Veterinary Lead - Scotland
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 24th 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, 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.
Do you want a strategic role safeguarding standards of animal health and welfare?
Have you got Knowledge and experience of working with the UK livestock industry across all sectors?
Do you have the ability to influence others and guide your team in a shared strategy?
If so, we would like to hear from you!
An exciting opportunity has arisen to play a key role in delivering strategic veterinary leadership. We are searching for an experienced veterinarian to drive the delivery and professional quality of our field operations in Scotland. This presents an exciting opportunity for the right candidate.
Job description
This role requires an individual who can successfully lead and manage a geographically dispersed, multi-disciplinary team, both during and between animal disease outbreaks.
Reporting to the Head of Field Delivery (HoFD), you will be accountable for delivering operational excellence in veterinary leadership, stakeholder engagement and customer service in your area. The priority is to safeguard GB from animal-related threats, via effective and consistent application and enforcement of animal health and welfare and veterinary public health policies.
The post-holder will play a pivotal role in the provision of veterinary advice to build effective relationships with Government policy customers, operational partners, veterinary profession stakeholders and commercial networks. Working with these stakeholders you will influence national policy development and support the delivery of scanning surveillance aims and objectives. In addition, by building effective relationships with Other Government Departments and Local Authorities you will support working together across areas of joint responsibility and emergency response.
It is important that you play a part in the strategic thinking and development of the Agency, ensuring the effective delivery of agreed public and animal health and welfare strategies and policies.
You will provide senior veterinary leadership, decision making and direction for all staff during incidents and in disease emergency situations.
You must be able to analyse, define and manage the veterinary risks in the agreed area of responsibility to achieve the Governments’ animal health and welfare outcomes and, in conjunction with others, ensure that the effective deployment of appropriate resources achieves organisational priorities and outcomes under all circumstances.
Based in one of the devolved administrations, the role requires you to represent Scottish Government and APHA in dealings with local operational partners, stakeholders and the media.
The work you will be doing:
- Providing strategic veterinary leadership for the implementation of APHA’s veterinary and technical strategy, clinical governance, management and relationships within their area; acting as senior APHA veterinary representative on strategic boards, at national and on occasion international meetings.
- Role modelling and embedding the necessary cultural changes required for the Agency to thrive, as APHA moves to a matrix system of management that supports increased flexibility, an agile response and digital ways of working.
- Providing veterinary leadership and direction for response to incidents and / or outbreaks of endemic or exotic notifiable disease including being available for deployment across GB.
- Ensuring that all veterinary and technical activities are delivered in accordance with desired policy outcomes, business plans and performance targets, working with the Head of Field Delivery (HFD) to constantly seek improved efficiency and value for money.
- Making veterinary decisions where there is high impact and high uncertainty, taking into account policy considerations and ensuring that those decisions are based on the best available evidence.
- Building effective relationships with local senior stakeholders and partners to influence end user behaviour regarding compliance with animal health and welfare strategies and policies.
- Working with APHA colleagues and Senior Official Veterinarians to monitor and assure consistency of compliance with quality and safety standards of the Veterinary Development Partnership contractors in their area.
- Delivering the APHA vision to all staff and contributing to the corporate leadership of the Agency. You will be expected to role-model authentic and inspiring leadership, embedding the necessary performance improvements and culture changes.
- Contributing to the design, development and implementation of national policy initiatives and reforms, undertaking important roles on programme boards, project teams and working groups.
- Participating in an on-call rota will be required as part of the role which attracts an allowance.
Please click here to visit Animal Plant and Health Agency's (APHA) Veterinary Careers website for further information.
Person specification
Candidates should possess and be able to demonstrate the following experience:
- Knowledge and experience of working with the UK livestock industry across all sectors.
- Experience of statutory and non-statutory disease diagnosis and investigation; veterinary jurisprudence and ethics; threat characterisation, risk management, enforcement and control.
- Experience of successfully leading multi-disciplinary and/or geographically dispersed teams to deliver multiple targets to an assured standard within constrained resources.
- Proven track record of strategic veterinary leadership and decision-making during incident and outbreak response, complex case work, contingency planning, and business continuity.
- A proven track record of innovation and leading through a period of transformation.
- Experience of building effective networks with policy customers, stakeholders and operational partners.
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.
Licences
Qualifications
Languages
have undertaken undergraduate veterinary training in English;
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- 1. Statutory disease control.
- 2. Threat characterisation and risk management
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 and a 1000-word Personal 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 Personal Statement only. 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.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be 'Seeing the Big Picture’.
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.
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.
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 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.
NSV
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Higher Security Clearance
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.
All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for a location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.
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.
