Chief Scientist
Reporting directly to the new Chief Executive, the Chief Scientist will be a key member of the corporate leadership team for the new Executive Agency of approximately 900 staff.
The Agency will be formally launched on 1 April 2009 and will be formed by the merger of Central Science Laboratory (CSL) with Defra Plant Health Division (PHD) / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) and the Plant Variety Rights Office and Seeds Division (PVS). Based primarily at the current CSL site at Sand Hutton near York, the Agency will also operate out of premises in Cambridge and rural Gloucestershire as well as boasting over a hundred outstationed staff either working from home or at Government sites throughout England and Wales.
As Chief Scientist you will, first and foremost, form a key part of the senior management team with shared responsibility for corporate activity. You will be responsible for maintaining and growing the scientific reputation of the Agency, both nationally and internationally, and ensure the scientific integrity and quality of all of our scientific activity. You will drive the development of our scientific capability and, as Head of Profession, you will help to attract, recruit and develop both potential and existing leaders in their field of science.
Working with the rest of the Senior Management Team and using your developed networks, you will exploit the considerable infrastructure, including state of the art facilities to maximise the growth of the business.
Main Duties
- Play a key role in establishing, directing and achieving the strategic aims and objectives of the new Agency, ensuring that the considerable infrastructure is fully exploited. You will have a highly visible role, providing guidance and leadership to the organisation with particular responsibility for the role of science within the Agency and wider across Government.
- Take an Take an equal and active part in the work of the corporate leadership of the organisation, working closely with fellow Directors and staff to quickly establish the new Agency and drive it forward to exploit the opportunities offered by the merger of the constituent parts
- Take a lead role in changing the culture of the organisation with a particular view to increasing customer-focus and, where appropriate, to raising the appetite for risk among managers and staff.
- Have responsibility for science quality assurance across the Agency as part of a wider commitment to the establishment and furthering of it’s reputation as a centre of scientific excellence.
- Build upon your existing network of national and international contacts to place the Agency at the forefront of scientific partnership and collaboration with a focus on key initiatives such as the Innovation Nation agenda.
- Draw upon the expertise available within the Agency to develop a proactive and forward-looking ‘early alert’ contingency capability alongside a complementary horizon-scanning process. You will need to ensure that the Agency possesses the requisite skills and capabilities to rapidly exploit opportunities.
- Manage and develop a small team of staff in support of the above aims whilst assuming Head Of Profession responsibility for all Agency scientists. You will represent Agency scientists and act as a role model.
- Take an equal and active part in the work of the corporate leadership of the organisation, working closely with fellow Directors and staff to quickly establish the new Agency and drive it forward to exploit the opportunities offered by the merger of the constituent parts.
