Head of Enforcement Section
| Posting date: | 23 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £62,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 23 March 2026 |
| Location: | KT15 3LS |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 445679/1 |
Summary
You may not have heard of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), but have you ever:
- eaten meat, eggs, fish or honey
- drunk milk
- owned a pet or animal
- taken antibiotics
If you said yes to any of the above, you are directly affected by what the VMD does.
The VMD is the regulatory and policy lead responsible for issues concerning the authorisation, use, and manufacture of veterinary medicines in the UK.
Our aim is to protect public health, animal health, and the environment, and promote animal welfare by assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines.
Find out more at: About us - Veterinary Medicines Directorate - GOV.UK
About the Job
As the Head of the Enforcement Section, you will be responsible for leading a team of enforcement officers dealing with breaches of the regulations. A key skill will be in ensuring the team takes proportionate action depending on the type of breach that may have been committed. We aim to work with stakeholders when possible to address issues and concerns. However, stronger and more formal enforcement action will be necessary in some cases. It is important to be able to identify when that may be required, and empower the team to take that action. The role also requires the person to spend a small amount of time away from home on occasions when enforcement action may be required in another part of the country.
Veterinary medicines regulation has undergone a period of significant change due to the introduction of updated legislation in Great Britain in 2024.
Your main duties will include:
- Managing the work and performance of the Enforcement Section, supporting members of the team and ensuring that they are appropriately trained and motivated to achieve the aims of the Section and the Division.
- Providing support to the Head of Division where necessary, highlighting the successes the team achieves and flagging any risks to delivery at the earliest opportunity.
- Producing, reviewing and having responsibility for the enforcement KPIs – ensuring that they are stretching, manageable and achievable, and that they are met.
- Identifying opportunities for continual improvement, raising these through appropriate channels and implementing agreed new ways of working to maximise the resource in the team.
- Ensuring the team works with our communications colleagues to get proactive messages out to stakeholders regarding what action we have taken and how they can ensure that they comply with the regulations without us having to take formal action.
- Representing the VMD at the Working Group of Enforcement Officers (WGEO) meetings twice a year in Europe. You will be expected to share best practice and explore ways of working with colleagues from other countries to improve our methods for tackling non-compliance.
- Representing the VMD in meetings with a range of UK enforcement partners and with the wider Defra group, working to reduce burden and share information where possible to help protect animal, human and environmental health.
- Providing investigative support to VMD inspectors and external agencies as and when required. This will involve site visits, staying away from home on occasion and further enforcement actions such as the serving of formal enforcement notices.
- Being responsible for managing the CLUE database, ensuring the team is using it effectively to manage enforcement cases appropriately.
- Playing an active role in the VMD’s wider corporate objectives, such as attending publicity shows, helping with interview panels and attending Executive Management Board meetings when required.
- Complying with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) standards, and GDPR and Information Management requirements.
- Act corporately – meeting, role-modelling, embedding, and championing the corporate objectives set by the VMD.
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