The relationship that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has with its partners in Local Authorities is key to our work protecting consumer health. Working to deliver food and feed controls across the country, these Local Authority teams provide core on-the-ground services that enable us to ensure food produced in the UK meets our high-quality standards.

The Local Authority Engagement Team is a vital connecting point between the FSA and those doing this work. Providing guidance to Local Authorities with regards to food and animal feed law, codes of practice and other centrally issued guidance, the team also provides a route for Local Authorities to bring issues and concerns to the FSA. This can inform our policy development, ensuring that new processes are informed by on-the-ground experience.

The Local Authorities Relationship Manager role offers an exciting opportunity to work closely with a range of stakeholders, helping to ensure that food produced in the UK is safe and exactly what it says it is.

Working closely with Local Authorities and FSA colleagues alike, you will manage working relationships to ensure that we can provide a consistent delivery of our services in conjunction with our partners. Challenging existing approaches to this important work, your input will enable our success.

You will look to find ways of improving the effectiveness and responsiveness of our team, be that through the anticipation of the impact emerging issues will have on our work, or the development of our approach to this work. You will be a confident and communicative individual who can create effective dialogues with our delivery partners, allowing us to support this important work and influence policy decisions impacting their output.

 If you are experienced in building and influencing collaborative working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, this is a fantastic opportunity to use your skills to make a tangible difference. Apply today to support this essential work and join the FSA in keeping food safe.

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.

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: Extensive experience of the food and/or feed law regulatory landscape working within or closely with local authorities    

·         Extensive knowledge and understanding of the regulatory and delivery landscape for food and feed in the UK.

·         Be effective at working with and through external stakeholders and delivery partners, with evidence of building and influencing collaborative working relationships both internally and externally.

·         Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

·         Excellent organisational skills including the ability to prioritise effectively and work to tight deadlines.

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

Technical

·         Applicants should ideally hold one of the qualifications listed in Section 3.4 of the Food Law Code of Practice

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 Civil Service Behaviours Level 3

Behaviours

·         Seeing the Big Picture

·         Communicating and Influencing

·         Delivering at Pace

·         Working Together

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

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

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 21/07/24

Sift: Expected to take place w/c 22/07/24

Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 05/08/24

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.

The FSA is dedicated to a policy of equal opportunity for all.

Being truly reflective of our society and building a culture where everyone can perform at their best is critical to the work of the FSA. We are looking to recruit from the widest possible talent pool and encourage candidates to apply from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer and are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment and selection process and beyond. All appointments are made on merit.

Please be assured that diversity or socio–economic information requested during the course of your application plays absolutely no part in our selection processes and is not seen by anyone assessing applications.  Any information provided is anonymised and used for statistical purposes only.

We actively review the deployment of talent on a periodic basis in the interests of optimising personal development and the achievement of business plans.

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.