Animal and Plant Health Agency
Veterinary Lead Scotland
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Dumfries, Galashiels, Hamilton, Inverness, Inverurie, Kilwinning, Perth, Stranraer
Job Summary
Are you an experienced veterinary leader with the vision, credibility and resilience to lead Scotland's animal health and welfare delivery services, influencing policy and decision-making at the highest levels?
Do you thrive in strategic leadership roles, inspiring high-performing teams and building strong partnerships across government and industry to safeguard animal health, welfare and biosecurity?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (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.
Job Description
The Veterinary Lead Scotland is a senior strategic leadership role responsible for leading geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary teams during and between animal disease outbreaks and other emergency situations. The postholder must quickly establish credibility with staff and stakeholders, provide clear direction and priorities, and support the delivery of Scottish Government animal health and welfare policies while continuing to build a positive, supportive, and sustainable organisational culture.
The role provides high-level veterinary leadership, including contributing to the implementation of APHA's veterinary and technical strategy, overseeing clinical governance across a range of operational settings, and representing APHA at strategic boards and national, and occasionally international, forums. The successful candidate will also lead key relationships across APHA, government, and external stakeholders while undertaking significant line management responsibilities as a senior leader within the agency.
A key aspect of the role is driving organisational change and modern ways of working. The Veterinary Lead Scotland will be expected to role model APHA values, embed cultural improvements, and support a flexible, agile, and digitally enabled approach through effective matrix management and collaborative leadership.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will also include, but are not limited to:
- Ensuring that all veterinary and technical activities are prioritised and delivered to the highest standards, in accordance with desired policy outcomes, business plans and standard operating procedures.
- Working with the relevant, Heads of Field Delivery (HoFD) to address performance and quality, using risk management and adhering to budgetary controls to ensure value for taxpayers' money.
- Leading on veterinary decisions that have the potential for high impact with high uncertainty. Deploying risk assessments that are based on the most accurate available evidence, making informed decisions that have included policy considerations.
- Building effective relationships with local senior stakeholders and partners to influence end user behaviour regarding compliance with animal health and welfare strategies and policies.
- Working with APHA colleagues to monitor and assure consistency of compliance with quality and safety standards of the Veterinary Development Partnership contractors in their area.
- Delivering the APHA vision to all staff and contributing to the corporate leadership of the Agency.
- Contributing to the design, development and implementation of national policy initiatives and reforms, undertaking important roles on programme boards, project teams and working groups.
- Contribute to and promote directly or indirectly, training initiatives, staff development opportunities and ensure appropriate succession planning.
- Line management of a team of Veterinary Advisors.
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Person Specification
We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following skills and experience:
- Experience in providing strategic leadership to multidisciplinary, geographically dispersed teams, ensuring the delivery of complex targets within constrained resources. Fostering a high-performance culture by coaching and developing leaders and teams, championing continuous learning, and driving sustained organisational improvement.
- Comprehensive skills, knowledge, and ability in multiple areas of applied state veterinary medicine in veterinary public health settings.
- Knowledge of statutory and non-statutory disease legislation, veterinary jurisprudence, ethics, UK livestock industry, disease diagnosis and investigation, threat characterisation, risk management, enforcement, and control.
- Proven track record of strategic veterinary leadership and decision-making during incident and outbreak response, complex case work, contingency planning, and business continuity.
- Experience of building effective networks with policy customers, stakeholders, and operational partners.
- Ability to set up and work within an auditable system of procedures and processes, maintaining and assuring appropriate levels of quality assurance and quality control.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Veterinary
- Technical knowledge of statutory disease, risk assessment and prioritisation
Salary
Alongside your salary of £69,931, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £20,259 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).
Learning and Development
At APHA, we are committed to supporting you to develop your skills, knowledge, and professional capability throughout your career.
From day one, you will be welcomed through a structured induction programme, helping you understand the Civil Service, our work, and how we operate. You’ll work closely with your line manager to set clear priorities and develop a performance, learning, and development plan tailored to your role.
Alongside formal training, you will have opportunities to apply and develop your knowledge in a practical environment, contributing to continuous improvement and innovation.
Inclusion, support, and the wellbeing of our people are central to what we do, ensuring everyone at APHA can thrive both professionally and personally.
Benefits
- Civil Service Pension - Defra contributes an average of 28.97% of your salary towards your pension
- 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 from retailers such as High street coffee shops, Cinema’s, supermarkets, High street retailers and many, many more.
- Staff bonuses and recognition including appreciate vouchers of up to £200 and larger in year awards of up to £1000,
- Salary sacrifice benefit options and an employee discount scheme such as bike to work, Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme, every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year for each child.
- Discounted gym membership with Fitness First or Pure Gym.
- Special Leave with pay, per year, for volunteering.
- Making it work for you - With so many flexible working options, most people can find a work schedule to suit their circumstances.
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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, Experience and Technical skills.
Application Process
As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and complete a 1000-word Personal Statement detailing your suitability for the role based on the 'Essential Experience' bullet points within the Person Specification section of the advertisement above.
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 of the Person Specification section.
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.
You will also be asked to provide 250-word statements demonstrating how you meet the following Behaviour:
- Leadership
Further details around what this will entail can be found on the application form.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, there will be an initial sift assessing the Personal Statement. Those who pass the initial sift will be progressed either to a full sift or 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 Behaviour, Experience and Technical questions.
The Behaviours are as follows:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
The Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing will be assessed by presentation. Details of the presentation will be sent to you prior to the interview.
During the interview, Experience will be assessed through a question.
It is intended that the interview will take place via Teams.
After the Interview
Once all the interviews have been conducted, candidates will be notified of the outcome by email. If you are successful at the interview stage, we will be in touch to offer you a role. Offers will be made in merit
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