Chief Executive Officer

Closes: 11 December 2024
Location: Weybridge,York, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Carlisle and Stafford. Regular travel to Weybridge, London and other field based operational locations are required.

Salary: £98,000 - £140,000

About the job

Job summary

Animal and Plant Health Agency plays a crucial role in protecting the UK’s biosecurity. It delivers functions that are critical to animal and plant health, and which in turn secure human health and confidence in the food supply chain. The regulatory underpinning provided by the Agency is also integral to our ability to be a successful food trading nation.

Job description

The CEO will lead one of the most prestigious and critical organisations in the protection of the United Kingdom. More than ever the health of our environment, plants and animals matters. If you join us, you will be part of the safeguarding of animal, plant and bee health for the benefit of everyone in society, the environment and the economy. Everyone who works in APHA is passionate about achieving this mission.

As the CEO, you are accountable for the leadership of APHA and delivery of its objectives. You are also a critical leader within Defra, working alongside other senior leaders and chief executives to deliver collectively across the entirety of the Department.

Leadership and management

  • Work with Defra and the APHA Steering Board to define and deliver the organisation’s strategy, aims and objectives.

  • Ensure that the organisation has the resources, skills and capability to enable it to deliver its aims and objectives.

  • Lead, manage and motivate the Executive Team in their delivery of performance.

  • Be an inspirational and inclusive role model to staff, exhibiting the behaviours we expect of all our people.

  • Provide visible and credible leadership in a science and veterinary environment and in technical meetings, connecting with and inspiring different professions.

Delivery

  • Ensure the effective delivery of APHA's key goals, across England, Scotland and Wales, including delivering on statutory and legal obligations.

  • Plan, lead and manage APHA’s response to disease outbreaks, ensuring visible leadership and organisational resilience.

  • Act as the Senior User in the multi-year, multi-billion pound development of the National Science Centre for Animal Health property and laboratories, including overall leadership of the associated business transformation.

  • Maintain and develop best practice, value for money and continued business improvement to the highest ethical and professional standards.

  • Drive organisation-wide commitment to customer service excellence, transparency and value for money. This includes transforming live services, and digitally-enabled business change to significantly reform and improve business practices, outcomes for customers and cheaper services.

Finance and Governance

  • Take personal responsibility as the CEO for financial probity and regularity and value for money on APHA expenditure and internal governance.

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationships

  • Work collaboratively across the Defra Group and with the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales, including with the Chief Vet of the UK, and also the Chief Vets of Scotland and Wales.
  • Work together with Defra and partners to ensure the policy – operational policy - delivery pathway works effectively for customers.
  • Represent the organisation to a complex and varied stakeholder group and promote a wide understanding of the work that APHA does and the role that it plays.
Person specification

Essential criteria

Demonstrable track record of experience in an operational leadership role in a large, complex, multidisciplinary body with evidence of success in:

  • Inspiring a diverse and dispersed workforce through a period of organisational and digital transformational change.
  • Delivering services and capabilities, ideally but not necessarily within a science-based environment, with excellent management of business performance.
  • Senior level crisis management, leading with visibility and resilience.
  • Demonstrable ability to set the strategic direction for an organisation whilst considering, communicating and mitigating significant operational policy and delivery risk.
  • Highly effective communication and influencing skills, with the personal credibility to gain the trust of a diverse range of senior stakeholders across multiple sectors within government and outside it.
  • A track record of working in genuine partnership across organisational boundaries and the ability to work effectively with a range of global partners to deliver mutual objectives.
  • Significant experience of managing and delivering against a substantial and complex budget and the personal resilience to operate in a high profile and highly scrutinised environment.
  • A successful record of building and leading high performing, collaborative teams within a geographically dispersed organisation with effective delegation and empowerment of colleagues.

More Information & Apply Here

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