Qualified Official Auxiliary – East

Job summary

Are you a driven individual with excellent communication skills?

Are you looking for a rewarding role that will have a real life impact on everyone in the UK?

If so, these exciting opportunities to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a Qualified Official Auxiliary (OA) are for you and we’d love to hear from you!!

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”.

Job description

Click the video below to hear from Dineka, to hear what it’s like to be a Meat and Dairy Inspector:
The heart of the FSA’s mission is to deliver “food we can trust”, and it’s more vital than ever that every precaution is taken to ensure the food on Britain’s plates is safe to eat, and exactly what it says it is.

Our meat production systems in abattoirs are one of the vital points of contact between the FSA and the food industry and represent an important on-the-ground part of our work. By ensuring high standards of animal welfare, quality control and workplace best practice are adhered to, we can make an active and ongoing difference in both the quality of the meat that reaches our plates but also the reputation that our nation and its food exports have on the global markets. The work the FSA does in abattoirs and food processing plants across the country each day has impact far beyond those factory walls.

Our Official Auxiliaries are vital parts of this process, delivering these standards through a number of means. These will include the performance of ante- and post-mortem inspections of animals, unannounced inspections on working practices across your dedicated site, the collecting and dispatching of samples for offsite analysis and communication with both FSA team members and onsite staff to create the safest and healthiest factory environment.

Where will I be working?

You’ll be working in the following FBO Plant within the East region of the UK:

Cluster 14: Cranswick Country Foods, The Abattoir, Brandon Road, Watton, Norfolk, IP25 6LW

Working Pattern: 4 Day Week, Fixed non-working day, 9.25 hours + 1 hour contractual overtime per day

Cluster 17: Romford Halal Meats, Beredens Farm, Folkes Lane, Upminster, RM14 1TH

Working Pattern: Monday + Tuesday 07.15am – 14.30pm, Wednesday + Thursday 07.15am – 16.00pm, Sunday 07.15am – 16.00pm. Contractual Overtime Wednesday + Thursday 1.25 hours, Half Time Overtime Sunday

Cluster 19: Forge Farm Meats, Powder Mill Lane, Southborough, Kent, TN4 9EG

Working Pattern: 4 Day week, 9.25 hours, 07.30am – 17.15pm

Please refer to the map on the candidate pack which highlights the location of each cluster across the UK.

It is a mandatory requirement that you need to reside within 60 miles or 90 minutes of your preferred plant location. Should you be offered a position with us, we will verify that you reside within this remit as part of the pre-employment process and failure to meet these requirements may result in your offer of employment being withdrawn.

Please note that other plants may become available throughout the year, and candidates who are placed on reserve will be offered these positions when they become available.

About you

We are looking for driven individuals who are able to maintain focus on repetitive tasks. You will be comfortable working in a busy factory environment with early start times, working a core 37 hrs each week with an option to be deployed on a 5, 4 or 3- day working pattern based on business demand and operational requirements of the base plant allocated (please note this working pattern will only apply once you have successfully completed the training). You will have strong communication skills that will allow you to talk with onsite staff across company hierarchies to influence and guide decision making as part of our FSA team. A sharp attention to detail is required for this role, and as such we can regrettably only consider those with normal colour vision (trichromacy) for this role.

With on-the-job training, and plenty of opportunities for progression in the FSA, the Qualified Official Auxiliary gives you a strong first step if you’re seeking to build a career around keeping Britain’s food safe for all.

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.

Licences

Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

Qualifications

Red Meat Inspection qualification or equivalent

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,272, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,769 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.

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 Strengths 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.

· You have a Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

· You hold a Red Meat Inspection qualification or equivalent

If you cannot answer yes to these questions – 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 criteria.

Essential criteria

Experience

· When have you managed multiple workloads successfully working within tight deadlines?

· Tell us about a time when you had to use your communication skills to influence a different outcome?

· How have you used Microsoft Office or equivalent in your work, study or other tasks?

When submitting you personal statement, you are encouraged to use the full 750 words available to the best of your ability, as this will help the panel to determine your suitability to be taken through for interview.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience criteria:

Experience

· Experience of working under pressure and remaining calm in stressful situations

· Self-motivated and able to work with minimum supervision as part of a team

· Experience of building effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

· Experience of being thorough and paying attention to detail

Strengths

We will also assess you against a number of Civil Service Strengths – these are not disclosed prior to interview.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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.

Expected Timeline

Advert closes: 07/06/26

Sift: Expected to take place w/c 08/06/26

Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 22/06/26

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).

Successful candidates will have 4 weeks to complete the pre-employment checking process, between 29/06/26 and 24/07/26. It is the candidates responsibility to ensure that they are forthcoming in providing their right to work documentation and completing any pre-employment actions. In the event that the successful candidate(s) checks have not cleared by 24/07/26, those affected will be placed on the reserve list and will be considered for any future vacancies over the next 12 months.

The induction is scheduled to take place on 24/08/26. If the successful candidates are unable to commence their employment with the FSA on this date they will be placed on the reserve list and will be considered for any future vacancies over the next 12 months.

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.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications. When candidates are invited for interview they will be asked to provide right to work documentation in advance before an offer of employment is made.

Occupational Health Referral

Please note that as part of the pre-employment checking process, all candidates that are offered a position must undergo an Occupational Health referral to ensure they are fit to carry out the responsibilities of the role. Candidates are advised to be truthful when answering all questions as part of this process, as to not do so may impact your offer of employment.

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 : Hr Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk

Further information

If you wish to raise a complaint then please email hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk in the first instance.

Attachments

Qualified Official Auxiliary - East - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1052kB)Terms and Conditions as at April 2020 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 42kB)