About the job

Job summary

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

If so, we would love to hear from you!  

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

We currently have an exciting and dynamic vacancy for a Postmortem Room Assistant within the Veterinary Investigation Centre at Bury St. Edmunds.

This role will provide the opportunity to develop your own skills and future career. Your responsibilities will include acting as a post-mortem room assistant to our veterinary investigation officers along with associated laboratory duties, maintenance of health & safety and quality standard and, as required, support to the admin team.

This is a permanent post, and we will provide you with an extensive training and development programme to support you in your role and achieving your career ambitions. Part of this training and development programme will be to provide you with a fully funded Level 6 Laboratory Scientist Apprenticeship with BSc in BioSciences, with TIRO in conjunction with Middlesex University. There may be the opportunity to pursue further education.

Job description

You will be working in a friendly and supportive team in a fast paced, reactive and varied role. You will need to have excellent organisation skills, adhere to procedures and the flexibility to turn your hand to different tasks as the situation demands. You will be engaging with a broad range of partners and forming relationships with colleagues across the wider APHA team.

Your main duties will include:

Post-mortem Room & Laboratory Duties

• To be responsible for the receipt of carcasses/live animals and preparation of carcasses for veterinary inspection.
• To assist veterinary colleagues in taking samples at post-mortem for testing.
• Preparation and reading of smears.
• Storage and archiving of samples.
• Dispatching of samples for testing to other locations. 
• Disposal and manual handling of carcass waste.
• Preparation of reagents.
• Cleaning/sterilising equipment and facilities.
• Laundry duties.
• Staining smears for specific organisms such as Coxiella, Brucella and Chlamydophila.
• Worm egg counting from faecal samples.
• Maintaining adequate levels of consumables, placing orders with procurement team as required.

Safety, Health and Wellbeing

• To comply with APHA Health, Safety and Welfare policies and procedures.
• To assist the VIOs with management of safety within the laboratory.
• To ensure that chemicals and disinfectants are managed and stored safely.

Additional Duties

• Participation and planning of Health & Safety contingency exercises.
• Routine monitoring and maintenance of equipment.
• Participation in audits to maintain accreditation to ISO17025:2017.

Administrative procedures

• Providing support, as required, with various administrative duties to the immediate and, when required, wider team including, but not limited to, booking in submissions, inputting data onto APHA data systems, preparation of reports and filing.
• Answering the TSE Helpline – checking details of fallen stock against the cattle tracing database.

Customer Service

• To liaise with, and provide excellent customer service to Stakeholders, Delivery Partners and Customers, both internal and external, to understand and appreciate their needs and requirements. Some roles will involve arranging collection of dead or diseased animals for post mortem, liaising with farmers, haulage companies and local vet practices.
• Liaising with laboratories over test results and reports.

Person specification

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

• Well-organised and be able to respond to competing priorities, adapting skills and resources to changing circumstances.
• A team player, working well with others but can carry out individual tasks as required with the minimum of supervision.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Proactive in their approach to work.
• Accuracy inputting data and storing of records.
• Be physically fit.
• Experience of using Microsoft packages Outlook, Excel, Word.
• Customer service focused.

In order to undertake the apprenticeship as part of the learning and training development opportunities we offer, you would require:

5 GCSE’s at grade C or above, including English, maths and a science subject and hold relevant level 3 qualifications providing the appropriate number of UCAS points for entry to a level 6 Higher Education programme. Other relevant or prior experience may also be considered as an alternative.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £23,811, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £6,428 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, Ability and Experience.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV-style template, 500-word personal statement and a 250-word behaviour statement.

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

Online tests

After submission of the first stage of your application, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test, and Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests and application is 23:55 on 9th August 2024. If you fail to complete the online tests before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 9th August 2024.

While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible.

It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.

Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits. Click https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reasonable-adjustments-for-online-tests-a-candidate-guide for test guidance.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace. 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 the behaviours stated in the job application and experience.

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Location

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. 

Please be aware that this role will be contractually based in a Defra/APHA 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.

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 agreed.

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.