value for money.
• Direct line management of assigned APHA Operational Team Leaders.
• Role model and promote proactive leadership, embedding the necessary performance improvements and culture change across the teams to ensure that all staff operate to the required policies and procedures, H&S standards and quality assurance levels.
• Work with functional managers & supervisors to build effective working relationships with APHA teams, key industry stakeholders/customer groups and policy colleagues. To promote joint working and shared responsibility in both the provision and refinement of existing activities and the development of new ways of working.
• Develop collaborative working relationships with FDM counterparts and colleagues across Service Delivery and wider APHA. Be responsible for prioritising field related activities; developing the team professionally and personally. Ensure capability to meet performance targets, succession plans and to future proof the workforce to meet evolving demands.
• The Scotland role requires the management of the administrative teams based in Scotland.

Person specification

We are looking for candidates with the following Experience and Key skills:

Experience

• Experience of leading dispersed teams delivering multiple targets across multiple work areas
• Providing a quality service to customers and responding to changing demands and priorities
• Setting performance targets and managing results across complex geographically dispersed teams
• Experience of working with key stakeholders and policy customers

Key Skills

• Copes well in pressured environments
• Collaborative and engaging leadership with the ability to make effective decisive decisions when needed
• Strong change management
• Seeks expertise of others as needed to make sound decisions in areas which are not necessarily own expertise
• Strong performance management and continuous improvement to meet targets. Strong financial/budgetary awareness
• Effective resource management in challenging times
• Exceptional organisational skills
• Holds meaningful conversations about performance and coaching others
• Builds relationships with a wide range of delivery partners, customers and operational partners

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,120, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £14,072 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 a CV and 500 word personal statement.

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 personal statement.

Candidates who pass an initial sift may be passed to a full sift or go straight to interview stage.

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 Behaviours,  Strengths and Technical Skills under the Success Profile Framework.

Technical skills:

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Communicating & Influencing – this will be assessed in the form of a presentation, details of which will be sent at time of being invited to interview.
• Making Effective Decisions – This will be assessed in a reactive exercise, with the scenario being presented to the candidate at the time of the interview.

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. The reserve list may be operated to fill further vacancies that may arise across England, Scotland or Wales. 

Salary

New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

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.

Loan and Fixed Term Appointments

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

This is a fixed term appointment as Operations Leader - Field Delivery Manager Southern England

The post requires temporary cover for 103 weeks, pending potential approval of a permanent post. The fixed term will end (if the post has been approved as permanent) when the permanent recruitment completes or will end on the fixed term end date if the post has not been approved as permanent.

Your responsibilities will include ; 

The role of the Field Delivery Manager is to provide visible leadership and management for the delivery of Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) field activities. Also, to ensure the effective and efficient deployment of field staff throughout APHA’s integrated field teams (Veterinary and Technical, Plant & Bee) and administrative management in the devolved administrations of Scotland & Wales.
The Field Delivery Manager is accountable for the operational delivery of both business as usual and outbreak /emergency response and will play a pivotal role in the leadership and management of geographically dispersed teams.
The post-holder would be responsible for leading operational excellence across service delivery, stakeholder engagement and customer service. Ensuring delivery of the agreed outcomes of policy customers to safeguard GB from the incursion of Animal, Plant & Bee Health related disease and harmful organisms.

This post will therefore begin from the candidate's start date and ends after 103 weeks.

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 /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.