Vacancy -- Members - Welsh Food Advisory Committee

Vacancy details

Welsh Food Advisory Committee
Committee meetings are usually held in Cardiff; however, there may be occasions when meetings are held throughout Wales. Due to the ongoing restrictions surrounding COVID-19, meetings are currently taking place by Microsoft Teams.
Members of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee are contracted for 21 days per annum, at an honorarium of £3,885 per annum, paid monthly in arrears at one twelfth of the annual rate by bank credit. The honorarium is non-pensionable, is subject to the deduction of National Insurance and is taxable. The Agency will determine any variation in the level of annual remuneration.  The right to this remuneration under the Act ends on the expiry of your term of office or its earlier termination.
21
year

Function of body

The Welsh Food Advisory Committee (WFAC) acts as an advisory body to the Food Standards Agency. Members of the WFAC are appointed by the Minister responsible for the Food Standards Agency in accordance with the Food Standards Act 1999. The statutory role is defined as follows:

"There shall be an advisory committee for Wales for the purpose of giving advice or information to the Agency about matters connected with its functions (including, in particular, matters affecting or otherwise relating to Wales)."

Members appointed to WFAC should comply at all times with the Seven Guiding Principles of Public Life, laid down by the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life (Annex C).

Role description

WFAC was established in 2000 to provide advice and information to the FSA (covered by schedule 2 of the Food Standard’s Act). Such advice and information will be on food safety, food standards and allied subjects, particularly as they relate to Wales. The Agency is required to take account of such advice or information that is reasonable or practical, whether or not given at the Agency's request. WFAC members are appointed by the Minister for Mental Health, Well-being and the Welsh Language in accordance with the Food Standards Act 1999, to provide a wide range of expertise, experience and practical knowledge.

The Committee:

  • acts as a sounding board for Agency officials and its Board on specific issues
  • acts collectively in the public interest
  • advises on the development of policy and legislation undertaken by the Agency
  • helps to establish priorities for the Agency taking account of:
  1. consumer concerns
  2. surveillance or research data
  3. topical issues
  4. committee members’ judgement



WFAC is committed to working in an open and transparent way by:

  • holding public meetings in a variety of locations across Wales;
  • listening to the views of stakeholders in Wales;  supporting the FSA at public events;
  • identifying issues that are important to Wales; and  producing thorough and well considered advice.


In any given year the Committee is likely to: 


  • hold up to four open meetings in Wales supplemented by business meetings, training days and stakeholder events; and
  • provide advice to the Agency on a variety of topics including: Allergens; Official Feed Controls, the FSA Strategic Plan, FSA Sampling Strategy, EU Transition, Achieving Business Compliance and Antimicrobial Resistance.

General responsibilities of WFAC members

WFAC acts as an advisory body to the FSA. The Committee’s term of reference is:

  • to give advice or information to the Agency about matters connected with its functions including matters affecting or otherwise relating to Wales.

Welsh language skills

The Welsh Government acknowledges the importance of developing and growing bilingual capabilities in public appointments in Wales, and welcomes applications from candidates who demonstrate their capability to work in both English and Welsh.  The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the recruiting body of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Desirable
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can write basic messages on everyday topics
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh

Person specification

The Committee is looking for individuals who meet the following criteria:

Essential skills and knowledge

  • Demonstrate a current and continuing knowledge and understanding of food safety and standards issues, including policy development and the stakeholder landscape, as they relate to Wales.
  • Strong analytical, strategic and decision-making skills, able to weigh complex evidence and explain the basis for the advice.
  • Have good judgement, a high level of integrity and public responsibility, coupled with the ability to participate in making difficult decisions.
  • Ability to interpret and communicate information effectively orally, in writing and through a variety of media channels.
  • Ability to serve either without conflict of interest or to demonstrate how they would deal with any potential real or perceived conflict.
  • Ability to consider and understand scientific advice, evidence and argument.
  • Commitment to consumer issues or bring food/consumer insights within the Wales context.
  • In at least one post – the ability to communicate fluently in the Welsh language.

Demonstrate relevant experience in one (or more) of the following:

  • Science (e.g. Microbiology, Medical, Epidemiology, Veterinary, Public Health or Social Science particularly behaviour change)
  • Food Policy (Food system governance, standards and assurance)
  • Food Law (Food law enforcement)
  • Education/Academia (e.g. Food systems and safety)
  • Communications (e.g. Engagement with consumers through various channels, including social media/blogging)
  • Food Production/ Hospitality (Food production/industry background/catering)
  • Relevant public bodies (e.g. Consumer protection, food law enforcement, food fraud, public health)
  • Other (e.g. feed industry or catering/restaurant/hotel sector, community food initiatives, consumer research, policy making in related areas)



*Please note that the FSA’s remit in Wales does not cover Nutrition.


Desirable skills and knowledge:

  • Demonstrable commitment to putting the consumer first, with an awareness of consumer interests; including the needs of young and older consumers in relation to food and how the global food system is changing.
  • Understanding of the role of a Committee member of a major public organisation and the associated collective responsibilities.
  • A willingness to participate in Welsh language training to enable basic meet and greet conversations.

Interview dates

20 January 2021
21 January 2021

Closing date

14/12/2020, 16:00

Additional information

How to apply

To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button below. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system.  You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form.  To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates.  This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4.  Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.  The second document is a full, up to date CV.  The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities.  We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years. 

It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence.  You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go.  You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.

If you’d like to apply for this opportunity 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.

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments Team on  PublicAppointments@gov.wales.

For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments

This vacancy is closed to applications.