About the job

Job summary

The Civil Service embraces equality, diversity, and inclusion. At HSE, your personal qualities are as important as your professional experience. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

Our approach is to recruit “on merit on the basis of fair and open competition”, in line with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. As such, our thorough selection process ensures that you and every other candidate receive equal and fair treatment.

With a world-class reputation for safeguarding the health and safety of people at work, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is adapting and evolving to meet the new challenges ahead. At the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) we work with one goal in mind – to protect human health and the environment from the effects of potentially harmful substances.

This is a time of significant change with EU Exit and the creation of a GB/NI stand-alone regulatory regime for chemicals. Additional changes through transformation programmes intended to streamline and modernise our end to end processes are imminent, therefore it’s an exciting time to join the team. To help us meet these challenges, we require a Team Leader to assist and oversee the day to day running of the authorisations work.

Working Pattern

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week across 4 to 5 days.

Job description

We have an opportunity for a Band 5 team leader in our Pesticides Operational Support Team (POST), who will principally work with colleagues in POST and also support specialists and leaders in HSE concerning Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). This is an exciting opportunity that requires working alongside a number of stakeholders including those working in Chemistry specialisms, Stakeholder Engagement, as well as DEFRA and relevant competent authorities. 

This small team is responsible for a wide range of duties CRD's legislative functions for Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI), including the setting of GB MRLs and undertaking EU obligations for. The work is wide ranging, fast paced and very collaborative. Providing operational support to CRD’s expert scientific specialists, quality checking and redacting complex documents and co-ordinating the publishing of regulatory decisions to the external website. 

Responsibilities include: 

• Maintaining the MRL tracker document and keeping it up to date.
• Producing and reviewing publications such as e-bulletins and ensuring ready for HSE Communications Team.
• Co-ordinating the inputs from the various teams involved, including the Pesticides Delivery Team and the MRL scientific team.
• Managing and developing a B6 to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the MRL support function.
• Providing information and data to the EU on behalf of NI.
• Inputting to the GB MRL statutory register and ensuring the quality of the data.
• Liaising with a wide range of MRL stakeholders including key Government departments including Defra, DEARA (Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs) and the other Devolved Administrations.
• To work with the MRL science leads to develop and refine the processes.
• To work closely with Defra on the WTO SPS (World Trade Organisation Sanitary and Phytosanitary) notification process.

This is a fast paced and varied role contributing to the operational delivery and development of the MRL regimes.

Travel

Please note - if you are based in Bootle, occasional travel to York will be required as part of this role. 

Person specification

Essential skills and criteria:

• You must have a proven track record of working effectively as part of a busy team supporting colleagues to deliver against tight deadlines.
• You must be able to work to regulatory deadlines.
• You must have good communication skills.
• You must have excellent attention to detail.
• You must be well organised and be able to adapt to changing priorities and working practices.
• You will have knowledge and experience of working within a Regulatory framework
• You must have a good understanding of the office suite of applications and other IT systems.

Hybrid Working

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,316, Health and Safety Executive contributes £7,375 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 Information 

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete a CV, detailing your career history. Please note your CV will not be scored and is used for information purposes only.

You will also be requested to complete a Personal Statement of up to 750 words which demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria within the person specification and any relevant experience for the role.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement About the application process , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Sift Information

At Sift you will be assessed on your Personal Statement. The Sift will take place during week commencing 15th April 2024.

Interview Information

If you are successful following the sift you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams, where you will be assessed on the three Behaviours stated within this advert, as well as your experience.

The interviews are due to take place week commencing 22nd and 29th April 2024.

Please note that the sift and interview dates are provisional and are subject to change due to panel availability. 

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application.

For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post. If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you.

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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.