Food and Agricultural Officer

West Devon Borough and South Hams District Councils are shared authorities with an exciting, innovative and forward-looking way of working. Our Place & Economy Team is looking for an Food and Agricultural Officer to lead on a range of projects which will support our farming, Food and drink sectors, and help our marketplaces to thrive and grow.

The Team has already secured over £3m of Government funding, which is being used to help transform our agricultural sector, through decarbonisation, regenerative farming and the piloting and adoption of new and emerging technologies. We have ambitions to support the wider Food and drink sector, to ensure that food miles are reduced as far as possible, to create a circular economy which links local producers to local customers, and to help increase the range of businesses which operate from our marketplaces.

We support flexible working, and we encourage innovative approaches to project development and delivery. Existing projects that you will be working with include:

We are seeking someone with sector experience from either the agricultural sector or the wider Food and drink sector. We seek someone who understands the range of issues affecting the farming industry, recognises the wider support available to the sector, the organisations, and the roles they play, and who can develop and deliver new projects to help the sector advance, with particular consideration given to climate change mitigation.

We see our marketplaces as having the potential to play a crucial role in helping the agricultural sector to bring their products into the local economy. The Food and Agricultural Officer will be responsible for helping them to realise this potential, bridging the gap between the markets and local producers.

This work will straddle two crucial Council objectives, supporting both the economy and jobs theme, and the climate change and biodiversity theme. As such, you will keep project managers, councillors, and partner organisations aware of project status by communicating effectively, writing accurate reports and having a proactive approach to work. You will be committed to delivering high quality outputs whilst ensuring excellent customer service is maintained at all times.