Trainee Official Auxiliary – Wales and West

Job summary

Are you a driven individual with excellent communication skills?

Are you looking for a rewarding role that will have a real life impact on everyone in the UK?

If so, these exciting opportunities to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a Trainee Official Auxiliary (TOA) are for you and we’d love to hear from you!!

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”.

Job description

Click the video below to hear from Dineka, to hear what it’s like to be a Meat and Dairy Inspector:
The heart of the FSA’s mission is to deliver “food we can trust”, and it’s more vital than ever that every precaution is taken to ensure the food on Britain’s plates is safe to eat, and exactly what it says it is.

Our meat production systems in abattoirs are one of the vital points of contact between the FSA and the food industry and represent an important on-the-ground part of our work. By ensuring high standards of animal welfare, quality control and workplace best practice are adhered to, we can make an active and ongoing difference in both the quality of the meat that reaches our plates but also the reputation that our nation and its food exports have on the global markets. The work the FSA does in abattoirs and food processing plants across the country each day has impact far beyond those factory walls.

Our Official Auxiliaries are vital parts of this process, delivering these standards through a number of means. These will include the performance of ante- and post-mortem inspections of animals, unannounced inspections on working practices across your dedicated site, the collecting and dispatching of samples for offsite analysis and communication with both FSA team members and onsite staff to create the safest and healthiest factory environment.

What qualification can you achieve?

This is a trainee position, and the roles on offer will allow you to train on the job to achieve both the RSPH Level 4 Diploma for Proficiency in Meat Inspection and subject to business needs the Level 2 Certificate for Proficiency in Poultry Meat Inspection.

If you would like to read more about these qualifications please visit the RSPH website here.

Where will I be working?

You’ll be working in one of the following FBO Plants within the Wales and West region of the UK:

Cluster 23: Dunbia Jaspers, Botathan Abattoir, South Petherwin, Launceston, Cornwall, PL15 7JL (1 post)

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 6.45am – 16.00pm

Cluster 23: R J Trevarthens, Roskrow Abattoir, Roskrow, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9AP (1 post)

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 07.00am – 15.00pm

Cluster 25: ABP Yetminster, Chetnole Road, Yetminster, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 6HQ (2 posts)

Working Pattern: Monday & Tuesday, 08.00am – 15.30pm, Wednesday & Thursday, 08.00am – 17.00pm, Friday, 08.00am – 13.30pm

Cluster 26: Pilgrims Pride, Oakley Green Farm, Westerleigh, Bristol, BS37 8QZ (1 post)

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 06.15am – 18.00pm

Cluster 31: Pickstock Telford, 45 Hortonwood Industrial Estate, Hortonwood, Telford, TF1 7FA (1 post)

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 06.15am – 17.30pm

When you apply, you’ll be asked to confirm your preference of 1 or more FBO Plants. Please refer to the map on the candidate pack which highlights the location of each cluster across the UK.

It is a mandatory requirement that you need to reside within 60 miles or 90 minutes of your preferred plant location. Should you be offered a position with us, we will verify that you reside within this remit as part of the pre-employment process and failure to meet these requirements may result in your offer of employment being withdrawn.

Please note that other plants may become available throughout the year, and candidates who are placed on reserve will be offered these positions when they become available.

About you

We are looking for driven individuals who are able to maintain focus on repetitive tasks. You will be comfortable working in a busy factory environment with early start times, working a core 37 hrs each week with an option to be deployed on a 5, 4 or 3- day working pattern based on business demand and operational requirements of the base plant allocated (please note this working pattern will only apply once you have successfully completed the training). You will have strong communication skills that will allow you to talk with onsite staff across company hierarchies to influence and guide decision making as part of our FSA team. A sharp attention to detail is required for this role, and as such we can regrettably only consider those with normal colour vision (trichromacy) for this role.

With on-the-job training, and plenty of opportunities for progression in the FSA, the Trainee Official Auxiliary gives you a strong first step if you’re seeking to build a career around keeping Britain’s food safe for all.

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.

Licences

What is the specific licence? Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

Qualifications

Applicants who are already either qualified or part-qualified to carry out Official Auxiliary duties in any capacity are not eligible to apply for these trainee roles.

By clicking "yes" to the eligibility question in your application form, you are confirming that you are not already either qualified, or part-qualified to carry out Official Auxiliary duties in any capacity.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,024, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,697 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 Strengths and Experience.

Full details of the selection process are detailed 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