Vacancy -- Director, Environment and Marine

Recruitment Principles

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Vacancy Details

Economy, Skills and Natural Resources
Senior Civil Service 2
The SCS pay system is a simple band structure based on job evaluation groups. The structure has three core bands, Deputy Director, Director and Director General. This role is at Director (SCS2) level and the salary we are offering is circa £88,000 per annum
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Pan Wales
You may work from any of the Welsh Government Offices in Wales. The main locations are Cardiff, Merthyr, Llandudno Junction and Aberystwyth. However, weekly travel to Cardiff will be essential for 2-3 days per week, usually including a Tuesday and Wednesday when the Assembly is in session.

Closing Date

05/06/2018, 17:00

Purpose of Post

The Welsh Government is recruiting to three Director roles in our Economy, Skills & Natural Resources Group. These are pivotal roles in the senior leadership cadre of the Welsh Government Civil Service, and will be instrumental in delivering the Welsh Government’s programme ‘Taking Wales Forward’ and our national strategy ‘Prosperity for All’, and ensuring that our workforce is strong, skilled and sustainable for the future.

Reporting directly to the Director General, the Director posts will take a whole-government approach to the delivery of Taking Wales Forward (link) and the Prosperity for All (link) cross-cutting strategy.  They will work as part of the ESNR Senior Team to ensure that the Group’s resources, its corporate systems and processes, engagement with delivery partners and the work of the Welsh Government are aligned to, and focused on, delivering Ministerial priorities. The Welsh Government has a strong commitment to promoting and supporting diversity across the organisation and actively encourages applications from women, BAME and disabled people to ensure that we are representative of the people of Wales at all levels of the organisation.

The purpose of this post is to lead the Environment and Marine Directorate.  This includes providing strategic policy leadership on environment quality, natural resource management, marine and fisheries, and circular economy matters, including oversight of the implementation of the Environment (Wales) Act and the Welsh Government’s Natural Resources Policy. To lead work across Welsh Government in respect of management of Wales natural resources.

For full details please see the above Candidate Brief and Job Description.

Equality and Diversity

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

Disability Confident

Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).

We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people.

If you have an impairment or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Welsh Language Requirements

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

Desirable

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

Assessment Process

How to apply

Completed application form, an up to date CV, together with a personal statement of suitability for the post should be submitted by the closing date.  All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SCSrecruitment@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format or if you need to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Senior Civil Service recruitment process within the Welsh Government, please see the SCS Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link). Further guidance on Preparing Your Personal Statement (link) is also available.

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Other information about the vacancy

Timetable

The closing date for applications is 15:00 hours on 30 May 2018. All applications will be acknowledged and considered by the selection panel.

The timetable is as follows:

Shortlist meeting: 7/8 June 2018

Short listed candidates will be required to undertake the following;

Assessments

A leadership assessment, which will involve a series of on-line psychometric tests that will include numerical and verbal reasoning and  a discussion with a psychologist to explore leadership capability and personal resilience.

You will receive a link to these on-line tests within 10 working days from the shortlisting meeting.

A staff engagement exercise, which will involve a group discussion on a specific topic. This is an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their ability to relate to a group of staff and facilitate a two way discussion. Confidentiality will be a requirement for the staff involved in the exercise.

Assessments are due to take place mid to end June 2018 – date to be confirmed.

Briefings

One to one meeting with Cabinet Secretary and/or relevant Ministers – candidates can expect to attend a one-to-one meeting with the Cabinet Secretary and/or relevant Ministers leading the respective portfolios – 28 June 2018 and an alternative date to be confirmed.

You will also be offered the opportunity for an informal discussion with the Director General about the roles in question – further details to be confirmed.

Final interviews:

Interviews will be held on 2 and 12 July 2018 only, in Welsh Government Offices, Cathays Park, Cardiff. It will not be possible to offer alternative dates.

Any initial questions regarding the campaign or the roles should be directed to Peter Kennedy, Director of Human Resources at peter.kennedy@gov.wales

Online technical problems should be directed to SCSrecruitment@gov.wales

This vacancy is closed to applications.