Workgroup Leader

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 342952**Salary**:

- £57,316 - £64,380- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Grade 7**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- APHA - Science**Type of role**:

- Science**Working pattern**:

- Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- New Haw, South East England, KT15 3NBAbout the job

**Job summary**:

- Workgroup Leader responsible for Exotic Bacterial Diseases within the Department of Bacteriology.**Job description**:

- Leadership of BAC5 (Exotic Bacteria), one of four Workgroups (c. 21 staff) within the Department of Bacteriology. The Workgroup delivers a wide portfolio of science focusing on exotic pathogens (particularly applied work around _Brucella, Mycoplasma _and_ Burkholderia_) and provides several national and international reference laboratories. Activities include delivering or overseeing statutory testing in support of national control/surveillance programmes, reference laboratory functions and underpinning applied research. The postholder will lead the team in resourcing and delivery, provide leadership in people management, and ensure the delivery of science across the Workgroup in an appropriate environment according to relevant Health & Safety and Quality standards. The postholder will also be expected to maintain/develop an area of science expertise relevant to the Workgroup activities.**Person specification**:
Able to demonstrate strong leadership skills.

Experience of managing and resourcing a significant scientific team.

Experience of mentoring junior scientists to produce work to high scientific standards.

Financial management experience.

Experience in research, diagnostics, or surveillance ideally within the remit of the workgroup with the scientific credibility to act as a figurehead for science outside own immediate area of expertise.

Experience of preparing successful project proposals/ peer reviewed publications would be valuable.

Experience of working with other institutes/laboratories at a national and international level.

Good knowledge and experience of ISO9001 and IS17025.

Good written and spoken English.

**Qualifications**:

- Undergraduate degree and PhD in a relevant scientific discipline**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace

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

- Give a clear presentation

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £57,316, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £15,475 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.**Application Process**

For the personal statement, please write up to 500 words demonstrating how you meet the skills & experience detailed in the job description.

**Sift**

Sift and interview dates as well as the interview location to be confirmed.

**Interview**

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.

**Location**

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

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.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

**Reserve List**

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

**Salary**

New entrants are expected to star