Depending on location you may be required to work in a shift pattern. This pattern can be early morning or a late evening shift and can span over weekends and public holidays.

Candidates should expect to work flexibly to meet the varied work patterns defined by business need. You may be required to work at other locations, so candidates must be prepared to occasionally work and stay away from home.

Candidates will need independent access to a car to visit clients/collect samples/carry equipment. Some client locations and working hours preclude the use of public transport. Business mileage will be reimbursed.

Person Specification

For this post you will be assessed on the areas set out below. In addition to the below-listed criteria, we are looking for candidates who are disciplined, organised, able to analyse information with precision. Candidates must be confident even when under pressure and be team players, whilst taking ownership over their own work.

The Following Experience Criteria Are Essential To This Post:

• Experience of having worked effectively in a people-facing environment.
• Experience of communicating with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of prioritisation and meeting multiple deadlines under pressure.
• Experience of working with and including providing guidance and advice in accordance with operating procedures, guidance, and regulations.
• Ability to work confidently as part of a team or independently in order to achieve team goals and objectives.

Licences

Essential to this post -

• Full Valid UK Driving licence (evidence to be provided at interview).

Qualifications

Essential to this post, and will be tested at both sift and interview:

• Minimum of a HND or equivalent qualification in Agriculture/Horticulture/Biological Science or Knowledge of plants and horticulture to a working level equivalent to that of an HND.

(If you are a final year student at College or university, we will accept a predicted grade and use your completed course modules and in-field experience that you outline in your CV and personal statement to judge your suitability).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• The Technical element will be a short knowledge test based on plant identification and identifying pests and diseases will also be conducted at interview. The Knowledge test includes both pictures and text questions with a 50% pass mark.

Salary

Alongside your salary of £35,895, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £10,398 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).

• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 28.7%
• 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
• A hybrid office/home-based working model where staff will spend a norm of 60% of their time in the office (minimum 60%)

Office Attendance

Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed in this advert. Our current office attendance approach requires 60% attendance in Defra group workplaces or offsite meetings with partners and customers. This balance provides thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice.

Please refer to the Candidate Information Pack for more detail around offered benefits.

Selection Process Details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience, and Technical skills.

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 20th Oct 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.

Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 20th Oct. 2026.

While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible.

It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.

Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits; for further information visit the Reasonable adjustments for online tests - a candidate guide.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV submitted through an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite; there is no requirement to upload your personal CV.
• A 500-word Personal Statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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.

We encourage you to use the full 500-word allowance of the Personal