Chief Scientific Adviser for Food Standards Scotland

Scottish Government Recruitment•Aberdeen, WA

9d•£93,667 - £97,451

About The Position

Applications are invited from suitably qualified, accomplished scientists for this 2-5 year secondment opportunity as Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for Food Standards Scotland (FSS). The CSA for FSS will be a senior, independent Scientific Adviser, who will advise FSS’s CEO and Board on all scientific matters relating to the organisation’s statutory responsibilities and the delivery of its strategic objectives. FSS’s CSA will provide strategic science leadership for FSS; supporting its senior scientists in the provision of expert oversight and assurance for all of the organisation’s research, surveillance, monitoring and risk assessment functions; ensuring the evidence base used to underpin policy on food safety and public health nutrition is robust and delivers maximum impact. In line with other CSA roles across government, it will provide an independent challenge function to FSS, helping to further embed scientific evidence at the centre of policy development and decision-making across the organisation. FSS’s CSA is an outward facing role, with responsibility for representing FSS’s use of science and evidence to key stakeholders, the media and public, including during incidents. It will promote and champion the work of FSS’s scientists; supporting learning and development and driving engagement across the wider scientific community and the food industry, to maintain and strengthen FSS’s reputation as a highly regarded science and evidence-based organisation. The CSA for FSS will contribute to the existing network of independent scientific advisers in Scottish Government to support the CSA for Scotland in ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to ensure policy making in Scotland is underpinned by the best science available. The post will work particularly closely with the Scottish Government’s CSA for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) to promote the use of systems thinking and evidence that enables policy makers to understand the interactions and trade-offs between food chain sustainability and resilience, food security, dietary health and food safety in Scotland. It will also collaborate with the Food Standards Agency’s CSA in areas of shared policy responsibility and scientific interest to ensure co-ordination and alignment across the UK in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations.

Requirements

Suitably qualified, accomplished scientists
Senior, independent Scientific Adviser
Experience in providing scientific advice to senior leadership and boards
Experience in strategic science leadership
Expertise in research, surveillance, monitoring, and risk assessment functions
Understanding of policy development and decision-making processes
Experience in representing an organization's scientific work to stakeholders, media, and the public
Ability to promote and champion scientific work
Experience in supporting learning and development
Experience in driving engagement across scientific communities and industries
Understanding of systems thinking and evidence-based policy making
Ability to collaborate with other government bodies and agencies

Nice To Haves

Experience in food safety and public health nutrition
Experience in managing incidents
Familiarity with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland

Responsibilities

Advise FSS’s CEO and Board on all scientific matters relating to the organisation’s statutory responsibilities and the delivery of its strategic objectives.
Provide strategic science leadership for FSS.
Support senior scientists in the provision of expert oversight and assurance for all of the organisation’s research, surveillance, monitoring and risk assessment functions.
Ensure the evidence base used to underpin policy on food safety and public health nutrition is robust and delivers maximum impact.
Provide an independent challenge function to FSS, helping to further embed scientific evidence at the centre of policy development and decision-making across the organisation.
Represent FSS’s use of science and evidence to key stakeholders, the media and public, including during incidents.
Promote and champion the work of FSS’s scientists.
Support learning and development and driving engagement across the wider scientific community and the food industry.
Contribute to the existing network of independent scientific advisers in Scottish Government to support the CSA for Scotland.
Work particularly closely with the Scottish Government’s CSA for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) to promote the use of systems thinking and evidence.
Collaborate with the Food Standards Agency’s CSA in areas of shared policy responsibility and scientific interest.