Qualified Official Auxiliary - North

Job summary
Are you a driven individual with excellent communication skills?

Are you looking for a rewarding role that will have a real life impact on everyone in the UK?

If so, these exciting opportunities to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a Qualified Official Auxiliary (OA) are for you and we’d love to hear from you!!

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”. As we have now exited the EU the FSA faces a significant period of change and activity.

Job description

The heart of the FSA’s mission is to deliver “food we can trust” and having left the EU and spent a year facing up to the impact of Covid-19, it is more vital than ever that every precaution is taken to ensure the food on Britain’s plates is safe to eat, and exactly what it says it is.

Our meat production systems in abattoirs are one of the vital points of contact between the FSA and the food industry and represent an important on-the-ground part of our work. By ensuring high standards of animal welfare, quality control and workplace best practice are adhered to, we can make an active and ongoing difference in both the quality of the meat that reaches our plates but also the reputation that our nation and its food exports have on the global markets. The work the FSA does in abattoirs and food processing plants across the country each day has impact far beyond those factory walls.

Our Official Auxiliaries are vital parts of this process, delivering these standards through a number of means. These will include the performance of ante- and post-mortem inspections of animals, unannounced inspections on working practices across your dedicated site, the collecting and dispatching of samples for offsite analysis and communication with both FSA team members and onsite staff to create the safest and healthiest factory environment.

Where will I be working?

You’ll be working in abattoirs from the following area within the North region of the UK: N4 area, cluster 09, Sheffield area

Things you need to know

Selection process details
Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack.  This will consist of an application shortlisting against the essential person specification criteria stated.  When submitting your personal statement, you are encouraged to use the full 750 words available to the best of your ability, as this will help the panel to determine your suitability to be taken through for interview.

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following experience requirements of the role.

Experience:

• Experience of working under pressure and remaining calm in stressful situations
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimum supervision as part of a team
• Experience of building effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
• Experience of being thorough and paying attention to detail
• Experience of making effective decisions