Veterinary Adviser Border Controls

Job summary

Are you a veterinary leader who can influence operational excellence across border controls?Would you like to play a vital role in maintaining safe and lawful trade across UK borders?If so, we would love to hear from you!

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

We have an exciting opportunity for a Veterinary Advisor (VA) Border Controls to join our Scotland Field Operations team. As part of this tactical and operational leadership role, you will provide credible veterinary leadership to support and assure high-performance delivery across a geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary team, both during and in between disease incidents and outbreaks. This role plays a key part in ensuring that import and export controls are applied consistently, proportionately and lawfully, with due regard to biosecurity, animal welfare, regulatory compliance and customer service.

You will be accountable for working with Veterinary Leads in Scotland to deliver excellence in state veterinary operational delivery, stakeholder engagement and customer service through the effective application, quality assurance and enforcement of veterinary public health policies and regulatory measures.

The role involves a wide range of work including, but not limited to, the following:

• Provide credible veterinary leadership and expert advice on the delivery of border control activity in field operations
• Provide expert veterinary advice in the design and implementation of trade policies
• Support operational excellence in veterinary service delivery through the effective application, quality assurance and enforcement of veterinary public health policies, procedures and controls
• Provide technical oversight and assurance for the application of import and export requirements, including the interpretation of health certification, documentary requirements, compliance decisions and regulatory controls for relevant consignments
• Work with operational teams, veterinary field inspectors, Border Control Post staff, policy colleagues and other partners to ensure consistent decision-making and efficient delivery of border controls activities, while ensuring operational excellence in a nationally aligned subject area
• Identify training and development needs for frontline staff and contribute to training, mentoring and professional support to build capability and resilience in border control delivery
• Build effective working relationships with delivery partners and stakeholders involved in the end-to-end border journey, supporting continuous improvement and customer service
• Support nationally aligned ways of working, assurance activity and dissemination of best practice in relation to border control policy and operational delivery
• Promote compliance with animal health and welfare requirements and ensure that proportionate enforcement action is supported where required
• Contribute to incident management and outbreak response
• Participating in an on-call rota will be required as part of the role, which attracts an allowance
• Line management responsibilities as required

Person specification

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Veterinary expertise & policy delivery: Extensive experience of statutory and non-statutory animal health and welfare policy, risk management, enforcement and disease control, supported by a strong background in State Veterinary Medicine and successful policy delivery. Applicants must demonstrate experience of applying live animal import controls (at the border and inland) and managing import and export approval schemes, including but not limited to Poultry Health Scheme, compartmentalisation and Balai approvals. This is an essential requirement and must be clearly evidenced within the application.
• Proven leadership & resilience: Strong interpersonal, leadership, and evidence-based decision-making skills with high levels of self-awareness and resilience. Able to remain calm under pressure and lead teams through challenging situations.
• Strategic thinking & problem solving: A tactical and analytical thinker with advanced diagnostic, planning, and creative problem-solving abilities. Skilled in prioritising, delegating, and escalating tasks effectively.
• Coaching & continuous development: Skilled in coaching and mentoring others to enhance both individual and team performance. Actively fosters a culture of continuous learning and professional growth by developing and delivering training based on gaps identified through quality assurance processes.
• Stakeholder engagement & relationship building: Adept at building and maintaining productive relationships with customers, delivery partners, industry stakeholders, and within networked environments.
• Data analysis & reporting: Competent in data analytical methods, including collection, storage, cleaning, integration, and interpretation. Able to communicate technical information clearly and produce accurate, concise reports to deadlines.

Licences

Full UK driving licence

Qualifications

A veterinary undergraduate degree registerable with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and conferring eligibility to practice as a Member or Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Memberships

Member or Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

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:

• Knowledge and experience in the application of import, export and trade policies.
• Tactical veterinary knowledge, leadership and decision-making during animal health and welfare incidents
• Application of threat characterisation and risk management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,375, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £16,331 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).

Further benefits offered also include:

• 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.

• Staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.

• Three days special leave with pay, per year, for volunt