Senior Scientist: Food Authenticity

Government Recruitment Service; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency is seeking a Food Science Evidence Specialist to lead strategic evidence development for food authenticity. This role involves managing R&D projects, providing scientific advice, and engaging with various stakeholders to meet food policy needs. The ideal candidate will possess strong scientific skills and experience in food standards and labelling. This position offers an opportunity to make impactful contributions to the food system in the UK.

Qualifications

• Experience in developing analytical tools and R&D projects.
• Ability to manage stakeholder engagement effectively.
• Strong scientific skills related to food authenticity and safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic evidence development in food policy.
• Manage R&D projects on food labelling and standards.
• Provide science advice on topical food authenticity issues.

Job description

Overview

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for England’s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. Your role will be critically important to achieving our vision of ‘creating a great place for living’.

Role context and responsibilities

As a Food Science Evidence Specialist within Defra’s Agri-Food Science team you will be leading strategic evidence development across Defra’s Food Authenticity R&D Programme in response to evolving food policy priorities. The Programme develops analytical tools to support enforcement of food labelling and standards rules, develops technical advice on application of methods and provides evidence to support development and implementation of food labelling policy. Programme activities aim to build laboratory capability in responding to food fraud incidents, supporting consumer confidence in food quality, composition and provenance.

You will be responsible for setting, shaping and delivering a portfolio of R&D projects (covering a wide range of commodities, analytical methods, and labelling issues such as geographical origin, traceability and adulteration) using your scientific skills to deliver robust evidence to meet policy needs. You will also act as a subject matter expert, providing science advice on emerging and topical food authenticity and food science issues. The role involves managing knowledge transfer activities under the programme, to ensure methods are taken up and used by laboratories as well as leading secretariat work for our authenticity scientific expert committee.

This demanding and interesting specialist role sits within the Agri-Food Science team, a multi-disciplinary, friendly and supportive team embedded within the Agri-Food Chain Directorate. The team works flexibly, sharing skills and expertise to support science-driven policy that contributes to government's plans to transform the food system and create a healthier, more affordable, sustainable, resilient system.

The role will involve engaging with key stakeholders to identify the emerging and longer-term science challenges the programme needs to address. Working in close partnership with Defra policy teams and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will be critical to ensure the programme meets policy needs, addresses ministerial priorities around food standards and aligns with FSA surveillance, enforcement and lab capability building activities to maximise the programme’s impact.

In this role you will also lead on developing a portfolio of authenticity research and knowledge transfer activities, from commissioning through to completion, working within agreed budgets and taking decisions within the context of research procurement and management principles and guidance.

The role offers candidates the opportunity to build positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including policy and evidence teams, OGDs (Other Government Departments), external funders, industry, academia and stakeholders including where appropriate at an EU and international level to build evidence and secure research alignment; and/or where appropriate on complex technical issues to inform policy interventions.

Using your scientific skills and expertise you will provide science leadership, policy-focused evidence development and technical science advice. Applying judgement and discretion to problem solving, identifying solutions, escalating risks and issues as needed.