National Science Centre for Animal Health (NSCAH) Business Manager (ID2787)

The National Science Centre for Animal Health (NSCAH) Department represents APHA on estates projects at its Weybridge headquarters, and across the APHA national estate. NSCAH has business obligations to ensure its smooth running, and strong integration into corporate workstreams and initiatives. This role is the engine that drives those business operations, with responsibility for autonomously refining and running the function with oversight and support from the NSCAH Business Lead and Office Manager., Recruitment
+ Manage NSCAH’s end-to-end recruitment process.
+ Maintain understanding of APHA recruitment processes, and be NSCAH point-of-contact for recruitment enquiries.
+ Forecast the NSCAH recruitment profile and report progress to central APHA and SCAH.
Finance and Procurement
+ Lead engagement with Finance to be the conduit of information and co-ordinator of queries/requests-for-information between NSCAH, APHA Finance, and delivery programme finance teams.
+ Work closely with Finance to ensure that Defra/corporate policies are understood and implemented efficiently to avoid duplication.
+ Ensure preparedness of the Department, and the HoD, for regular APHA Finance meetings, such as Star Chamber.
+ Establish an annual Departmental budget (including rental budget) and then monitor spend and update forecasts as necessary.
+ Manage the governance process around procurement requests of the NSCAH budget.
+ Manage and communicate the correct use of work-recording codes for estates projects to ensure accurate time recording by NSCAH colleagues.
+ Lead on NSCAH procurement, including developing an end-to-end process for, and managing, procurement activities of the Department, and providing support and advice on procurement processes.
Relationship Building
Build and maintain strong working relationships with the:
+ NSCAH Head of Department (HoD), to assist them in their HoD obligations to APHA.
+ NSCAH Business Lead and Office Manager, to develop and follow a strong vision, and ways-of-working, for the NSCAH Business area.
+ NSCAH Places Team, to ensure firm management of the NSCAH estate.
+ NSCAH Departmental colleagues to ensure that NSCAH fulfils its Departmental business obligations to APHA.
+ Science Business & Admin Team Lead.
+ Science Business Manager network.
+ APHA Quality Network.
Governance and Reporting
+ Administer the required NSCAH business Departmental meetings, such as the monthly Senior Management Team meeting, the monthly Team Brief, and weekly team touch-point meetings. This includes developing agendas with the chair, preparing slides where necessary in conjunction with the chair and wider team, taking minutes, actions, and decisions, and managing actions and decisions logs.
+ Report progress against the 2024/25 Departmental Scorecard, and work with SSP to develop the 25/26 NSCAH Scorecard.
+ Assist and prepare the HoD for corporate Directorate-level meetings, such as Science Directorate Ops.
+ Manage the NSCAH risk register.
+ Complete and return when required all obligatory documentation such as fraud and error returns, gift declarations etc.
Information Management
+ Manage the flow of information within NSCAH, including controlling information storage in repositories i.e., SharePoint Online, Content Cloud, Personal OneDrives etc.
+ Engage stakeholders to ensure seamless flow of information to and from NSCAH.
+ Rejuvenate the current NSCAH SharePoint Online site to provide a more effective repository, and provide guidance on its use.
+ Develop the process for storage of corporate documents on Content Cloud, and provide guidance on its use.
Quality and Audit
+ Represent NSCAH as the Local Quality Manager, and ensure that the Department fulfils all quality obligations, for example, completing the ICQA, or leading the Department though all quality audits, including preparing the team through holding mock-audits.
+ Contribute towards the APHA Quality network, and through it engaging other Quality Managers to manage quality requirements on estates projects.
Estates Management
+ Manage the ten staff houses at Weybridge, including billing and utilities.
+ Manage the rental income.
+ Liaise with council where required.
Corporate Duties and other responsibilities
+ Line or functional management of one EO post for Business Support. This includes management through setting goals and reviewing performance, mentoring, and supporting development and learning.
+ Lead the end-to-end annual NSCAH People Survey process, from ensuring team population of survey, to analysis of results, communication of key points, generation of action plan for improvements, and follow-through of actions.
+ Lead the socialisation within NSCAH of the APHA Business Plan, and the APHA Science Directorate Business Plan.
+ Develop and maintain the NSCAH Business Continuity Plan.
+ Ensure that NSCAH fulfil all APHA Business Continuity exercises, such as test cascades.
+ Develop and maintain the NSCAH Succession Plan.
+ Work with colleagues to identify learning and development opportunities to feed into overarching Training Plans.
+ Monitor training across NSCAH to ensure that mandatory training is being completed.
+ Work within NSCAH HEO cohort to complete ad hoc tasks and lead areas of responsibility when required., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Working Together
+ Changing and Improving
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ IT literate - particularly Microsoft Office (particularly Excel and Powerpoint) and SharePoint Online, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.
Online tests
After submission of the first stage of your application, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests and application is 23:55 on 18th October 2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 18th October 2024.
While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible.
It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.
Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits. Click https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reasonable-adjustments-for-online-tests-a-candidate-guide for test guidance.
Application
As part of the application process you will then be asked to complete a CV-style template and provide a Personal Statement.
For the personal statement, please write up to 500 words demonstrating how you match the required skills and experience for this post.
You will also be required to give 250-word behaviour statements. Please use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide evidence of each behaviour.
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 Behaviours, Technical ability, and your experience.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed, further details of this will be given at the time.
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, 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.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
The role will be based at the Weybridge office.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made., This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. We may consider two part-time staff on a job share basis if continuity can be arranged.
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
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., + 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 the Civil 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.

+ Proactive and self-motivated, with ability to own and drive areas of responsibility autonomously.
+ Strong relationship builder, with ability to use those relationships to advance work and overcome issues.
+ Ability to create novel end-to-end processes, as well as improve existing processes.
+ Effective planning and organisational skills, with ability to switch between and manage multiple workstreams concurrently.
+ Excellent written and oral skills to be able to communicate plainly and succinctly.
+ Basic understanding of Civil Service administrative processes and procedures around people management and recruitment.
+ Basic understanding of fundamental financial practises, such as budgeting, forecasting, and resource-allocation.
+ Knowledge of good working practise for information management.
+ Knowledge of quality systems such as ISO9001, and audit processes assessing against those systems.
+ Management of budgets and preparation of reports, forecasting etc.
+ Organisation of workshops and minute-taking.
+ A-levels or higher, or sufficient relevant experience of the above., The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Governments response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason, all post holders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Security Check (SC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the residency criteria. UK residency is required from 5 to 10 years depending on the level of Security. However, residency qualification maybe reduced for certain roles and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Alongside your salary of £35,857, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £10,387 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
In return for your dedication and hard work, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training as inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a generous employer contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme, reward vouchers and in-year bonuses. We also offer additional days off if accrued extra hours (flexi-time –if accumulated), three paid volunteering day per year. We also have a social committee who run team building and fun events at the Weybridge site. Further details can be found in the Candidate Information Pack.
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., 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.
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.