Food Standards Agency
Senior Policy Managers
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We offer great flexible working opportunities, and have offices in Belfast, Cardiff and York.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas.
Travel within the UK will be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays.
Job Summary
Are you ready to make a real impact and elevate your policy career?
Join us at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a Senior Policy Manager and help shape the future of food safety and public health across the UK.
The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1600 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system.
You will work on high-profile, meaningful issues that protect consumers and support the UK’s food and feed system, while developing your capability as a confident senior policy professional in a complex and fast-moving environment.
These roles are well suited to those looking to stretch their experience and broaden their policy portfolio. You will join a collaborative and inclusive organisation that values learning, flexibility and fresh thinking.
We offer amazing benefits and flexible working arrangements – take a look in the Candidate Pack and take a peek at our careers page Working for the Food Standards Agency, Civil Service Careers to find out more.
Job Description
As one of our Senior Policy Managers, you will lead and contribute to policy and strategy that support the FSA’s key priorities. You will bring together evidence from a range of sources and turn complex information into clear, well-reasoned advice and options for senior leaders, the FSA Board and Ministers, helping to ensure policies are proportionate, evidence-based and effective in practice.
You will work closely with colleagues across the FSA and with external partners including devolved administrations, other government departments, industry and consumer stakeholders. Depending on the role, you may contribute to incident response activity, support domestic or international policy priorities, or help maintain and reform legislation. All of our posts involve responding flexibly to emerging priorities and business needs and many also involve supporting or managing others.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to receive your application.
Working pattern guidance
Applicants who wish to work compressed hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this before accepting an offer of employment.
If applying as a job share partnership you should both complete separate application forms on Civil Service Jobs but should make it clear that you are applying as job sharers. Further details on job sharing can be found here JSF – What is the recruitment process for job sharers?, Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)
Please read before applying
These posts are temporary Fixed Term/Loan appointments of varying durations, available due to limited funding for project work. There may be the possibility, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency. Posts will be offered in strict merit order as they become available.
There is a slim possibility that some roles may be permanent from the outset.
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Candidates that are already established Civil Servants will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and must have permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this job.
Successful candidates must be able to commence employment within 6 weeks of conditional verbal offer.
Note for FSA employees
You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any non-permanent vacancy - please refer to the ‘Temporary internal appointments framework’ on the FSA intranet for more details. Please note that if applying for a temporary post within the FSA or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent).
Person specification
Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.
We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Alongside your salary of £42,596, Food Standards Agency contributes £12,340 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).
Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.
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 and Experience.
Full details of the selection process can be found in the attached candidate pack.
Application and shortlisting
You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.
You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.
Experience
Essential criteria
Lead criteria: Experience of leading analysis and using a range of credible information sources, working with others as needed, to identify and assess options or potential solutions to make evidence-based recommendations that lead to decision making in a policy context. Experience of establishing and maintaining positive relationships and engaging with a network of colleagues and stakeholders and key contacts to work collaboratively and deliver solutions that meet shared objectives. Experience of communicating information, analysis and complex messages verbally and in writing to a range of audiences including senior colleagues, consumers and industry stakeholders using different communication methods and tools. Experience of developing and delivering quality outputs to agreed timelines, monitoring progress against milestones and managing workloads and workstreams to ensure delivery of top priorities.
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Lead Criteria An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise.
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 and Civil Service Behaviours.
Experience
Experience of leading analysis and using a range of credible information sources, working with others as needed, to identify and assess options or potential solutions to make evidence-based recommendations that lead to decision making in a policy context. Experience of communicating information, analysis and complex messages verbally and in writing to a range of audiences including senior colleagues, consumers and industry stakeholders using different communication methods and tools.
Behaviours
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack.
Note: Criteria are listed in order of priority to help distinguish merit order of joint scoring candidates at both sift and interview.
Expected Timeline
Advert closes: 6 September 2026 (23:55)
Sift: Expected to take place from 7 September 2026
Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 21 September 2026
Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application).
Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reserve List
A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made. We expect further vacancies to arise – and will look to draw from the Reserve list as positions become available in our teams. Posts will be offered in strict merit order.
Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.
Visa Sponsorship
Please note that the FSA does not offer visa sponsorship and cannot provide advice on visa applications
Making a complaint
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated fairly in accordance with the principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should email the FSA’s Director of People at jo.bushnell@food.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or
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