Location

Multi-location from one of our FSA Offices (Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, London or York), or home based in the UK. Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas. Travel across the UK will be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays.

About the job Summary

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people. Having left the EU, we play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food we can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen as part of the Hygiene Policy Team in FSA Wales.

With food legislation back in the UK’s hands, we want to make sure that we can maintain the high standards we hold for the quality and safety of what we eat. The Hygiene Policy team is vital in developing the regulatory policies and legislation that guides food and feed hygiene and safety across Wales. It’s important that every part of the UK is protected and regulated under food law that meets their needs.
There are many areas that the Hygiene Policy team touches upon, and successful candidates will find themselves liaising with local authorities, industry figures and other stakeholders in the Welsh food systems.


The successful candidate will be a strong communicator, who is able to work alongside and influence people from across both government and the industry itself. They will understand the importance of the FSA, and why we always put the consumers’ interests first - but will also ensure that Welsh interests are part of the equation as well. If you are eager to make a tangible impact on the food on the nation’s tables, and ready to work closely with the rest of our team to do so, then we cannot wait to hear from you.


This post is advertised as a up to 2 year Fixed Term contract or Loan appointment. Candidates that are already established Civil Servants will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this job.

Note for FSA employees: You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for a non-permanent vacancy, this includes applying for a new post during an existing temporary posting. Your substantive post may be backfilled on a permanent basis if your temporary posting lasts for longer than 12 months. Please note that if there is no return post for you and suitable employment cannot be found within the FSA or in another government department you will be at risk of redundancy.

Responsibilities

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.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

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 Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. This will consist of shortlisting against the essential and desirable person specification criteria stated. If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to the final selection stage consisting of a behaviours and Experience -based interview.

In the event of receiving a large number of applications an initial sift may take place on just the identified lead criteria indicated below:

• Experience of working within a policy or regulatory environment (or similar) (lead criteria)


Lead Criteria: In the event we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.

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.

Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached terms and conditions statement.