Relationship Manager (Local Authority Engagement)

Job summary

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.

We are recruiting two temporary Relationship Managers (Local Authority Engagement) to join the Food Standards Agency's Local Authority Engagement Team within the Regulatory Compliance Division. These roles offer an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of food and feed regulation, building strong relationships with local authorities and helping to shape the future delivery of official controls across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Job description

About the Role

The Regulatory Compliance Division plays a leading role in delivering the Food Standards Agency’s ambitions to develop and implement new approaches to official controls for food and feed. As part of a team supporting local authority engagement, you will work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment where collaboration, adaptability and effective communication are essential. You will engage directly with local authority partners, attend online meetings, contribute to policy development and support the delivery of strategic priorities across the Agency.

What You Will Be Doing

You will build and maintain productive relationships with local authorities and other key stakeholders, helping to ensure that FSA priorities are understood and consistently adopted. You will contribute to the collection and analysis of information gathered from delivery partners, providing valuable insights that support policy development and senior decision making. The roles will involve leading engagement and communication activities, responding to framework-related enquiries, supporting training initiatives and contributing to continuous improvement projects that strengthen regulatory delivery. You will also provide clear briefings and presentations, anticipate emerging issues and help colleagues understand the challenges and opportunities across the local authority landscape.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for confident communicators who can build credibility with a wide range of stakeholders and represent the Agency professionally. You will be comfortable working independently while contributing effectively as part of a collaborative team. The successful candidates will demonstrate excellent relationship management skills, sound judgement and the ability to adapt to changing priorities. Experience of stakeholder engagement, communications, policy implementation, partnership working or delivering improvements within a complex organisation would be highly beneficial.

What We Offer

These temporary opportunities provide a unique chance to gain experience within a high-profile area of the Food Standards Agency, influencing how the Agency works with local authorities and delivery partners. You will have the opportunity to contribute to significant regulatory developments, broaden your professional network and make a meaningful impact on public health and consumer protection.

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

These posts are temporary Fixed Term/Loan/Secondment appointments available until the return of the substantive post holder, estimated to be 01 August 2027. There may be the potential, but no guarantee, of an 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.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

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).Please 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 job description.

Application and shortlisting

You will