Vacancy -- TB Policy Officer

Working for the Civil Service

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Vacancy Details

Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group
TB
HEO - £32,460 - £39,690
£32,460
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Fixed term
2 years
Pan Wales
'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.
TBC

Purpose of Post:

The objectives of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO) are:

  • To protect public health;
  • To ensure a state of preparedness to deal with any incursion of exotic animal disease and to control endemic animal disease;
  • To raise awareness and improve animal health and welfare in Wales; and
  • Tackling Bovine TB through a programme of work as set out in the delivery plan.

OCVO’s Key Strategic Outcomes are:

  • Wales has healthy productive animals;
  • Animals in Wales have a good quality of life;
  • People trust and have confidence in the way food is produced and the way public health is protected;
  • Wales has a thriving rural economy; and
  • Wales has a high quality environment.

We have 5 Programme for Government commitments, one of which relates to the TB programme and the continued policy of not culling badgers.

To accomplish this, OCVO works closely with the other UK Governments, Welsh Government colleagues, operational partners and industry stakeholders to manage existing and develop new policies in a proactive and strategic manner. 

Our approach to Animal Health and Welfare is set out in the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework. Our farmed animals should:

  • Be healthy and productive, to be part of financially sustainable farming businesses;
  • Have a good quality of life, to meet societal and market expectations for animal welfare; and
  • Enhance, and not damage, the environments in which they live, to be part of biodiverse ecosystems to minimise the impact on climate change.

One of the key principles underpinning the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework is “prevention is better than cure” to minimise animal disease and associated welfare impacts. The post-holder will work with policy leads and Veterinary Advisers to integrate this approach into any future support and policies. Animal Health Planning will be an integral part of the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

This post within the TB Team of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO) offers the successful candidate the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team at the forefront of disease control in a fast moving, challenging and high-profile policy area.

OCVO is responsible for improving the health and welfare of farmed livestock in order to support the development of a vibrant farming industry in Wales. The TB Team leads on work to implement the Bovine TB eradication programme: strategy | GOV.WALES. Our long-term goal of eradicating the disease in Wales is a commitment that will require the application of new technologies and scientific developments as they become available.

Bovine TB affects species other than just cattle and the Bovine TB Eradication Programme is aimed at tackling all sources of infection including cattle, non-bovines and wildlife. This post sits within a team dealing with a number of work areas including:

  • cattle surveillance and controls
  • non-bovine surveillance and controls
  • biosecurity initiatives
  • enforcement cases for non-compliance.

The postholder will lead on the development and implementation of a number of key policy areas as part of the refreshed TB Eradication Programme.

Key tasks:

  • Support the development of policy which will be taken forward as part of the refreshed TB Eradication Programme. These include a review of compensation arrangements and informed purchasing. Significant engagement with external stakeholders will be required to build an evidence base and facilitate a case for change.
  • Ongoing monitoring of the TB Delivery Plan and the delivery of new or amended policy.
  • Support the project management of the development, implementation, and communication of revised policy, including around compensation and informed purchasing.
  • Provision of advice to Ministers, communications and wider briefing on TB policy.
  • Providing draft replies to related Assembly Questions, Freedom of Information requests, Members Research Requests, Ministerial and Treat Official correspondence.
  • Support wider TB work through liaison with Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), other devolved administrations and stakeholders.
  • Organising, preparing and attending appropriate meetings and site visits.
  • Ad hoc activities as required for the implementation of the refreshed TB eradication programme.
  • Postholder may be asked to cover other OCVO priority areas where appropriate, for example during a disease outbreak.

Development opportunities:

The role will offer an excellent opportunity to gain experience of policy development in a high profile, fast-paced area, working closely with Ministers and senior officials in the Welsh Government and other Government Departments. The post offers a range of necessary skills to enable progression 

The post offers the opportunity to engage directly with stakeholders and represent OCVO at high profile events such as the ‘Royal Welsh Show’ and the ‘Winter Fair’.

Closing Date:

11/04/2023, 16:00

Eligibility

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

Equality and Diversity

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

Disability Confident

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Welsh Language Requirements

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

Not necessary to undertake the duties of this post

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

Competencies;

See the big picture

  • Understand how the strategies of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.

Making effective decisions

  • Consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered

Working together

  • Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders. Collaborate with these to share information, resources and support.

Communication

  • Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.

Job Specific Criteria;

  1. Experience of cross-governmental working, including with UK Government and other devolved governments, ensuring Welsh Government policy objectives are met.
  2. Experience of supporting policy development, including taking a risk-based approach to solving problems in complex policy area and engaging with stakeholders.
  3. Ability to prioritise and analyse complex information, consider options to inform recommendations on the way forward.

Assessment Process

Applications will be sifted and assessed by all panel members and successful applicants invited to interview. Applicants will be assessed against the behaviours outlined in the job specification.

Other Information

  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
  • For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.
Emily Lay – Head of TB Policy - bovinetb@gov.wales

How to apply

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have an impairment which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to an impairment in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Grievance and Complaints

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.

This vacancy is closed to applications.