Programme and Project Support Officer

Job summary

Do you have excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to build effective relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders?

Are you proficient in the use of Microsoft Office and associated packages?

If so, this is an exciting opportunity to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as our Programme and Project Support Officer, and we’d love to hear from you!

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.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Programme & Project Support Officer, where you will play a key role in helping deliver meaningful improvements across operational services. Working within a supportive and collaborative environment, you will contribute to projects that strengthen how services are planned, delivered and improved, with a real focus on efficiency, quality and outcomes.

The role offers variety, exposure to a wide range of stakeholders and the chance to develop valuable project delivery skills. You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, supporting change initiatives that make a positive difference to frontline delivery.

You will provide day to day support to project and change activity within the Operational Change Team. This will include coordinating planning and scheduling activity, maintaining project documentation and supporting the production of reports that track progress, risks and performance. You will also organise meetings, manage information effectively and act as a point of contact for a range of internal and external stakeholders.

You will contribute to financial and resource management by helping to monitor spend, maintain records and support budget planning. The role also involves collecting, analysing and presenting data using digital tools to support informed decision making. You will assist with maintaining risk and issue logs, escalating matters where appropriate, and support colleagues through periods of operational change while balancing competing priorities.

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 with the vacancy holder before applying.

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 28/02/27. 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 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:

• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,272, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,769 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.

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 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 and desirable criteria. (Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie between candidates).

Essential criteria

Experience

· Lead criteria: Excellent communication (verbal and written) and organisational skills – experience in working collaboratively as part of a team to provide administrative support at key meetings. Ability to manage competing priorities in a complex environment to meet deadlines

· Strong relationship management skills – evidence of building and maintaining strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to progress and a