Risk Assessment Officer

We are a small government department with a big mission: to keep food safe, ensure that it is what it says it is, and that it is increasingly healthy and more sustainable. One facet of this broad remit is the work we do in delivering risk assessments of food and animal feed to ensure consumers can enjoy ‘food you can trust’.
We are looking for a Risk Assessment Officer who can support this important area of the FSA’s work, helping us to inform the development and delivery of risk assessments regarding food imported to the UK.
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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy., You’ll have the opportunity to develop and use your scientific knowledge to help us ensure safe food for consumers, building an understanding of legislation and guidance. There is scope to develop and maintain a scientific profile in the risk assessment field, offering an opportunity to foster a career in this important area of work.
Communication will be key to your success, as you work closely with a range of stakeholders across both the FSA and other government departments. You’ll be excited about the opportunity to talk science, and able to convey complex ideas to non-scientific audience in simple terms.
If you are looking for an opportunity to use your scientific skills and knowledge to make a real difference for consumers across the UK, apply today to join us as a Risk Assessment Officer.

Person specification

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.
We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Working Together
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Delivering at Pace

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g. toxicology, biology, epidemiology, biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, food science) or equivalent understanding of the scientific issues - gained during a relevant technical or scientific role., If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours Level 2.
Behaviours
· Working Together
· Making Effective Decisions
· Delivering at Pace
Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack.
Experience (assessed via assessment exercise)
· Experience of supporting risk assessments and/or interpreting experimental data.
Assessment exercise
As part of the interview process, you will be asked to prepare a seen presentation. Further information will be provided to you on the invitation to interview email.
Expected Timeline
Advert closes: 3 June 2024
Sift: Expected to take place 4 – 7 June 2024
Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 17 June 2024
Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).
Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reserve List
A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.
Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.
Visa Sponsorship
Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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.

· Lead criteria: Experience of supporting risk assessments and/or interpreting experimental data
· Experience of identifying and evaluating multiple sources of scientific evidence to draw robust conclusions and support technical recommendations.
· Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, be able to tailor communication including explaining technical information to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
· Proven record of managing multiple priorities to time.
· Experience of effective participation in problem solving teams.
Technical
· A degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g. toxicology, biology, epidemiology, biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, food science)
or
· equivalent understanding of the scientific issues - gained during a relevant technical or scientific role.

We offer great flexible working opportunities, and have offices in Belfast, Cardiff or York. Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas. Travel across the UK will be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays., The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1600 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

£28,259
£28,259 (National) £31,107 (London) Salary will be pro rata for part time working or as part of a job share partnership. If applying on a job-share basis, the expectation is that you are already in an established job-share partnership. Due to the nature of the role we are unable to consider requests for part time working of less than 30 hours per week.
A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
GBP, Alongside your salary of £28,259, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,187 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.