Centre of International Trade - Administrative Officer
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 28th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.
- Are you an excellent communicator who enjoys helping others?
- Do you love working as part of a team, bringing an enthusiastic approach every day?
- Do you have experience with Microsoft Office?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop your skills and experience. You’ll be part of a vibrant department that advocates development.
We currently have 8 permanent and1 fixed term position. available. Roles will be allocated to successful candidates in merit order.
Job description
The Centre for International Trade is part of APHA’s Customer Service Centre Network across the country and is responsible for a wide variety of work areas to allow the import and export of live animals, plants, animal products and plant products to the EU and third countries.
We are currently recruiting a number of colleagues who will work as part of our flexible and fun team. We currently work various patterns that cover 365 days of the year from 6am through to midnight and this friendly team are avid fans of their unique lifestyle.
Shift working allows for creative use of annual leave hours – take time off between shifts and you can get some great long breaks!
Shifts change on a weekly basis so you may benefit between having your mornings and evenings free. In short, this opportunity is particularly desirable for individuals who want to fit their work around their lifestyle commitments.
These roles are customer facing and will suit those who have an ability to communicate well to a diverse group of customers. You will be engaging with a broad range of partners and forming relationships with colleagues across the wider Defra team.
The roles are primarily focused on delivering administrative tasks to facilitate trade in plants and plant products. This can include but is not limited to; producing export certificates for plants and plant products, completing documentary checks on consignments of plant imports, coordinating physical inspection of goods at border control posts, assisting stakeholders with billing enquiries and resolving invoicing errors, providing classification of potatoes produced and marketed in England and Wales, registering and authorising professional operators to produce UK plant passports and authorising the import, movement and storage of prohibited material for purposes such as scientific research or educational purposes
Confidence in speaking to customers on the telephone and via email is an essential requirement for these roles as you will be responsible for answering emails within agreed timeframes and resolving stakeholder queries and questions.
You will be expected to provide support to our customers in a wide variety of ways as well as to support the management team.
As an Administration Officer, your main responsibilities will include:
Delivery
- Working collaboratively with remote teams across Great Britain to support the delivery of the core function of the Business Unit in accordance with established time scales and performance targets.
- Ensuring accurate records are kept and updated accordingly.
- Data inputting using various IT systems in accordance with APHA Data.
- Identifying efficiencies that could be utilised within your own team or wider business unit.
- Understanding and identifying issues that may affect delivery that require escalation to your Line Manager.
- Being flexible to adapt to changing situations within the office and responds with energy and commitment to take on additional tasks that may be outside the normal day to day duties.
Administration Procedures
- Taking responsibility for a set of administrative procedures; ensuring actions are carried out in accordance with the procedures and within the necessary timescales.
- Providing various office administrative and business support duties to the immediate and when required wider team including meeting organisation, note taking, updating of distribution lists, training course organisation and mailbox monitoring.
- Answering telephone queries, following up enquiries which cannot be immediately resolved. There is some processing and procedural work associated with the calls generated, including accurately noting the details of the call on a customer’s record, updating databases, producing paperwork, and following general administration processes and procedures.
- Providing support and guidance to others (internally and externally) on procedures.
- Continually reviewing procedures in your work area and identifying any efficiencies that could be utilised in your work area.
Customer Service
- Liaising with, and providing excellent customer service to Stakeholders, Delivery Partners and Customers, both internal and external, to understand and appreciate their needs and requirements, for example, liaising with farmers and local field delivery teams.
- Liaising with laboratories and field delivery partners over test and inspection results.
- Responding to requests from the public for information and guidance and providing accurate and timely information to our customers.
- Updating information held on our information systems by liaising with the public to ensure the data we capture about (or for) our customers is accurate.
- Managing customer expectations.
Person specification
The following experience is essential to this post:
- Experience of working in a customer service environment.
- Experience of using IT, including but not limited to Microsoft packages.
- Experience of working in a fast-paced, changing environment.
- Experience of working as part of a team.
Learning and Development
Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.
In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Further benefits offered also include:
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30. Where working an alternate shift pattern or part-time, annual leave will be calculated in hours.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities tailored to your role.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
- Staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.
- Making it work for you - With so many flexible options, most people can find a work schedule to suit their circumstances.
These are just a few of our benefits we offer. To find out the full range of what we offer refer to the Information Pack attached for more detail.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, a 500 word personal statement and a behaviour statement.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service. 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.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on your experience, behaviours and strengths.
Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 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 on your application.
The FTA contract is advertised with the possibility of extension or permanency. The permanent posts will be offered to the highest scoring candidates.
Salary
New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed 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.
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. 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.
Loan and Fixed Term Appointments
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
This is a Fixed-term Appointment as a Plants Administrative Officer on the Centre of International Trade because the post is not permanent. It is time limited due to a fixed funding period or as part of a specific project. The fixed-term will end when the funding or the project expires.
Your responsibilities will include those shown on the Responsibilities section of the advert. This post will therefore begin from the agreed start date and end on 31/03/2025
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
Medical
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : The Recruitment Hub - Manisha Patel
- Email : recruitment.sdd@apha.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
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: Click https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/ to visit Civil Service Commission.
