About the job

Job summary

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a small government department with a big mission – to keep food safe, ensure that it is what it says it is, and that it is increasingly healthy and more sustainable. Everybody eats, and our work ensures that consumers have access to ‘food you can trust’.

We are looking for a Regulated Products Service Delivery Lead who can help make sure that new regulated food and animal feed products entering the UK market meet our high standards as they pass through the FSA’s authorisation process.

You’ll offer leadership to our delivery team throughout the various stages of this process, working to increase our capabilities and offer continuous improvement as we seek to deliver the best service possible.

Job description

Leading and coordinating across multiple teams, you’ll bring stakeholders together to work collaboratively to deliver an excellent service.

By establishing and maintaining effective working relationships, you’ll be fundamental to the smooth running of this vital process. You’ll have a unique blend of policy, delivery and service improvement skills as you’ll lead on the development of public consultations, drafting effective recommendations to ministers and progressing applications through to completion, whilst continuously improving the service.

You’ll be a talented leader, capable of ensuring your staff are supported and feel able to deliver their best work. You’ll foster an environment that welcomes challenges and fosters innovation, using your experience to build on our existing approach to this important area of the FSA’s business.

If you are looking for a role that enables you to make a real, positive difference to the lives of those around you, and are excited by an opportunity to lead a team as it finds new ways to deliver important work, apply today to join us as our Regulated Products Service Delivery Lead.

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 £54,404, Food Standards Agency contributes £15,761 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.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.

Essential criteria

Experience

• Lead criteria: Experience of leading teams in a high-profile business delivery environment.  Inspiring and motivating teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role. 
• Experience of communicating information, analysis and complex messages, particularly briefing papers and submissions, to a range of audiences including senior internal and external stakeholders using different communication methods and tools
• Experience of analysing and using a range of credible information sources, to make evidence-based recommendations that lead to decision making in operational and policy contexts
• Experience of establishing and maintaining positive relationships, to work collaboratively and deliver solutions that meet shared objectives

Lead Criteria

An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria.

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 requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours Level 4.

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

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

Experience

• Experience of leading teams in a high-profile business delivery environment. Inspiring and motivating teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role. (Assessed via assessment exercise – seen presentation)

Assessment exercise

As part of the interview process, you will be asked to prepare a seen presentation. Further information will be provided to you on the invitation to interview email.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 29 July 2024 (23:55)

Sift: Expected to take place from 30 July 2024

Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 26 August 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.