Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Operations Manager
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Salary: £38,795 + 25 days Annual Leave + Pension Scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
Job Reference: 469043
Location: Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3LS
The closing date for applications is 24 August 2026.
About the Role
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is responsible for ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of veterinary medicines in the UK.
We have a vacancy for an Operations Manager.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is the UK regulatory body responsible for ensuring the quality, safety, and efficacy of veterinary medicines, and for overseeing regulatory compliance across the sector. The role will sit within the Regulatory Operations Team in the Regulatory Affairs Section, forming part of the Authorisations Division, which is led by the deputy CEO.
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.
As a Higher Executive Officer, you will be responsible for leading key operational areas, including Product Defects and Borderline Products. You will also be responsible for the planning, management, and coordination of VMD’s annual veterinary medicines test exercise.
This is a fast-paced role that requires strong organisation skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities. You will be expected to work proactively, solve problems, and adapt quickly to changing demands, while ensuring continuity of delivery.
The role requires effective communication and collaboration across internal teams and stakeholders, as well as the ability to take ownership of workstreams.
Requirements
We require someone that has experience:
- Of working in a regulatory or regulated environment.
- Of working under pressure and to tight deadlines.
- Of acting corporately.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
We require someone that:
- Understands the importance of medicines meeting established standards of quality.
- Is proactive at troubleshooting issues.
- Is able to work with a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally with good communication skills.
- Has sound analytical skills and good judgement to inform decision making.
- Is proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages, particularly Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook and has the ability to learn in-house packages quickly.
How to Apply
If you're interested in applying for this position, we would love to hear from you! Please submit your application via the Civil Service Jobs website, where you will find a full job description including salary details.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is an Equal Opportunity employer.
“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
Skills