Head of Risk Assessment

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a senior science leadership role at the heart of food and feed safety. As Head of Risk Assessment, you will help shape and oversee the delivery of high-quality scientific risk assessment that supports evidence based decision making and protects consumers across the UK.

Working within the Information and Science Directorate, you will co-lead a large, specialist unit covering areas including chemical, microbiological, allergy and radiological risk assessment, as well as market authorisations. You will bring strategic insight, visible leadership and scientific credibility to a role that offers real influence across the organisation and with senior partners across government, academia and industry.

Job description

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the unit delivers timely, robust and fit for purpose scientific advice, drawing on expert committees, national and international expertise, commissioned research and emerging evidence. They will support continuous improvement in how evidence, data, tools and methodologies are used, encouraging innovation while maintaining the quality and integrity of technical outputs.

They will manage senior team members, develop capability across the unit and contribute to wider divisional planning, prioritisation and resource management. The role will involve overseeing budgets, supporting incident and authorisation workstreams, acting as senior responsible owner for projects where required, and representing the function with confidence to internal and external audiences. They will also contribute to wider organisational leadership, helping to drive change, strengthen communication and support cross-cutting priorities.

Working pattern guidance

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)

Applicants who wish to work part-time / compressed hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Due to the nature of the role we are unable to consider requests for part-time working of less than 29.6 hours per week.

Please read before applying

This post is a temporary Fixed Term/Loan appointment available until the return of the substantive post holder, estimated to be 01/07/2027. There may be the potential, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency.

Candidates that are already established Civil Servants or from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this vacancy.

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).

If you are applying for a vacancy on a Loan basis you MUST seek approval from your Director in line with our FSA Staff loans policy

Person specification

Please read the attached Job Description to discover further details about the role, 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.

Qualifications

A degree in a relevant science or equivalent demonstrative understanding of the scientific issues associated with risk assessment

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Please provide evidence of how you meet the following Technical criteria. A degree in a relevant science or equivalent demonstrative understanding of the scientific issues associated with risk assessment

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,767, Food Standards Agency contributes £19,921 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).

Please take a look at the Working for the Food Standards Agency , Civil Service Careers to find out about the benefits the FSA has to offer

Please also refer to the Terms and Conditions statement attached to this advert.

Things you need to know

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.

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.

Technical: You will be asked a question to confirm that you meet the Techni