Veterinary Head of Field Delivery

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Veterinary Head of Field Delivery - West/Veterinary Lead Wales

Reference number: 362405
Salary: £62,605 - £75,965 and a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Location: Bridgwater, Bristol, Caernarfon, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Exeter, Launceston, Llandrindod Wells, Shrewsbury, Stroud, Truro, Weymouth, Worcester

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.

Do you want a strategic role safeguarding standards of animal health and welfare?

Do you have the ability to influence others and guide your team in a shared strategy?

If so, we would like to hear from you!

We are searching for two experienced veterinarians to drive the delivery and quality of our field operations in England and Wales. This presents an exciting opportunity for the right candidates.

Please note: This role will require on-call duties, weekends, Bank Holidays and occasional evenings. There will be regular travel to other APHA locations. Out of hours and detached duty work will be required in the event of an outbreak or incident.

Job description

The Veterinary Head of Field Delivery (VHofFD) Veterinary Lead Wales (VLW) is a senior, strategic delivery role requiring individuals who can successfully lead geographically dispersed, multi-disciplinary teams, both during and between animal disease outbreaks.

We currently have two opportunities for highly motivated individuals to join our Field Delivery Teams, one will be based in England Western Delivery Area and one will be based in the Wales Delivery Area. You will be providing leadership and direction to the veterinarians and animal health officers that
comprise the APHA Field Delivery workforce.

We are looking for someone with a proven leadership track record who will quickly be able to establish their credibility with staff and stakeholders. You will also have the ability to harness the team around a clear set of goals and priorities, based on delivering Defra or Welsh Government’s animal health and welfare policies. This will include taking and building on the work that has been started in building an exceptional, helpful and sustainable culture.

You will provide strategic veterinary leadership for the implementation of APHA’s veterinary and technical strategy, clinical governance, management, and relationships; acting as senior APHA veterinary representative on strategic boards, at national and on occasion international meetings.

You will be expected to role model and embed the necessary cultural changes required for the agency to thrive, through a matrix management system of management that supports increased flexibility, an agile response and digital ways of working.

Your responsibilities will also include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring that all veterinary and technical activities are delivered at the highest standards, in accordance with desired policy outcomes, business plans and performance targets, working with the Head of Field Delivery (HoFD) to constantly seek improved efficiency and value for money.
• Making veterinary decisions where there is high impact and high uncertainty, taking into account policy considerations and ensuring that those decisions are based on the best available evidence.
• Building effective relationships with local senior stakeholders and partners to influence end user behaviour regarding compliance with animal health and welfare strategies and policies.
• Working with APHA colleagues to monitor and assure consistency of compliance with quality and safety standards of the Veterinary Development Partnership contractors in their area.
• Delivering the APHA vision to all staff and contributing to the corporate leadership of the Agency.
• Contributing to the design, development and implementation of national policy initiatives and reforms, undertaking important roles on programme boards, project teams and working groups.
• Line management of the Veterinary Advisors within your geographical delivery area.

Person specification

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Knowledge and experience of working with the UK livestock industry across all sectors.
• Comprehensive skills, knowledge, and ability in multiple areas of applied state veterinary medicine and veterinary public health; knowledgeable, resilient and authentic.
• Experience of statutory and non-statutory disease diagnosis and investigation, threat characterisation, risk management, enforcement, and control.
• Experience of successfully leading multi-disciplinary and/or geographically dispersed teams to deliver multiple targets to an assured standard within constrained resources.
• Proven track record of strategic veterinary leadership and decision-making during incident and outbreak response, complex case work, contingency planning, and business continuity.
• Knowledge of statutory and non-statutory disease legislation, veterinary jurisprudence, ethics, UK livestock industry, disease diagnosis and investigation, threat characterisation, risk management, enforcement, and control.
• A proven track record of innovation and leading through a period of transformation.
• Experience of building effective networks with policy customers, stakeholders, and operational partners.
• Experience of dealing with the media.
• Experience of project and programme management.
• Important skills Inspiring, confident and empowering leadership, including an ability to lead through change.
• High level strategic planning, development, prioritisation, and implementation skills.
• Exceptional communication skills via all routes of communication.
• Proven ability to build, coach and develop high performance in teams and individuals. Complete commitment to a climate of continuous learning and improvement.
• Highly motivated, corporate, self-aware, and able to remain calm under pressure, with recognised and acknowledged personal and professional integrity.
• Ability to set up and work within an auditable system of procedures and processes, maintaining and assuring appropriate levels of quality assurance and quality control.
• Ability to innovate and work in a flexible and agile way, making use of modern technology.
• Sufficient commercial acumen to support delivery of Civil Service priorities. Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English to enable effective communication about veterinary topics with customers and colleagues.

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.

This post is based at a site where the national security of the borders needs to be maintained. For this reason all postholders based at this site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post which requires CTC or above clearance to
ensure they meet the residency criteria. Applicants must be currently resident in the UK & have at least three years continuous UK residency as this is a requirement for these checks, if you cannot meet this criteria CTC clearance will not be possible as this is part of pre-employment checks before taking up the post.

Qualifications

Veterinary degree conferring eligibility to practice as a Member or Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Memberships

Member or Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Knowledge and experience of statutory disease control.
• Knowledge and experience of threat characterisation and risk management.
• Veterinary knowledge of the control of Exotic or Endemic notifiable disease.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,605, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £16,903 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 for more detail.

Closing date: Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 5 August 2024.