About the job

Job summary

The work of the Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI) within Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is to maintain and promote a high plant health status in England and Wales, thereby contributing to APHA’s overall strategy of safeguarding animal and plant health status in England and Wales. In doing so, contributing to APHA’s overall strategy of safeguarding animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

The aims are achieved by excluding, containing or eradicating quarantine plant pests, regulating other plant pests to secure high quality planting material, and facilitating trade through the provision of plant health certification services. PHSI works to Defra’s strategy to “provide a better place for living” through the exclusion, eradication and containment of quarantine pest and disease and informing / training the general public, stakeholders, government and non- government bodies in plant biosecurity. Inspections on fresh produce in relation to marketing standards will also be conducted in addition to the Plant Health controls.

 Inland vacancies available in following office locations:

• Eastern Region North - Spalding
• South East - Canterbury - role will deliver predominantly Horticultural Marketing Inspection (HMI) work
• South West & Wales - Trowbridge
• South Central - Winchester (Itchen Abbas) will be the contractual Defra office but the work area will predominantly be West Sussex.

There are no current vacancies at our other offices, but we encourage you to apply as future vacancies will be filled using the reserve list from this campaign. Please select National at the application stage. All posts will be offered in merit order by vacancy location.

Job description

As a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) you will be reporting to a Senior Executive Officer (SEO), you will plan and undertake a programme of tasks, working independently and/or as part of a team.

The range of duties will be dependent on the working region, training, competence and statutory requirements, but may include:

• Being accountable for a designated geographical area which will require you to plan, prioritise, delegate and ensure completion of work so that targets and quality standards are achieved.
• Line and functional management of Executive Officer (EO) inspectors with responsibility for the competent delivery of their work.
• Organising emergency measures to control outbreaks of quarantine and non-indigenous pests and diseases acting as the local incident commander as required.
• Statutory inspection of imported fresh horticultural produce, plants, planting material and plant produce to ensure compliance with import regulations.
• Enforcing the marketing standards and grading rules for fresh horticultural produce in England and Wales to ensure Traders meet their statutory responsibilities.
• Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) conduct investigations and instigate heightened enforcement action against relevant traders and leading on criminal investigations where necessary.
• Statutory inspections to ensure Single Market plant health requirements are met.
• Crop surveys and soil sampling in connection with regulations made to prevent the spread of dangerous plant pests and diseases.
• Undertake scientific license audits and follow up actions.
• Certify for export of fresh horticultural produce, plants and planting material after examination in accordance with the importing country’s requirements, including issue of HMI produce conformity certificates, phytosanitary certificates and advice to exporters on the requirements.
• Inspection of certain agricultural and horticultural crops in connection with statutory and domestic plant health certification/classification schemes.
• Perform the statutory duties relating to regulations made under the Plant Varieties and Seeds Act 1964 including the field inspection of certain crops and the sampling of certain classes of seed and enforcement checks on the activities of seed firms and seed samplers.
• Investigation of any breech of statutory requirements and for HMI to collect and collate criminal evidence where required to deliver a court ready case file direct to Crown Prosecution Service.
• Collation, analysis and communication to the relevant Technical Advice Panel (TAP) of intelligence emerging in your geographic area on significant changes and matters relevant to Plant Health.
• Stakeholder engagement to ensure clients have sufficient knowledge and awareness of Plant Health controls and requirements and or businesses responsible for the marketing of fresh horticultural produce.
• HMI also collect samples and enforce olive oil standards, collect official market pricing data and seize samples for Government pesticide residue testing.
• Stakeholder engagement to ensure clients have sufficient knowledge and awareness of Plant Health controls and requirements.
• Undertake additional specialised duties including delivering work directly to and on behalf of the TAP's.

Plant Health offers a 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week level of service to the trade for import & export certification & biosecurity checks.

Depending on location you may be required to work in a shift pattern. This pattern can be early morning or a late evening shift and can span over weekends and public holidays.

Candidates should expect to work flexibly to meet the varied work patterns defined by business need. You may be required to work at other locations, so candidates must be prepared to occasionally work and stay away from home.

Candidates will need independent access to a car to visit clients / collect samples / carry equipment. Some client locations and working hours preclude the use of public transport. Business mileage will be reimbursed.

Person specification

For these posts you will be assessed on the areas set out below. In addition to the below listed criteria we are looking for candidates who are disciplined, organised, able to analyse information with precision. Candidates must be confident even when under pressure and be team players, whilst taking ownership over their own work.

The following Experience criteria are essential to this post:

• Experience of having worked effectively in a people-facing environment.
• Experience of communicating with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of prioritisation and meeting multiple deadlines under pressure. 
• Experience of working with and including providing guidance and advice in accordance with operating procedures, guidance and regulations.
• Ability to work confidently as part of a team or independently in order to achieve team goals and objectives.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,136, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £8,676 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 Personal Statement. These will be scored separately.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The CV will ask for your Job History, Qualifications and Past Skills and Experience.  Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

Your Personal Statement should be not more than 500 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for this role, with particular close reference to the essential criteria in the job advert.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement.

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

Sift and interview dates as well to be confirmed.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a blended panel interview via video.

We will test you against Behaviours, Experience, Strengths and Technical during the interview.

The Technical element will be a short knowledge test based on plant identification and identifying pests and diseases. The Knowledge test is based on 20 questions, and includes both pictures and text questions. Candidates will need to score at least 50% in order to pass.

Appointments will be made on merit order.

Near miss                                                                                 

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.   

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

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.

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 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.