Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location East Midlands (England), East of England, North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber 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, because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions. Do you have experience in leading change within a strategy, planning or business management function? Are you passionate in how we can use data in new and innovative ways to support decision making? Do you have the ability to influence others and guide your team in a shared strategy? If so, we would love to hear from you Job description T he post-holder will play a pivotal role in supporting the implementation of and embedding the APHA Sustainable Futures Strategy setting out its vision for the future. A key part of this vision is for APHA to become an organisation that is enabled and strengthened by its use of data that will ensure its ability to identify and respond to new and emerging threats, to manage risk and to deploy our people and resources effectively and sustainably. You will work with senior leaders to transform the way APHA develops, delivers, promotes and supports the Agencys Vision, Mission and strategic objectives, by providing high-level oversight of and support for the delivery of supporting strategies, plans, services and projects. Reporting to the Head of APHA Strategy and Planning you will: Support the development and implementation of the Agencys strategic and business planning processes, setting clear standards and expectations, in line with APHAs policies, people and business objectives. Collaborate with others across APHA eg. Directorates, other strategy leads and Defra Group Corporate Services to ensure alignment and implementation of the Agencys strategies and business plans. Lead the development and embed a business excellence ethos across the organisation building in systems thinking, productivity and efficiency plans. Lead the business performance management function ensuring the right information is provided to boards, ministers and Directorates, as needed. Ensure processes are in place for the systematic collection, analysis, and evaluation of data and information and define metrics against which the Agency can assess and measure its performance and the delivery of its strategic aims and objectives. Support a professional network / community of practice for those involved in strategy innovation and business planning activities across the Agency. Drive forward the use of business analytics focused on improving productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. Please see the attached Job Description for further information about this role. Person specification The post holder will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and experience: A successful track record of leading change in a strategy, planning or business management function and of managing, developing, and building organisational and team skills and capabilities. Experience of building, motivating, developing, and retaining high-performing teams, including experience of working within and leading multi-disciplinary and geographically dispersed teams. Experience of leading and managing change and programmes of work or projects. Experience of working in a complex customer driven delivery operation providing a quality service to customers. Experience of communicating complex data or information to senior leaders clearly and concisely where the level of understanding will vary and barriers to understanding will exist. Experience of assessing risks, scoping resource requirements, managing budgets and operating costs to ensure value for money and sustainable development of teams and services. Strong budget and performance management skills with the confidence to make timely and sometimes tough decisions. Excellent interpersonal skills with a track record of managing and developing relationships with senior leaders to build alliances and enable collaborative working within and across organisational boundaries. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to confidently explain and present complex issues / data in a clear, structured, objective, and personable manner to a range of audiences. Excellent organisational skills, including team level business planning, prioritisation, delegation and delivery to time and quality standards. Resilient with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise competing demands in a fast-paced and complex environment. Ability to analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decision making. Ability to apply original and innovative thought to complex issues and / or problems 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. Our Worcester County Hall office is temporarily closed. Candidates based at this location may be asked to work from home until further notice. 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. Qualifications Educated to degree level or equivalent and / or equivalent professional experience in a similar environment. Evidence of continuous professional development. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Changing and Improving Leadership Working Together Communicating and Influencing Managing a Quality Service Making Effective Decisions We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form: Changing and Improving Leadership Making Effective Decisions Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Have an understanding of the organisation together with a sound working knowledge of the external business environment (including strategy, planning and business management processes) Knowledge / understanding of continuous improvement practices. Benefits Alongside your salary of £54,470, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £15,779 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. 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 This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills. Application Process As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, a 750-word personal statement and Three, 250-word behaviour statements for the following; Changing and Improving, Leadership and Making effective decisions. 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. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Interview If successful at application stage you will be invited to complete an Interview, as part of the interview you will complete a numeric and verbal/ written abilities test, as well as having a formal interview which will assess Behaviours and Technical skills. A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed. 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. For the purposes of the selection process, the Lead Behaviour will be Changing and Improving 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. Location Final location will be discussed with the candidate during interview stage. 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 Defras 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. 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.grscabinetoffice.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 youre 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/ 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.grscabinetoffice.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 Infodisclosurescotland.co.uk 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 applicants 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. 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 counter-terrorist 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. Medical Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: 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. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Recruitment Hub - Leanne Email : recruitment.sddapha.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : defrarecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk Further information If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact: Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/ to visit Civil Service Commission. Attachments G7 Strategy Innovation and Planning Lead JD Opens in new window (docx, 20kB) APHA Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1697kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail