Plant & Bee Health Regional Manager

Job summary

Are you an experienced leader who thrives in a dynamic and challenging environment?
Would you like to play a vital role in safeguarding plant health, protecting the economy, and supporting food traceability?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for two Regional Managers to join our Plant Health Operations Team at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

These vacancies are based in:

• South West Region with office locations at Exeter, Truro, Launceston or Bridgwater.
• South Central Region with office locations at Itchen Abbas nr Winchester or Gatwick

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

As a Regional Manager, you will lead a team of Plant Inspectors and Horticultural Marketing (HMI) inspectors across a geographic area. You will ensure delivery of regulatory activities, prioritise resources, and maintain high standards of service. This is a role where your leadership will make a real difference to biosecurity and the horticulture and agriculture industries.

Job description

You will:

• Manage a geographically dispersed team, ensuring performance, conduct, and attendance meet organisational standards.

• Provide leadership and direction, fostering collaboration and continuous improvement.

• Prioritise workloads and resources to meet delivery targets and regulatory requirements.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, operational partners, and internal colleagues.

• Champion best practice and lead your team through organisational change.

• Ensure compliance with quality standards, including ISO 17020.

• Participate in emergency and outbreak response activities, including contingency planning and exercises.

• Promote health, safety, and wellbeing across your team.

This role requires regular travel within the region and occasional detached duty during incidents. Successful candidates must be able to operate without travel restrictions within the delivery area.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced and confident leader with a positive attitude who can motivate and inspire a team to deliver effectively and efficiently, particularly during periods of change.

You will have:

• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, and the ability to analyse and use data to inform decisions.

• Practical experience in horticulture, agriculture, or the fresh produce industry.

• Awareness or understanding of statutory plant health controls.

• A commitment to developing and supporting your team, recognising individual skills, experience, wellbeing, and development needs and working through HR cases and policy when required.

As a Civil Servant, you will demonstrate honesty, integrity, and impartiality. You will also be supported in your own development. through workshops, online training, mentoring, and coaching.

Essential Criteria

• Proven ability to manage and lead a team to achieve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), service delivery expectations, and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Strong analytical skills, with experience using data to make sound business decisions, identify issues, and develop solutions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, producing clear and accurate information for diverse audiences.

• Confident presentation skills to represent the organisation internally and externally, ensuring clarity and understanding.

• High standard of interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team.

• Ability to lead and support change, demonstrating behaviours aligned with organisational values.

• Flexible and agile approach to work, embracing technology to support service delivery.

• Ability to work with fellow Regional Managers and Field Delivery Managers to ensure consistent service standards across England and Wales.

Key Skills and Experience

• Line management experience, including staff development, wellbeing support, and HR processes.
• Understanding of regulatory frameworks or legislation.
• Knowledge or experience of the plant health, horticultural or agriculture industry.
• Experience working within a quality assurance framework and in Operational Delivery.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work flexibly, proactively support others, and demonstrate resilience during challenging periods.

Licences

Essential to this post -
Full UK Driving licence (evidence to be provided at interview)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,665, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £12,360 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities tailored to your role Access to a range of retail, travel, and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model.

Please refer to the Candidate Information Pack for more detail around offered benefits.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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 submitted through an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite; there is no requirement to upload your personal CV.
• a 500 word personal statement.

CV Guidance

Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements and your main responsibilities in each role and be no longer than 2 pages. Your CV will be used to provide further context on your Personal Statement and scored against the essential criteria.

Personal Statement Guidance

When completing your Personal Statement, please read and understand the Person Specification thoroughly, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against. Please ensure you evidence the key personal qualities and experiences that align with the criteria. Consider the Job Description and look to demonstrate how your previous experience may align with the expectations and be applicable to the role. The written evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc.

We encourage you to use the full 500-word allowance of the Personal Statement but not to exceed.

You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several essential criteria.

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.

For further guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit the Civil Service Careers website. How to write your CV , Civil Service Careers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruitment

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on your Presentation skills, Behaviours, Experience & 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.
Communicating & Influencing Behaviour will be assessed as a presentation. The title will be provided when invited to interview.
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.

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 3 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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : PBH Recruitment Team
• Email : phsijobs@apha.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here

Attachments

APHA Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1958kB)