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’s increasingly healthy and more sustainable. At the heart of these efforts is a robust and diverse scientific community, working to help us do the right thing for consumers across the country.

We’re looking for a Senior Laboratory Officer who can help us deliver our approach to Official Laboratories and National Reference Laboratories. You’ll lead and develop cross-cutting programs of work, collaborating closely with a range of stakeholders across academia and the wider government.

Job description

You’ll draw on your experiences of stakeholder engagement to make sure we’re best positioned to deliver important research and make the most of it with regards to our wider mission to deliver ‘food you can trust’.

Whether you are coordinating and managing the FSA’s National Reference Laboratories, or working with colleagues across the organisation to develop policy and regulations regarding both our laboratories and our sampling process, you’ll be excited to deliver work that has a real impact on science in the organisation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a talented communicator and collaborator to bring their passion for science into a government department where there’s potential to make a real, meaningful difference. If you’re a skilled scientist who can deliver at pace, apply today to join the FSA as our Senior Laboratory Officer.

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 £39,611, Food Standards Agency contributes £11,475 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.  

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

• A degree or equivalent experience in any science discipline

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).

Essential criteria

Experience

• Lead criteria: Experience in delivering strategic workstreams/science programmes to inform policy.
• Strong experience of internal and external stakeholder engagement at all levels and a proven ability to create partnerships and joint ways of working.
• Proven experience of using excellent communication skills, including the ability to ensure that complex information is presented in a clear and concise manner.
• Proven ability to work at pace to balance competing demands and priorities within agreed deadlines.

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

Experience   

• Ability to understand and apply scientific knowledge to develop and deliver strategy.
• Experience of the current UK Official Laboratory food and feed system and/or National Reference Laboratories

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.

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 day / invitation to interview email.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 30/06/24

Sift: Expected to take place 01/07/24

Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 15/07/24

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.

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.