Resilience Manager in Crewe

Do you have the ability to influence others and guide your team in a shared strategy? Do you want to apply your communication and problem-solving skills in a role that provides variety and flexibility? 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 Resilience Manager to join the Contingency Planning Team. You will play a key role in developing our Agency’s readiness and capabilities to deal with the management of exotic disease outbreaks, other incidents, emergencies and disruptive events that impact the business or its stakeholders. Through effective planning and collaboration with other areas of the Agency, operational partners and stakeholders, we ensure that APHA is prepared to mount and sustain an appropriate response to any outbreak of exotic animal, plant or bee diseases and pests, or to any other incidents impacting on animal health or welfare, such as severe weather, floods or major contamination incidents.

Our team covers areas such as contingency/continuity planning, training, instructions, assurance schemes and supports all the teams in APHA to respond to the various incidents that impact the business and the day-to-day work of APHA. As a team we provide strategic oversight for any Outbreak Emergency Response.

You will be required to carry out duties appropriate to the grade and purpose of the role including, but not limited to, the following:

• Provide operational support and tactical advice to Field Operations Managers (FOMs) during disease outbreak response, ensuring field activities are delivered effectively and in line with legislation and disease control policy.
• Provide specialist guidance on on-farm operations, including valuation, culling, bio secure transport and disposal of carcases and waste, and cleansing and disinfection (C&D), including secondary C&D.
• Support the planning and set-up of new infected premises, working closely with local field teams and the Contracts Management Team (CMT) to ensure timely and coordinated response activity.
• Maintain national oversight of field operations by obtaining, collating and analysing key operational information to support situation reporting, Contingency Disease Control Centre (CDCC) and National Disease Control Centre (NDCC) meetings, and briefings for management and policy teams.
• Respond to requests for information, including Freedom of Information requests, providing accurate and timely input to support transparency and decision-making.
• Support the valuation and compensation process, including calculation of compensation payments, liaising with Field Operations Bases (FOBs), policy teams, appointed valuers and Finance teams to resolve discrepancies.
• Manage disputed valuation activity, including responding to appeals from infected premises owners, supporting arbitration processes, and drafting clear and accurate response correspondence.
• Collate and quality-assure secondary C&D progress reporting from field officers, ensuring documentation is complete and producing regular reports to policy teams to support self-declaration of country freedom.
• Work collaboratively with a wide range of national operational partners, including Police and Environment Agencies, to ensure coordinated delivery of outbreak response requirements.
• Maintain close liaison with relevant policy teams on escalated operational and policy issues arising from field activity.
• Work with FOBs and the CMT to support verification of contractor invoices and related assurance activity.

Please note: You are expected to be part of an out of hours rota, and cover some weekend working. On some occasions, this may also require working unsocial hours (utilising overtime provisions). Travel will be required to attend training courses and meetings across GB.