Animal Compliance & Enforcement Manager in Exeter

Can you build trusted relationships with businesses, enforcement partners and policy teams to drive effective compliance outcomes? Do you thrive on managing complex compliance and enforcement activity, from site visits to investigations and ministerial reporting? 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.

We have an exciting opportunity for a National Lead for Compliance and Enforcement in Animal Health and Welfare. You will play a key role in strengthening APHA's regulatory approach by providing expert advice to frontline inspectors, developing standards, improving operational processes and ensuring consistent, proportionate enforcement in line with the Regulators' Code. You will act as a technical and regulatory expert for a wide range of stakeholders, including APHA field staff, Advice Services, policy teams, delivery partners and local authorities. Working collaboratively, you will help improve compliance outcomes, use data and intelligence to target risk, and shape better ways of working across the organisation. You will also manage a team of four HEO Compliance and Enforcement Officers, lead the development of regulatory training, and bridge the gap between policy intent and practical delivery.

A strong working knowledge of animal health and welfare legislation is required, alongside the ability to develop business cases and explore innovative approaches to modernise enforcement practice.

• Leading the development of new regulatory and enforcement ways of working, including systems to ensure consistency and evidential quality.
• Providing expert advice to inspectors on complex non-compliance cases, including drafting regulatory letters and recommending enforcement action.
• Use data analysis and intelligence to identify trends or risks from non-compliance.
• Supporting the introduction of monetary penalties for animal health and welfare offences through engagement with APHA, policy teams and local authorities.
• Ensuring compliance with key investigatory standards including Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), evidential continuity and witness statements.
• Line-manage four HEO officers, overseeing capability, resourcing needs and professional development, while providing expert advice on complex non-compliance issues.
• Designing and delivering compliance and enforcement training for field staff in line with the regulatory training pathway.
• Coordinating the impact of non-compliance during disease outbreaks or incidents and advising on operational implications.

This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and the post holder will be required to perform any additional duties reasonably expected of them.

• A strong working knowledge of animal health and welfare legislation is required.
• Ability to develop business cases and explore innovative approaches to modernise enforcement practice.
• Experience in line management and providing expert advice on complex non-compliance issues.
• Experience delivering regulatory training and coordinating enforcement activities.

About Disability Confident: A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.