Civil Sanctions Enforcement Manager

Animal and Plant Health Agency; Preston; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

25 days annual leave

Learning & development opportunities

Employee discounts

Volunteer leave

Flexible working

Job summary

Animal and Plant Health Agency in Preston seeks a Civil Sanctions Enforcement Officer to lead assessment of non-compliance and coordinate civil sanctions under relevant legislation. You will advise enforcement partners and prepare case materials to support sanctions decisions.

The role involves line management of a small team, collaboration with operational delivery units, and reporting on emerging issues to policy colleagues, with a focus on consistent, proportionate enforcement outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience in regulatory or enforcement environment with understanding of police and criminal investigative procedures.
• Ability to interpret legislation and apply it to practical scenarios.
• Strong written and oral communication to brief senior management.

Responsibilities

• Manage and issue civil sanctions, assess referrals, review investigations and ensure proportionate action.
• Build relationships with enforcement partners and policy colleagues for a collective approach to cases.
• Lead investigations, chair case conferences and site visits when a civil sanction is a potential outcome.
• Ensure compliance with legislative timescales for appeals and representations.
• Support teams with enforcement principles, gather evidence, and prepare court documentation.
• Develop APHA reporting capabilities for civil sanctions and monitor outcomes.

Skills

Regulatory enforcement

Policy interpretation

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

IT tools

Ivory/CITES knowledge

Tools

PACE

CPIA

RIPA

Job description

Do you enjoy analysing complex information to reach fair, proportionate and effective enforcement decisions?

Can you bring people together to tackle non-compliance and help shape a consistent approach to civil sanctions?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (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 Civil Sanctions Enforcement Officer to join our Regulatory Affairs, Compliance and Enforcement Team, playing a vital role in delivering the use of civil sanctions across APHA. You will be responsible for the assessment of different types of non-compliance from numerous areas of legislation including clear understanding of criminal offences and investigatory processes. This is to ensure that the Agency operates within the legal frameworks. You will provide expert advice to colleagues and enforcement partners involved in cases; collating and preparing documents for the application of a civil sanction. This may involve accompanying inspections where appropriate, providing summaries of key legislative concerns and organising case conferences.

This role will allow APHA to have a central point of expertise in the use of civil sanctions as an enforcement outcome to ensure consistent, proportionate, and effective use, as well as monitoring the impact on compliance levels following intervention. As this will be a new approach in some areas, it will be essential to identify any emerging issues and report constructively to colleagues within APHA as well as national policy makers and enforcement partners and look for ways to continuously improve the process.

The Regulatory Affairs, Compliance and Enforcement Team is responsible for ensuring APHA operates as an effective National Regulator and in line with the principles of the Regulators’ Code. There is a wide-ranging portfolio of work dealing with all aspects of regulation, compliance, and enforcement; from legislative requirements, operational delivery, specific case management and multi-agency liaison.

The role is required to identify and respond to non-compliance with Ivory, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Plant Health and any other enforcement penalty scheme. There is a need to build and maintain strong links with operational delivery teams and other relevant APHA business units or external agencies key to regulatory and enforcement activity.

The role involves a wide range of work including, but not limited to, the following:

• Managing and administering the APHA process for issuing civil sanctions, including assessing and escalating referrals for further investigation, reviewing investigation outcomes, identifying proportionate action and issuing civil sanctions in line with internal processes and legal requirements
• Building effective relationships with enforcement partners, stakeholders, and policy colleagues, to ensure a collective approach to specific cases and wider non-compliance issues and promote a clear understanding of outcomes
• Actively participating in simple and complex investigations through case-conferences and site visits, and leading discussions in all cases where an APHA civil sanction may be an outcome
• Ensuring appeals and representation processes relating to civil sanctions are assessed and processed within legislative timescales
• Supporting operational teams in their understanding of enforcement principles in relation to non-compliance, including operational support, guidance on evidence gathering, witness statement writing and court preparation. Court attendance may also be required
• Developing APHA reporting capabilities for civil sanctions and ensure records are accurate and up to date
• Identifying the highest risk areas of non-compliance to inform the development of plans and procedures to prevent or mitigate them
• In a disease outbreak, be the point of contact for any issues arising with non-compliance with prevention measures or control activities
• Line management of a small team of Executive Officers working on Civil Sanctions

Person specification

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Experience of working within a regulatory or enforcement environment and an understanding of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act (CPIA) and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) legislative requirements
• Experience of large-scale cases of non-compliance. Ability to make proportionate enforcement decisions and provide credible advice on complex regulatory cases
• Ability to interpret legislation and apply it to practical situations; using sound judgement and analytical capabilities
• Ability to communicate and engage effectively with a wide range of people, influencing desired outcomes where appropriate, with strong written and presentation skills to brief senior management on complex issues in a clear and concise manner
• Experience of line management with strong team working skills with the ability to make sound judgements, often to tight timescales, through highly effective planning and prioritisation
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, as well as responding to conflicting priorities and knowing when to seek guidance
• Proficient in the use of a variety of IT tools
• An understanding of Ivory, CITES, Plant or Animal Health processes and work areas

Why work for APHA?

Alongside your salary of £35,895, Animal and Plant Health Agency contributes £10,398 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Further benefits offered also include:

• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities tailored to your role.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• Staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme.
• Three days special leave with pay, per year, for volunteering (pro-rata for part time employees).
• Making it work for you - With so many flexible options, most people can find a work schedule to suit their circumstances.

These are just a few of our benefits we offer.

Learning and Development

Everyone in APHA is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role.

In return for your dedication, we will support your ongoing personal development through appropriate training. Inclusion, support and the development of our people matter to us. We aim to support the career and personal wellbeing of everyone in APHA.

Closing Date - 11.55pm on Monday 26th October 2026