Animal and Plant Health Agency
Administrative Officer (ID4866)
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Thirsk
Job Summary
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.
APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions. We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.
The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.
In this role you will provide general administrative support to the Surveillance and Laboratory Services Department, which works to safeguard animal health and welfare.
Job Description
Administrative procedures/ office duties
- Take ownership for a set of defined admin procedures as determined by line management
- Ensure actions are carried out in accordance with the procedures and within the necessary timescales
- Providing support and guidance to others (internally & externally) on procedures
- Arrange despatch of packages sent via courier
Reception/Telephone Duties
- Signing in visitors, signing in parcels, dealing with queries from the general public
- Operation of small desktop telephone switchboards
- Taking incoming calls, answering simple queries or taking messages and passing them onto appropriate persons
Office Equipment
- The use of a range of computer software, for example, agency databases, Microsoft packages and internet
- Maintain awareness of training manuals and local guidance notes on each
- Be able to use and report problems for all the software in the role. The use of office equipment to include computers & peripherals, photocopiers etc
Filing
- Deputy Records Management Officer
- Maintaining registry system
- Retrieve archived reports and requested by lab staff
Purchasing
- Responsible for ordering lab supplies including the use of I-procurement as requested
- Responsible for collating all purchase order paperwork, processing orders, matching, checking invoices, raising credit notes and passing to managers for approval
Reports
- Booking in and updating daily submissions on Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
- Extraction of test results from RL reporting system and incorporation into a Word report
- Responsibility for the correct storage of electronic reports
Work to Agency safety and quality standards
Person specification
Experience And Skills
You will need to demonstrate the following:
- Be well organised
- Respond positively to change
- Have previous customer service experience
- Be accurate in inputting data and collating / filing paperwork
Workplace arrangements
The post holder must work from the location listed in the Location section of the advert.
This post requires you to be in the office at Thirsk 5 days a week or less if part-time on a job share.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Ways of working
Out of hours work may be required. When overtime or out-of-hours work is required, APHA Management reserves the right to change overtime patterns to meet requirements. You may be eligible for overtime payments and where overtime is approved you will receive appropriate payment.
A valid full driving licence is necessary or access to an alternative means of transport.
Health clearance
The post will require Health clearance. You will be expected to complete a questionnaire on your general health. This will be arranged by the Health Team, Weybridge.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
Salary
Alongside your salary of £27,001, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £7,822 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Further Benefits Offered Also Include
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities tailored to your role.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
- Staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.
- Three days special leave with pay, per year, for volunteering (pro-rata for part time employees).
- Making it work for you - With so many flexible options, most people can find a work schedule to suit their circumstances.
These are just a few of our benefits we offer. To find out the full range of what we offer refer to the Information Pack attached for more detail.
Learning and Development
Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role. This can include a variety of courses, Apprenticeships, paid Masters and PhD and on-the-job training specific to your role.
In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Application Process
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 28th September 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
For more guidance about the online Civil Service tests, please see the GOV.UK website: Civil Service online tests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Online test maintenance
You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent – Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.
Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 12pm and 1pm on 13th September 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.
If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.
You will also be required to complete the following as part of your application:
- A CV-style application submitted through an online tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobs website. There is no requirement to upload your personal CV.
- A 500-word Personal Statement of how you match the details in the Person Specification – the written evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. We encourage you to use the full word allowance of the Personal Statement but not to exceed it
- A 250-word Behaviour Statement for the following Behaviour, Making Effective Decisions. Please use the STAR technique (Situation Task, Action, Result) to provide evidence of the Behaviours in your application.
CV Guidance
Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements and your main responsibilities in each role and be no longer than 2 pages. Your CV will be used to provide further context on your Personal Statement and scored against the essential criteria.
Personal Statement Guidance
When completing your Personal Statement, please read and understand the Person Specification thoroughly, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against. Please ensure you evidence the key personal qualities and experiences that align with the criteria. Consider the Job Description and look to demonstrate how your previous experience may align with the expectations and be applicable to the role. The written evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc.
Scoring for all criteria of the application is from 1 to 7 – A score of 4 and above in each area will progress to interview unless there is a large number of applications. In this instance, an initial sift will be conducted using the CV style Application form and Behaviours. The panel may agree a benchmark score higher than 4 with a rationale for the decision. Any candidates applying under the Disability Confident
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Location