Advertiser's description (via Civil Service Jobs):
About the Food Standards Agency
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. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.
Join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a key member of the Local Authority and Policy Delivery Team in Northern Ireland. Your main roles will be to coordinate and manage the effective delivery of fish and shellfish official controls, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, and to monitor and assess District Councils' performance in delivering food official controls. This role involves engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including FSA teams, shellfish harvesters, contractors, District Councils, and other government departments. You will gather and use science, evidence, and information to improve the FSA’s response to emerging challenges and explore innovative approaches to enhance efficiency and robustness.
About the role
As a Senior Policy and Delivery Adviser, you will oversee the development and delivery of food safety policy and operational delivery, focusing on fish and shellfish and food official controls in Northern Ireland. You will monitor and assess data from various sources, including District Councils' food official controls and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, to evaluate performance against key performance indicators and regulatory requirements.
You will work closely with District Councils, FSA delivery partners, and contractors to verify the effective performance of official controls, taking appropriate actions to ensure public health is protected and consumer confidence is maintained. Your role will also involve participating in internal and external meetings, delivering presentations, and assisting in the development and delivery of training, seminars, and exhibitions.
Providing professional advice on food safety and operational delivery, you will support District Councils, DAERA, other government departments, industry, and consumers. You will prepare written and verbal briefings for senior managers, directors, the NI Food Safety Advisory Committee, stakeholders, and Ministers, including Ministerial Q&As.
You will collaborate with procurement colleagues to ensure fair and effective procurement of services for NI’s fish and shellfish official control programmes. Additionally, you will provide technical support for incident investigations and audits, working with internal and external audit parties.
Building effective working relationships within the FSA, other government departments, District Councils, DAERA, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Food Standards Scotland, technical experts, and academia is crucial. You will contribute to the development and implementation of new processes, protocols, and IT systems to enhance our ways of working.
This role requires adaptability, agility, and strong communication skills. You must be able to travel to Northern Ireland as needed and drive to remote locations for verification checks and meetings with shellfish harvesters. If you are passionate about food safety and policy implementation, we encourage you to apply and make a significant impact at the FSA.
