Job summary
Do you excel at influencing others and providing leadership across business, science, and people management? Are you skilled at driving transformative change, promoting innovation, and achieving excellence while guiding your team towards a common strategy?
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a pivotal executive agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and is dedicated to safeguarding the UK's animal and plant health. With a team of over 3,000 professionals operating across 85 sites including laboratories, offices, and field depots, we are committed to advancing research and regulatory practices that protect both the environment and economy. Our role is critical in maintaining the UK�s biosecurity standards.
The Sustainable Futures strategy represents a significant transformation for APHA, and your leadership will be essential in achieving its objectives. You will facilitate strategic investments and innovation, contributing to the UK�s environmental and economic resilience. Further details are in the candidate pack.
The priority for this role is to look strategically across the APHA estate to ensure that is fit for purpose for our future business needs for disease surveillance and outbreak readiness. The post holder will be responsible for contributing to reviews of our locations, developing a Place strategy to meet future business needs. This includes reviewing the regional laboratory network and disease outbreak response locations in conjunction with our specialists and delivery directorates.
Job description
Reporting to Yvonne Spencer (the Director of Science Capability) as the Head of Strategic Estates, your role is critical to future proofing our infrastructure. You will be a key leader in advancing APHA�s infrastructure strategy.
You will oversee the development and implementation of our Estates (Place) Strategy, ensuring that our diverse portfolio from scientific laboratories to field depots supports our strategic objectives. Your role will involve close collaboration with senior leaders and strategic partners, including Defra Group Property (DgP) and the Scottish Government, to drive innovation and transformation across APHA.
Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
1. Developing and refining the Estates (Place) Strategy to align with APHA�s corporate strategy and vision. Conducting a thorough review of APHA�s locations and facilities to support the Agency�s objectives effectively and safely.
2. Creating a Strategic Asset Management and Development Plan that meets strategic goals and adheres to Government Strategy requirements, including Places for Growth and decarbonisation targets.
3. Overseeing facility performance, ensuring compliance with legal, safety, and security standards while identifying opportunities for optimisation and financial efficiencies.
4. Acting as a senior APHA client interface, building and managing effective relationships across all APHA Directorates and work closely with Defra Group Property, Scottish Government Estates, Defra Group Security and APHA Security to implement the Estates (Place) Strategy and annual business plans.
5. Engaging with business end-users and property professionals to ensure operational demands are clearly articulated and met with strategic investment, business continuity, and site incident response plans.
6. Developing an operating model and process maps to enhance operational efficiency and business resilience/incident response plans across facilities.
7. Leading a small APHA Place team (1 x G7, 2 x SEO, 1 x HEO and 1 x EO), managing property initiatives, lease events, refurbishments, and redevelopments.
Person specification
Candidates should demonstrate the following Skills, Experience and Technical Knowledge:
8. A dynamic leader, with experience in giving clear direction, building and inspiring high-performing, cross-functional teams through strong visible leadership and coaching.
9. Extensive experience managing complex property portfolios and high-impact projects in secure, regulated environments, you ensure success across a diverse estate.
10. Proven ability to assess and address the operational requirements of various facility types, including scientific, highly regulated, secure facilities, and Critical National Infrastructure.
11. Experience in delivering complex, multi-disciplinary programmes.
12. Experience in developing and delivering estates function strategy and business plans.
13. Strategic thinking allowing you to spot trends and identify opportunities that support and advance organisational goals.
14. Strong interpersonal skills enabling you to influence senior leaders, manage relationships, and encourage collaboration across boundaries, enhancing consistency and optimising outcomes.
15. Highly organised, with expertise in business planning, prioritisation, and delivering projects on time and to high-quality standards.
16. Hold a relevant degree level or equivalent considerable experience in estates, property, or facilities management, underpinned by programme and project management qualifications.
17. Expertise in risk management, governance, control and audit processes, confidently navigating complex environments, ensuring effective supplier performance.
18. Develop effective portfolio management indicators that can be rolled up and down all levels of organisation.
19. Adept at analysing data, developing evidence-based solutions and clearly communicating complex ideas to diverse audiences.
20. Strong financial and sound commercial acumen with proven ability to forecast, prepare and budget awareness.
21. Strong performance management skills, enabling you to make effective decisions, even in challenging situations.
22. An understanding of Health and Safety in complex property operating structures.
23. Excellent change management and leadership skills. Experience of steering teams or departments through substantial change. In particular, strong communication and staff engagement skills.
Qualifications
Holds GPP Core Accreditation at Chartered, Certified or Fellow grade (RICS, IWFM, CIOB, CEng, CEnv, RTPI, RIBA)
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
24. Leadership
25. Communicating and Influencing
26. Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
27. Leadership
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
28. Property Professional Expertise
29. Customer and Client Service
30. Stakeholder Engagement
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �62,605, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes �18,136 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
31. Learning and development tailored to your role.
32. An environment with flexible working options.
33. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
34. A with an average employer contribution of 27%.
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.