Plant Health Exports, HMI exports and Plant Passporting Technical Lead

Job summary

The Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an arm’s length body, government agency that sits within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We have one mission, which is to safeguard plant and animal health, for the benefit of everyone in society, the environment, and the economy. - Every one of our employees is passionate about achieving this mission.

The Plant Health Exports & Passporting Lead is responsible for providing technical advice, guidance and direction to colleagues within APHA, Defra, other UK government departments and devolved administrations. Managing a team of experts that are responsible for delivering a technical service to the business You will work across P&BH and policy teams' day to day, whilst contributing to the wider management of APHA and Plant and Bee Health.

Your role will be carried out through the leadership of internal technical groups and liaison with wider governmental bodies, policy and external parties. The ability to work at pace with consistency and accuracy is key. Additionally, the successful candidate must have . Furthermore, individuals need to be self-motivated, have excellent communication skills, be able to work independently and across teams often responding to extremely tight deadlines.

The role advertised will involve regular travel to APHA locations and across wider GB. Out of hours and detached duty work may be required in the event of an outbreak or incident. The post-holder will support an on-call rota for incident management.

Job description

The successful candidate must have practical knowledge of plant exports and plant passporting. They must also be able to work independently, within teams and lead people. Make key decisions and take responsibility whilst being able to move from one task to another as need arises. Furthermore, the individual must be capable of being able to respond to extremely tight deadlines and be self-motivated, as well as comfortable networking with people at all levels within APHA, wider government and stakeholders. The role involves presenting through oral, or written means new ideas, or ways of working. You may be required to respond to emergency situations, make site visits as well as potentially work outside core hours, perform detached duty or travel overseas.

Key focus for this role is:

• Oversee the operational requirement for the export of goods, including the monitoring of international legislation for meeting the trade of goods under plant health and horticultural marketing.
• Ensure appropriate working groups are advised on new aspects of trade agreements which may affect plant passporting or plant exports. This may include closer alignment with the EU, while maintaining operational and technical support for exports to the rest of world.
• Be responsible for engaging with, advising and providing data for fees and charges across plant passporting, plant health exports and other new activities as they become chargeable.
• Monitor and report on operational delivery plus use of analytical skills to assess data to identify issues and develop / propose sound business decisions.
• Working with IT project teams to develop agile systems which improve business process.
• Work with operational teams to provide training and monitor performance.
• Lead APHA’s Technical Advice Panels (TAPs) covering export and plant passporting to ensure internal and external advice is up to date as is internal training for staff.
• Line management of staff.
• Liaison with Defra international, technical and policy teams (plant health risk group, its subgroups and market access working group) along with Forestry Commission, devolved governments and Crown Dependencies on new or changes to policy, fees and legislation across plant health.
• Liaise, engage, share and work with FERA Science on Plant health matters.
• Help identify management information for monitoring future work.
• Develop and lead on Continuous improvement and quality for exports working with other APHA groups with an emphasis on achieving ISO 17020 for plant health exports and maintaining it for plant passporting.
• With technical leads develop and deliver training materials and create ways to monitor learning outputs.
• Produce, maintain and develop stakeholder content including publishing APHA plant passporting updates to trade several times a year.
• For HMI marketing standards and exports activities ensure appropriate dialogue with subject leads to delivery certificates of conformity for relevant controlled goods.

Person specification

Have an established technical competence across the various types of plant health work areas, pest free areas, IT system requirements, technical advice and training.

• The post holder must have expert working knowledge of Defra’s Plant Health regulations.
• Experienced in the strategic management of regulatory inspection and enforcement activities.
• Excellent knowledge of and the ability to interpret UK legislation and implement this within business requirements and processes.
• Strong inter-personal and communication skills (written and oral) with the ability to produce and present to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to deal with clients and stakeholders at all levels including face to face and be able to promote APHA and Defra positively even under pressure.
• Ability to display excellent decision-making skills under high pressure situations even under the absence of all information.

Key Skills:

• Awareness of Plant Health IT systems to deliver front line service.
• Technical competence and experience of plant and crop production
• Technical competence and experience in field inspection, sampling and incident response
• Technical competence and experience of Plant Health pests and diseases

Licences

Full Valid UK Driving licence

Qualifications

Minimum of a Degree in Agriculture, Horticulture or Biological Science or knowledge of plants / seeds and horticulture to a working level equivalent to that of a degree.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

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

• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,375, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £16,331 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 28.97%
• 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 where staff will spend a norm of 60% of their time in the office (minimum 60%)

Office attendance

Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed in this advert. Our current office attendance approach requires 60% attendance in Defra group workplaces or off site meetings with partners and customers. This balance provides thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice.

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.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• 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.
• 250 Word Leadership Behaviour

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.

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

Sift

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

Should a high volume 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 and/or progressed straight to interview.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a blended panel interview via video.

At interview you will be assessed on Strengths, Behaviours (Communicating and Influencing will be the delivery of a presentation - title will be advised when invited to interview) and Experience.

Appointments will be made on merit order.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Near miss

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.

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 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

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.

Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be 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.

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.

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

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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
• 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, 1870kB)PHSI Regions Opens in new window (pdf, 3836kB)