Hso Expert and External Advice

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

- 285264**Salary**:

- £30,317 - £36,606- National: £30,317 - £32,803, London: £33,827 - £36,606 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.**Job grade**:

- Higher Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DEFRA - CSA - Chief Scientific Adviser - Central Science Division**Type of role**:

- Administration / Corporate Support**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed Hours**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, YorkAbout the job

**Job summary**:
Defra's Central Science Division (CSD) sits at the core of Defra's science capability and supports Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) with their work. This role is an excellent opportunity to help put science at the heart of Defra policies and to champion science and scientists more widely across Defra Group.

The CSA is accountable for all science produced and used by the department, providing overall Defra leadership of the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession, and providing robust, high quality independent advice to Ministers and officials. The CSD has a key role in building capacity and capability to ensure the best science is available to Defra Group: shaping Defra’s overall science strategy, supporting Defra’s scientists professionally, and building national and international partnerships to access science and funding. The CSD also interfaces with external scientific experts through advisory groups, and ensures Defra science is well governed, quality assured and communicated across Defra Group.

You will develop a strong understanding of the key work programmes of the CSD and departmental science teams and how these support Defra priorities. You will develop and manage projects to support the workstream augmenting Defra’s scientific expertise with that from academia and industry.

There may be other similar positions within the CSD, which if successful at interview may be open to you.

**Job description**:
You will develop a strong understanding of the key work programmes of the CSD and departmental science teams and how these support Defra priorities. You will develop and manage projects to support the workstream augmenting Defra’s scientific expertise with that from academia and industry.

Potential areas of responsibility, working in conjunction with the SSO, include:

- Providing effective secretariat support to Defra’s Science Advisory Council (made up of Senior Academics), to ensure that Defra policy teams benefit from the strategic advice that they provide, by working with relevant policy teams to agree content and scheduling, and accurately capturing decisions, actions and recommendations.
- Assisting with implementing an internship programme. Supporting the placement process for interns and building a recognition programme.
- Supporting the establishment and management of ad hoc task and finish expert committees, which are often in high profile areas.

**Person specification**:
Essential criteria:

- The position would suit someone who has a good attention to detail and is self motivated.
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), proficient at engaging with science and non-science colleagues.
- Ability to communicate technical information to a non-specialist audience.
- Excellent writing skills and/ or experience in copy editing.
- Ability to adapt to changing priorities.

**Qualifications**:

- Science degree or proven science experience**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service

**Benefits**:

- 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%

**Blended Working**

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:

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

Your personal statement (500 word max) should demonstrate how your experience make you suitable for this post.

**Sift**

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

**Interview**

A presentation or additional exercise will also be assessed. Details will be provided ahead of the interview.

**Location**

This means that Defra new joiners will be located alongside existing colleagues in offices a short distance away from Nobel House in our other office at 2 Marsham St, London.

To work from 2 Marsham Street, you will require the higher level of CTC clearance. Therefore, confirmation of