Animal and Plant Health Agency
Plant Health & Seeds Inspector - Imports - Heathrow
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Heathrow
Job Summary
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.
Can you help us protect the bio-security of Great Britain, safeguarding plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy?
We have a number of exciting opportunities to join our team of Plant & Bee Health Inspectors delivering physical inspections of plants, associated products and produce at Heathrow.
Working as a part of a team on a shift pattern you will carry out documentary and ID checks on import applications and accompanying certification, as well as inspecting fresh produce in relation to marketing standards. These import controls are crucial in excluding harmful organisms from entering GB and becoming established.
If you have a passion for plants / the environment, an eye for detail, with excellent communication and organisational skills, we want to hear from you. We’ll support you throughout your career development and provide extensive training so you’ll also need an enthusiasm to learn.
Job Description
Supported by your line manager / shift leader, your main duties will include, but are not limited to:
- Physical inspection of plants, planting material and produce, looking for quarantine plant pests and diseases. This work is carried out at border control points (BCP) and will involve travel around the airport, including supporting other regions
- Complete administrative duties accurately and in accordance with standard operating procedures, agency guidelines and within established timescales
- Manage customer expectations, in line with policies, targets and legislation. Be prepared to undertake difficult conversations with customers, stakeholders and/or delivery partners
- Liaise closely with various regulatory bodies such as Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, UK Border Agency, Animal Health authorities & Border Control Point operations management
- Working with external stakeholders, agents and importers, including work with BCP Traffic Marshals to prevent unnecessary delays to inspections and the transit of goods
Person Specification
You will have these essential criteria:
- Be fully IT literate to examine online applications, delivery plans and record findings via a paperless system. You will be comfortable using MS Word, Outlook, Teams and Excel
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively to diverse audiences
- Good planning and organisational skills
- Respond positively to change
- Ability to meet targets and re-prioritise work
Successful candidates will be required to:
- Have a full, valid UK driving licence (evidence to be provided at interview) with independent access to own transport. Candidates will need to use their own vehicle to carry out their duties, for which business mileage will be reimbursed
- Be committed to training and continued development in service delivery
- Be able to take part in a shift rota to cover 24 / 7 operations for 365 days a year, therefore you must be 18 years old or over. A shift disturbance allowance is payable
- Communicate complex issues clearly to customers, both internally & externally in clear and concise English
- Work collaboratively in a high-pressure, time sensitive environment with delivery partners
- Work safely by adhering to all APHA and BCP health and safety policies
- Receive training in Police And Criminal Evidence (PACE) procedures to enable you to act as an expert witness and develop your professional skills
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We will offer you:
- Full training and support to become an inspector and carry out your duties
- Ongoing career development, which may include insight, technical and professional development. This may be at diagnostic laboratories, other ports or agencies, as well as in-house and with access to Civil Service wide learning and development opportunities
- Opportunities to be involved in wider projects, contributing to our culture of continuous improvement
- Shift disturbance allowance is payable. The shift disturbance allowance is 12.5%
- An additional pay supplement of up to £3,000 (pro rata), which may be offered following an annual capability assessment. The supplement will be paid per annum and divided into monthly payments
Licences
A full UK driving licence is required
Qualifications
Minimum of a ND or equivalent qualification in Agriculture/Horticulture/ Biological Science or Knowledge of plants and horticulture to a working level equivalent to that of an ND.
(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).
or
Knowledge of plants and horticulture to a working level equivalent to that of an ND
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Plant Health Knowledge Test
Alongside your salary of £33,350, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £9,661 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.
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, Experience and Technical skills.
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Online tests
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 03 August 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 03 August 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.
Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4pm-7pm on 19th July and 3pm-Midnight on 2nd August. 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.
It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.
As part of the selection process you will be asked to provide:
- a CV detailing your job history and qualifications
- A 500 word Personal Statement showing how you meet the criteria as outlined in the Personal Specification and Essential Skills
Further details about what to include are stated on the application form.
Sift
Your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed separately during the sift.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours, Experience, Strengths & Technical Skills under the Success Profile Framework.
When giving your Behaviour answers you should focus on very specific examples and frame your answer using the STAR method.
All interviews will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.
Location
These roles will be based at Heathrow this will be expected to be your permanent workplace as within this role it is not possible to offer Hybrid working.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement
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