Department of Agriculture, Environment and & Rural Affairs (NI)
AFBI is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of DAERA. It undertakes scientific work (research and development, testing, advice and information on scientific matters and dissemination of the results of scientific research) in the fields of agriculture, animal health and welfare, food, fisheries, forestry, the natural environment and rural development and enterprise.
This work helps to enable the NI agri-food industry to market products nationally and internationally, helps protect animal and plant health, helps to ensure the safety of the food that we eat, contributes to the protection of our terrestrial and marine environments and is important to NI’s long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
Key Partnerships for Delivery:
- DAERA’s College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise;
- Queens University Belfast / Ulster University; and
- Other science institutes both locally and internationally.
AFBI leverages additional income from a wide range of local, national and international research funders and other customers. This external work is complementary and synergistic to the DAERA funded science programmes. The work typically involves extensive national and international collaborations which ensures that AFBI’s science remains internationally relevant while adding benefit to the Northern Ireland industry and wider society.
Further information about the organisation, including its Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, can be obtained from the AFBI website at afbini.gov.uk
The Role of Deputy Chair
The Deputy Chair of the Institute will attend Board meetings and other meetings, mostly in Northern Ireland, as required, with key stakeholders, and undertake the necessary preparatory work for meetings.
In particular they will be required to:
- Assist and support the Chair in providing leadership to the Institute and, in the Chair’s absence, deliver a leadership role within parameters agreed with the Chair;
- Along with the Chair, work closely with AFBI’s Chief Executive and Executive Management Team to ensure that AFBI achieves its objectives;
- Assist and support the Chair in:
- Ensuring all Board Members of the Institute, when taking up office, are fully briefed on the terms of their appointment and their duties and responsibilities;
- Enabling all Institute Members to make a full contribution to the Institute’s affairs and ensure that the Institute Board acts collectively as a team;
- Ensuring that key and appropriate issues are determined by the Institute in a timely manner, including by delegation to appropriate sub-committees, such as Audit and Risk Assurance;
- Ensuring that the Institute Board has adequate support and is provided efficiently with all of the necessary information, including data, on which to base informed decisions;
- Ensuring that AFBI complies with relevant DAERA and Executive policies and priorities as specified in AFBI’s Partnership Agreement and other ad-hoc communications;
- Leading Members in the promotion of the work of AFBI and developing constructive relationships with key stakeholders;
- Co-ordinating and overseeing the work of sub-groups which will, in part, identify the market for AFBI products and services and its customers’ current and future needs; identify and assess current and future development in the sector, including competitors’ activities and opportunities to expand into new markets and innovations that meet customer needs; and
- Attending induction and any other training identified by DAERA or the Board.
The Deputy Chair will also help to lead AFBI through a period of significant change, including:
- The delivery of increasingly complex and diverse science programmes, with a key focus on environmental and agricultural sustainability, and NI climate change targets;
- Ensuring that the organisation is appropriately structured and has the key staffing capacity and skills to meet the challenges ahead in what is an increasingly competitive recruitment and retention environment, whilst also ensuring that improvement in staff culture remains a key organisational objective;
- Ensuring financial stability including meeting the challenges of a constrained public sector funding landscape and the need for continued resource efficiency and effectiveness and a focus on maximising external funding;
- Completion of the required estate infrastructure and IT projects including investment in new finance and business systems and DAERA-led projects such as the animal health sciences building and the replacement laboratory information management system;
- Meeting statutory duties, DAERA responsibilities and delivering projects within time and budget; and
- The outworking's of the Strategic Review of AFBI, including the implementation of recommendations, as required.
The Role of Members
The role of Board Members is to support the Deputy Chair and Chair in carrying out the above functions.
Essential Criteria
Candidates will need to demonstrate by way of example that they have the following skills, knowledge and experience. It is your responsibility to provide relevant examples, both on the application form and at interview, which show clearly how you meet each of the criteria listed below.
1. Engaging with others
Please provide evidence that demonstrates the ability to use your leadership and communication skills to engage with a range of stakeholders, at senior levels, to build effective working relationships that support organisational delivery in a challenging environment.
2. Delivering results
Please provide evidence that demonstrates your ability to oversee the delivery of results within a changing environment, while ensuring appropriate levels of governance are in operation within an organisation.
3. Relevant Experience
Please provide evidence that demonstrates your knowledge and experience in at least one of the following areas:
- Climate change
- Protection of the terrestrial or marine environment
- Sustainable agri-food activities
- Animal health / disease control
- Financial management
- Corporate planning and governance
- Audit
- Risk management
- Human resources / capacity & capability planning
- The delivery of significant IT or estate infrastructure projects
4. Setting Strategic Direction and Managing Change (Deputy Chair position only)
Please provide evidence that demonstrates your strategic thinking and the skills you have employed to influence the direction of an organisation and bring about significant change, taking account of internal and external issues and challenges.
If you are applying for the position, please submit the following by the 6th of March 2025
• Completed application forms should be submitted electronically to DAERA’s Public Appointments Unit at
[email protected].
• Typewritten or electronic versions of the application are preferred and should be completed in Arial minimum font size 12.
• Handwritten applications should be completed in legible block capitals using black ink.
• When completing the application form, a maximum of 400 words per criterion is permitted. Any additional words will be redacted and not presented to the panel for assessment.
• We will not accept CVs, letters, or any other supplementary material in place of, or in addition to, completed application forms.
• The format of the application form should not be amended.
• Alternative formats are available on request.
The time and closing date for receipt of completed application forms by post or e-mail is: 12 noon on 6 March 2025.