About the job

Job summary

Are you an experienced radiological professional looking for a challenging new role?

Are you looking for an opportunity to use your skills to deliver meaningful work that makes a difference?

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. Our teams consider all sorts of risks to the food we eat and engage with solutions that will keep consumers safe whenever they eat.

We are looking for a Radiological Senior Policy Adviser who can help us ensure that regulation of radioactivity in food, from planned and accidental releases, and of irradiated foods in the UK is fit for purpose and capable of protecting 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’ll lead our efforts to deliver comprehensive and effective radiological risk management policy and empower us to deliver evidence-based advice that will impact legislation. You will oversee the delivery of radiological monitoring, analysis and reporting, and will play a key role in our response to incidents that involve irradiated foods.

At the heart of this role there is a need for effective collaboration with colleagues across the Civil Service. You’ll work alongside other departments with differing priorities, and your ability to team up with others and communicate the importance of the FSA’s own considerations will be key to our success in keeping food safe.

This is a fantastic opportunity to use your experience to help make a lasting impact on food on tables across the country. If you are looking for a role that makes a difference and offers new and interesting challenges, apply today to join us as our Radiological Senior Policy Adviser.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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: Strong influencing and effective personal engagement skills, particularly the ability to quickly establish and maintain productive relations with a range of stakeholders inside and outside of government.
• Experience of policy development, preferably in agriculture, food or feed areas, working on complex and sensitive issues and developing evidence based, pragmatic solutions in a fast-paced policy environment.
• Experience and knowledge of the food sector policy/technical/regulatory issues.
• Experience of managing and developing staff and working collectively and with impact as part of a team.
• A demonstrable ability to communicate and advocate evidence-based policy to non-technical and non-scientific stakeholders at all levels, including the most senior, showing good decision-making capability, at times with pressing deadlines, whilst maintaining a quality response.
• Demonstrable knowledge of radiological protection principles, food irradiation principles and international obligations for radiological food safety.
• Experience and understanding of budget control.

Technical

• Project management qualification or 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 requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours (Level 3).

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Experience

• Strong influencing and effective personal engagement skills, particularly the ability to quickly establish and maintain productive relations with a range of stakeholders inside and outside of government.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 16 June 2024

Sift: Expected to take place during week commencing 17 June 2024

Final panel interview: Expected to take place during weeks commencing 01 or 08 July 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).

As UKSV SC is required for this role, please confirm you have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 of the last 5 years (or have extenuating circumstances e.g. have been serving abroad with HM Armed Forces).

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) Requirements (SC)

Appointment will be subject to the candidate having, or being able to achieve, National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) level.

All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years (although there are some exceptions e.g. if you have been serving abroad with HM Armed Forces).

Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

Checks will be made against:

• a departmental/company records check which will include, for example personal files, staff reports, sick leave returns and security records
• a check of both spent and unspent criminal records
• a check of credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• a check of Security Service (MI5) records
• exceptionally, if there are any unresolved security concerns about the individual, or if recommended by the Security Service, the individual may also be interviewed
• in the event of any unresolved financial concerns, the individual may also be required to complete a separate financial questionnaire so that a full review of personal finances can be carried out

• checks may extend to third parties included on the security questionnaire.

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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.