Resilience & Technical Advisor

We have an exciting opportunity to join our England Field Delivery Team as a Resilience & Technical Advisor (R&TA). This is a challenging role and a great opportunity to use your operational delivery and technical skills to ensure APHA succeeds in safeguarding animal health.

You will provide functional leadership for approximately 13 Animal Health Officers and coordinate local resilience, training & equipment requirements through Technical Team Leaders (TTLs). You will be supporting technicians completing this work and engaging in quality assurance and training.

This is a varied role, and you will have the flexibility to turn your hand to different tasks as the situation demands. The key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Functional leadership, including determining front-line technical actions and quality assurance of technical matters relating to Business as Usual (BAU) functions of approximately 13 Animal Health Officers (AHO).


• Resilience leadership & coordination for a given geographic area for all logistical field operations. These areas include operational workload in the area, numbers of staff in the area, APHA & non-APHA estate options for Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) sites in the area.


• Identify technical BAU and resilience training requirements for AHOs (through QA work) to the TTL for action and raising to core teams any trends in quality standards and training requirements.


• Liaise with local TTLs to set requirements for managing equipment enabling the Local Equipment Managers (LEMs) to manage equipment needs to cover immediate field team requirements in accordance with national stock requirements and operational manual instructions and stock.


• Evidence the assurance provided by local managers that Field Services Teams are suitably ready and prepared for dealing with an outbreak of an exotic notifiable disease.


• Share best practice with R&TA network to ensure a consistent approach.


Resilience & Business Continuity

• Ensuring local resilience plans, procedures and provisions meet APHAs national standards and requirements undertaking Emergency Readiness Management Assurance Scheme (ERMAS) assessments and contributing to lessons identified.


• Under direction from Resilience & Business Continuity (R&BC), set the estates requirements with local managers to ensure the suitability of estate for (FOB) purposes and ensure other business continuity requirements are planned for.


• Under direction from R&BC, design and deliver on farm training and exercise events to meet national objectives, engaging with key contractors and responders.


Emergency & Outbreak Response

• Work with local managers to establish outbreak response plans and provide assurance that individuals and teams have outbreak roles identified.


• Provide advice and guidance to Delivery/Technical Team Leaders to enable the identification of appropriate sites for FOBs and work with local managers to create FOB set up plans.


• Complete Lessons identified reports post exercise/outbreaks and coordinate and deliver any local actions.


• Independent Quality Assurance of technical incident response.


• Adopt the role of Recovery Manager for any outbreaks within your geographic area.


Functional Leadership

• Functional leadership of approximately 13 AHOs including determining action on escalated front-line technical issues and seeking resolution to issues outside of their expertise, for example to Operational Delivery Networks, Safety, Health and Wellbeing (SHaW).


Quality assurance of AHOs technical delivery

• As part of QA of front-line field delivery, to monitor, support and address Health & Safety, escalating any issues to the TTL.


• Display leadership by establishing and championing high health & safety standards acting as a role model (including maintaining own essential training).


• Raise AHOs (technical, including H&S) development requirements to line managers for performance reviews.


• As part of matrix management, contribute relevant constructive feedback to AHOs and their line managers, specifically to recognise high performance or highlight development or training requirements.


You will have matrix line management responsibility for England Field Delivery team members. Regular travel covering all of England, as well as presence at an APHA location is expected.

You may be required to travel and work for periods of detached duty in the event of a notifiable disease outbreak., 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., A valid driving licence that covers the UK, access to a vehicle with appropriate business use insurance., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership


• Communicating and Influencing


• Managing a Quality Service


• Seeing the Big Picture, 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.

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 and Barring Service 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.

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.,
• 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
  
  Are you someone who can lead and manage successfully in a challenging and dynamic environment?


Do you want to apply your communication and problem-solving skills in a role that provides variety and flexibility?,
• An in-depth knowledge of technical work processes and experience of the practical skills required to undertake a range of technical work.


• A sound understanding of resilience requirements and an appreciation of the skills required for an outbreak and/or other emergency operations.


• Experience of leadership in a functional environment.


• A collaborative approach - to work effectively under matrix management.


• Effective decision making.


• Strong coordination skills.


• Able to cope well in pressured environments.


• Able to hold meaningful conversations about performance and coaching others.


• Manage performance effectively with individuals and through line managers.


• Able to build and maintain strong and productive relationships with a wide range of delivery partners.


Learning and Development,
• You will be asked to demonstrate knowledge of APHA's Outbreak procedures and quality control requirements for field staff., This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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.

Alongside your salary of £32,136, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £8,676 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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., New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.