About the job

Job summary

The purpose of a Delivery Team Leader (DTL) is to lead a field delivery team of Plant and Bee Inspectors and Horticultural Marketing (HMI) inspectors to help safeguard plant health and protect the economy and enhance food traceability. To ensure the equitable implementation of the risk-based enforcement regime and oversee equitable coverage of SLA ‘demand led’ HMI inspections.

The DTL is accountable for prioritising resource and workloads across the team in order to achieve all expected delivery targets. This role will ensure professional management and development via a matrix management system with the Advice Services Technical Advice Panels.

To provide either technical Subject Matter Expert Input as required (this technical role will be agreed following appointment), dependent on previous experiences or give 10% of your time to business enhancing activities across P&BH.

You will have well-honed interpersonal skills and a proven track record of delivering results efficiently through a team. You will proactively manage the performance, conduct and attendance of the field team, ensuring that all team members contribute to achieving targets and operate in accordance with policies and procedures. You will need to show initiative, originality and creativity especially when faced with challenging and fast moving situations.

There two types of role available with a geographical focus:

Inland - managing a team of inspectors covering a geographic area delivering work including certification, exports, plant passporting and surveillance activities. Ideally base location will be an office in the region and regular travel around the region will be required.

Import - managing a team of inspectors predominantly delivering import inspections in a geographic area at Border Control Posts, Inspection Centres and Control Points. Base location must be one of the sites or offices used by the team and regular travel to the main import sites in the region will be required. 

Vacancies are currently available in

Eastern Region Central - Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds

Eastern Region South - Chelmsford and New Spitalfields Market

South Central - Winchester and Heathrow

Imports East - London Gateway, Tilbury, Harwich and Felixstowe

If we do not have current vacancies in a location you prefer, we encourage you to apply by selecting National, as future vacancies will be filled using the reserve list from this campaign.

All posts will be offered in merit order based on location and business need. 

Job description

To carry out any duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of post including, but not limited to the following:-

Leadership

• Day to day management of the performance, conduct and attendance of a geographically dispersed field team.
  
• Support and development of your team via a matrix management system based on regular assessment of needs.
  
• Conduct on-site/field witnessed inspections with individual members of the team to assess their compliance with operating procedures and Health and Safety policies, sharing best practice and lessons learned.
  
• Responsible for the building and maintaining constructive relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders.
  
• Creation of an inclusive team in which everyone can and does contribute effectively, and where different perspectives are heard and constructively challenged.

Service Delivery and Planning
•Managing service provision across all of the functions in their area, including allocating, coordinating and prioritising activities and managing resources to meet the required delivery targets.
•Use management information and, in liaison with functional leads, monitor, analyse and manage outputs against expectations.
•Identifying and resolving delivery risks and issues including specific subject / geographical risks and workforce / succession planning.
•Ensuring all staff are clear on expected targets and that tasks are completed as required.
•Working with the wider DTL community to ensure a flexible and future proofed approach to workforce planning, balancing local needs with the overall Agency prioritises.
•Liaison with stakeholders and operational partners at a local level, and with local and industry representatives as required.

Changing and Improving
•Lead your team through organisational and operational changes ensuring that they understand and identify with the reasons behind the changes.
•Influence and constructively support input into change discussions and planning.
•Identify, evidence and develop robust recommendations on how and when to alter work processes taking account of the impacts across the Agency in order to improve service delivery and / or customer experience.

Safety, Health and Wellbeing (SHaW)
•Participate in SHaW training appropriate for your role so that you can act as a role model and support staff to fulfil their H&S responsibilities.
•Regularly discuss personal wellbeing with members of your team.
•Conduct field/site visits with members of your team to ensure H&S and standards of conduct are being consistently achieved.

Emergency and Outbreak Response

• Actively participate in contingency plans and notifiable disease exercises so that you are adequately trained to undertake allocated roles during incidents and emergency activities.
• To respond flexibly to incidents including with reasonable notice undertaking periods of detached duty, roles and tasks as required by the Agency.
  The P&BH offers a 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week level of service to the trade for import & export certification & biosecurity checks. Imports roles will have a level of shift working as part of the role.
• 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.
• Successful candidates will be based (or at least be able to operate without travel restriction) within the specific Delivery area.
• There will be a requirement to spend significant time at the locations you manage.
• Candidates will be required to attend other locations on detached duty for longer periods based on business needs, particularly during a disease outbreak.

Person specification

Essential attributes would be a confident leader with a positive attitude and the ability to motivate a team to deliver effectively and efficiently, particularly through a period of change.
Good IT skills, especially use of MS Office suite of programmes, and an ability to use data effectively are requirements for the role.
You should be organised and have the ability to analyse and interpret data to produce concise reports which will be shared and explained to a network of internal and external stakeholders.
APHA is an equal opportunities employer embracing and championing diversity and equality whilst furthering our delivery role on behalf of farming across Great Britain.
As a Delivery Team Leader you will need to bring the best out of each and every member of the team, taking account of their skills, experience, development and wellbeing.
You will be supported in your own development through participation in workshops, online webinars / training and mentoring and coaching.
As a civil servant honesty, integrity and impartiality are essential.

Essential Criteria
• Evidence of ability to successfully manage a team to deliver Key Performance Indicators, service delivery expectations and Service Level Agreements.
• Analytical skills and using data to reach sound business decisions including identifying issues and seeking mitigation or solutions
• Proven communication skills in English, producing clear, accurate and effective written communication
• Presentation skills sufficient to represent APHA both internally and externally in a way that promotes understanding by the target audience.
• High standard of interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• A strong leader, supporting agreed changes and displaying behaviours that align with Civil Service and organisational values
• Ability to work in a flexible and agile way to support development and to make use of current technology
• Work with the Regional Manager group & Field Delivery Managers to align service deliver standards across England & Wales

Key Skills
• Experience of Managing staff;
• Practical experience of Horticulture/Agriculture or Fresh Produce Industries;
• Experience of statutory plant health controls;
• An appreciation of the wider customer activities across GB
• Plant Health or Horticultural marketing legislation and technical experience
• Ability to identify a number of pest and diseases associated with plants and plant material.
• Knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of a range of plant pathogens
• Experience of working within a quality standard framework

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 selection process you will be asked to provide: 

• a CV detailing your relevant experience and qualifications
• a 500 word personal statement showing how you meet the criteria as outlined above

You will be expected to demonstrate in your Personal Statement the following:

•  How your skills and experience would deliver what is required from the job description.

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 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 Presentation skills, Behaviours & Strengths under the Success Profile Framework. 

When giving your Behaviour answers you should focus on very specific examples and frame your answer using the STAR method.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
All interviews will be conducted virtually via MS Teams. 

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.

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 at interview.

Near Miss

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

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.