About the job

Job summary

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1400 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to deliver “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.

Our legal team plays an essential role in enabling this work, supporting criminal and civil litigation across a range of areas so that we can effectively deliver against our broad and challenging remit.

We’re looking for a Prosecution and Litigation Lawyer to support this vital work.

Joining our talented legal team, you’ll take on an interesting and varied workload that will represent the extraordinary breadth of the FSA’s work. From criminal, civil and public law to regulatory jurisdictions, you will experience different aspects of litigation whilst making a significant impact on the safety of food for consumers.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Job description

You will provide expert advice and analysis for our investigations team, manage appeals across the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and Magistrates’ Court, offer feedback on cases so that the FSA can be better positioned for the future, and generally seek to ensure that the FSA is successfully able to represent its interests legally at every turn.

You’ll have a background in both criminal prosecutions and public law litigation and will be able to exercise sound legal judgement in all that you do. Though you’ll be an excellent team player who is happy to share their expertise with colleagues to better support the FSA’s legal needs, you’ll be just as comfortable working autonomously on projects, playing your part as an individual in our efforts to keep food safe.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make the most of every ounce of your legal expertise, drawing on your skills in litigation, research, legal analysis and more, and doing so in a way that can make a tangible difference to the wellbeing of the nation.

If you are excited by this opportunity to be a part of our important work and can use your strong interpersonal skills to build relationships with colleagues across the organisation, apply today to join the FSA as a Prosecution and Litigation Lawyer.

Person specification

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,512, Food Standards Agency contributes £16,661 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.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. 

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

Essential criteria

Technical: You will be asked a question to confirm that you meet the Technical requirements of the role. 

• You must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales.
• You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx.
• Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply only if:

1. they hold a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD);
2. they have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE; or
3. they have passed exams (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6*, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law: Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law, Law of Tort.

If you cannot answer yes to this question – you will not be able to proceed further with your application.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential and desirable criteria. (Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie between candidates).

Experience

• Lead criteria: Sound understanding of, and demonstrable experience and skills in, both criminal prosecutions and public law litigation, with the ability to work autonomously, lead on own work areas and to prioritise competing deadlines.
• Experience of drafting court documents e.g. Information/Summons, witness statements, directions and consent orders and of instructing, briefing and liaising with Counsel and participating in case conferences.
• Experience of exercising reliable legal judgement including:
  • recognising legal risk;
  • being able to identify evidential deficiencies and advise on further evidential requirements to solve them;
  • leading on and advising in respect of negotiation of settlements with other parties.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively, and in identifying cross-cutting legal issues in their wider context and advising accordingly.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrable experience of building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve corporate priorities and to ensure effective and successful outcomes, including the ability to communicate in a clear, honest way in order to deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.

Desirable criteria (Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie between candidates).

Experience 

• Judicial Review experience

Lead Criteria An initial sift may take place on just the identified Lead Criteria indicated.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience criteria and Civil Service Behaviours Level 4.

Behaviours

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack.

Experience

• Experience in both criminal prosecutions and public law litigation, with significant experience in one. (Assessed via assessment exercise and questions)

Assessment exercise

As part of the interview process, you will be asked to undertake a case study / briefing exercise Further information will be provided to you on the invitation to interview email.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 4 June 2024 (23:55)

Sift: Expected to take place during week commencing 10 June 2024

Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 17 June 2024

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).

Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Food Standards Agency 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reserve List

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Candidates that do not pass the interview, but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas.

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.