Office Clerk

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.
We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions. The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Proficiency testing (PT) is an integral part of laboratory quality assurance. VETQAS is a world leader in veterinary PT covering a wide range of diseases, animal species and tests; VETQAS sits within the Science Directorate of the APHA, which delivers high quality, high impact, and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. The VETQAS PT programme supports the core work of APHA and Defra to safeguard animal health and welfare and public health, protect the economy and enhance food security, for example in the National Control of Salmonella Programme. It is responsible for the development, production, and supply of PTs under the VETQAS brand to veterinary laboratories worldwide.
You will provide administrative support for delivery of products and services to laboratories worldwide. Proactively manage purchasing, financial and administrative requests and queries.
Administration And Other Duties
Support staff and customers by providing administrative and scientific services.
Receive and facilitate replies for email and telephone enquiries (most are relevant to customer contracts and shipping administration).
Preparation of paperwork for shipping biological materials e.g. customs proformas and export/import documents.
Assisting with the preparation, labelling, packaging and distribution of PT samples.
Quality
~ Proactively manage purchasing, financial and administrative requests and queries.
Administration And Other Duties
Support staff and customers by providing administrative and scientific services.
Receive and facilitate replies for email and telephone enquiries (most are relevant to customer contracts and shipping administration).
Preparation of paperwork for shipping biological materials e.g. customs proformas and export/import documents.
Assisting with the preparation, labelling, packaging and distribution of PT samples.
Quality
~ Provide assistance to help ensure stakeholders receive the highest standard of service.
Support the team to ensure products and services are delivered in a timely manner for veterinary diagnostic labs worldwide.
Good MS Excel and Word skills.
Knowledge and experience of using One Drive, MS Teams and SharePoint Online.
Ability to work under pressure in a flexible and agile way.
This is a full-time position – Monday to Friday. Working from home is available for some duties and is by agreement on an ad hoc basis.
The job holder will be based at Sutton Bonington with periodic travel within the UK and overseas. The department occupies a building on three levels and as there is no lift, the post holder needs to be able to use two flights of stairs and thus be reasonably physically fit.
Alongside your salary of £26,025, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £7,539 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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 your performance, and a learning and development and this includes can include a variety of courses, Apprenticeships, paid Masters and PhD and on-the-job training specific to your role.
In return for your dedication and hard work, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support as the development of our people matter to us. Our benefits include, generous annual leave, a generous employer contributory pension (28.97%), staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme, reward vouchers and in-year bonuses. We also offer additional days off if accrued extra hours (flexi-time –if accumulated), three paid volunteering day per year. Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruitment
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. A CV-style application submitted through an online tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobs website.
We encourage you to use the full word allowance of the Personal Statement but not to exceed it.
Any candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who scores 4 or above on all of the criteria will be offered an interview.
For further guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV style application, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit the Civil Service Careers website. How to write your CV , Civil Service Careers.
Civil Service behaviours - GOV.Please note, your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. Please be aware that this role(s) will be contractually based in a Defra group workplace/office. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location (excluding Northern Ireland) and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
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. For most candidates your hours of work will be a blend of working from an APHA workplace (specific to the team location) with working at home.
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.
This post requires you to be working on-site five days per week or less for job share. Working from home is available for some duties and is by agreement on an ad hoc basis.
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.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to APHA 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website .
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.
Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.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 you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
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.
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 on your behalf.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.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. 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.
This role is full-time; we may consider two part-time staff on a job share basis if continuity can be arranged. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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.
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
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.
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) .
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. 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.If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here