About the job

Job summary

APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves.   

We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.   

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

Job description

We currently have an exciting opportunity within our Customer Service Centre for 1 Operations Manager at Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grade.   

You will lead the Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Centre in Exeter, responsible for bTB administrative processing.   

You will assume overall responsibility for the leadership and management of the Customer Service Centre, providing strategic oversight to ensure that resources are deployed efficiently and effectively and that performance standards are met.  

You will ensure that the Customer Services Centres are resilient and able to respond to any business continuity or disease outbreak situation.

There will be a requirement for the post holder to travel to other APHA offices for meetings and training on a regular basis.  

As Operations Manager, your role will be varied and will require flexibility to turn your hand to different tasks as the situation demands.  

Duties will include, but not be limited to: 

• Responsibility for the deployment of resources across the Customer Service Centre(s) to enable the most effective and efficient delivery despite challenges. 

This includes working across the network to prioritise and share resource and workloads rather than maintaining a focus on individual delivery goals alone. 

• You will play a key part in ensuring effective teamwork within the team and across the agency , contributing to the development of Agency wide approaches that reflect policy differences but also encourage consistency and best practice nationally. 
• You will be a visible leader who is able to communicate and instil a strategic vision.   
• You will identify evidence and develop robust proposals for change, considering bigger picture impacts across the Agency, to enhance quality customer service and enable effective and efficient use of resource.  This includes the need to share best practice and lessons learnt across the Service Delivery and to consider the different policy and end user customer requirements.
• Take responsibility for proactively managing customer and stakeholder expectations and influencing behaviours to achieve shared goals.

Person specification

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

• Lead team to deliver challenging targets within constrained resources.
• Provide a quality service to customers whilst working within agreed policy and legislative constraints.
• Setting performance targets and managing team performance to achieve results.
• Work allocation and resource management in a complex and busy environment
• Exceptional organisational skills 
• Copes well in pressured environments 
• Collaborative yet decisive leadership, including leading teams through change.
• Hold meaningful conversations about performance and coaching others .
• Build and maintains strong and productive relationships with a wide range of delivery partners and customers.
• Excellent IT literacy 
• Ability to analyse data and management information, alongside effective risk management.  
• To note: Processes in the centre include sending animals to slaughter.  
• The post holder will be required to work 60% of their time at the Exeter Customer Service Centre and will be required to attend other APHA sites where necessary for meetings and training. 

Learning and Development  

Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join APHA, 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.  

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, Strengths and Experience.

Application Process 

As part of the application process, you will be required to complete the following as part of your application:

• CV, outlining your full job history, previous experience, and Qualifications.
• A personal statement of 750 words
• One behaviour statements of 250 words per behaviour for Leadership. 

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 Leadership and Personal Statement. 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 experience, behaviours, and strengths 

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed. 

For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be 'Leadership'. 

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.

Location 

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, 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.

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.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

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 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. 

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.