Compliance, Enforcement and Investigative Officer
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 11th November 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, because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.
We welcome applications from candidates with visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
Do you want to apply your communication and problem-solving skills in a role that provides variety and flexibility?
Do you have experience within an enforcement environment?
If so, we have an amazing opportunity to join the team as an Enforcement and Investigative officer and would love to hear from you!
Job description
Scottish Ministers require coordinated enforcement capability from farm to fork. As a result, APHA’s Scotland Field Services is recruiting an additional Compliance, Enforcement and Investigative Officer to help coordinate the Agency’s regulatory activity and to develop APHA field staff capability. There is a need to maintain strong links with the Food Standards Scotland Intelligence Officers and APHA’s Regulatory Affairs, Compliance and Enforcement Team (RACE).
The Compliance, Enforcement and Investigative Officer will play a vital role in leading the work on compliance and working effectively with enforcement partners ensuring that the Agency operates within the legal framework
You will provide expert advice to colleagues and enforcement partners on compliance issues.
In exceptional circumstances, in absence of an external investigating body, you may take full control of an investigation.
Your role as Compliance Enforcement and Investigative Officer will also involve reviewing compliance information and analysing APHA data to increase the awareness of the impact that non-compliant behaviour has on the delivery of animal health and welfare policies in Scotland. This will be vital for development of processes to improve controls in conjunction with Food Standards Scotland.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to:
- Work with APHA Field Inspectors and admin teams to understand the animal health and welfare legislation to identify areas on non-compliance; working collaboratively to bring businesses/ keepers back into compliance.
- Act as a point of contact within Scotland Field Delivery to advise on appropriate actions when non-compliance is suspected, raise the profile of non-compliance issues and to encourage the exchange of information.
- Input into the identification of high-risk areas of non-compliance and to ensure the development of plans and procedures to prevent or mitigate them.
- Ensure APHA acts as a fair, proportionate, and consistent Regulator when dealing with non-compliance; training and upskilling staff to be confident and effective in dealing with non-compliance issues to understand enforcement principles and providing guidance on evidence gathering, witness statement writing and court preparation.
- Build effective relationships with enforcement partners, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) other stakeholders and policy colleagues, thus ensuring a collective approach to specific cases and wider non-compliance issues and promoting a clear understanding of outcomes.
- Be an active member of any enforcement case conferences, which may include convening and leading discussions on the appropriate actions to be taken by all parties to ensure APHA can deliver operational requirements to prevent disease spread or safeguard animal welfare.
- Be an active participant and APHA point of contact for enforcement investigations in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders. This may include gathering evidence, provision of witnesses statements and interviewing suspects in accordance with legislative frameworks.
- Adhere to disclosure requirements and evidential thresholds to prepare reports, productions and evidence for court. Support operational partners to prepare case reports to the required standards for referral to the procurator fiscal (PF) and on occasion submit cases and liaise directly with the PF.
- Safeguard APHA by ensuring that all investigations are carried out in accordance with legislative requirements including all aspects of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act (RIPSA), Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) and evidential continuity.
- Participate in meetings to raise awareness of the impact of non-compliance on delivery of the Scottish Government’s policies and help deliver plans and procedures to mitigate associated risks. Advise key colleagues, policy customers, operational partners and stakeholder organisations on regulation, compliance, and enforcement issues.
- Support the continuing development of the APHA Compliance and Enforcement strategy.
- Consider targeted enforcement campaigns across APHA in conjunction with policy customers and enforcement partners, to address highlighted areas of risk e.g. non-compliance with TB control measures.
- Budget responsibilities will be for work related travel and subsistence.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Experience of working in regulatory, compliance and enforcement environment with knowledge of evidence gathering and taking witness statements
- Skills to lead resolution of non-compliance and use a range of investigative techniques including experience of conducting interviews
- Ability to interpret legislation and apply it to practical situations; using sound judgement and analytical capabilities
- Knowledge of the requirements to satisfy evidential continuity in the collection and evaluation of evidence
- Ability to communicate and engage with a wide range of people and operating in a multi-agency environment
- Report writing and presentation skills to brief senior management on complex issues in a clear and concise manner
- Strong team working skills with effective prioritisation and planning
- Ability to work with minimal supervision
- Proficient in the use of a variety of IT tools
- Understanding of animal health and welfare legislation and regulatory controls
- Knowledge of agriculture and associated industries
- Effective leadership
- Experience of large-scale cases of non-compliance especially those with an element of fraud, and an understanding of Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) legislation
- Understanding of an intelligence operating model
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.
Workplace arrangements:
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.
Licences
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- working in a diverse enforcement landscape with different enforcement partners and regulators.
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.
- 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, 500 word personal statement and two 250-word behaviour statement of the following;
- Making effective decisions
- Seeing the big picture
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
- Making Effective Decisions
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, technical skills, and strengths
For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be Making effective decisions.
Technical skills will be assessed via a presentation during the interview.
Candidates will be sent the task via email prior to the interview.
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.
For most candidates your hours of work will be a blend of working from an APHA workplace (specific to the team location) with working at home.
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.
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 maybe carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure Scotland 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.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
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
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Medical
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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 : Recruitment Hub / Leanne Williams
- 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.
