Vacancy -- Business Support Officer Welsh Language Helpline

Working for the Civil Service

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.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Vacancy Details

Economy, Skills and Natural Resources
Entrepreneurship and Delivery
EO - £26,900 - £30,610
£23,625
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Fixed term
2 years
North Wales
TBC

Purpose of Post:

Purpose of Post

The Welsh Government intends to create a new helpline  for the Welsh language.

The aim of the service will be to provide one point of contact for anyone who needs general information about the Welsh language, as well as a short translation service for individuals and organisations that work in the private and voluntary sectors.

This post will be part of the development of the service and support the administrative process from its beginning to end. They will work alongside the Business Wales service and will be responsible for the following:

  • Advise clients where they can get further information, resources and advice on using or learning Welsh (eg "Welsh" website);
  • Dealing with telephone requests, email, live chat, social media and other new channels between 09:00 - 17:00 Monday - Friday.
  • Help organize translation projects received from clients, using a translation memory system to analyse individual applications and track work;
  • Ensuring an effective customer service by managing client expectations when dealing with return dates and the quality of pieces of work;
  • Analyse information from the database to identify any gaps in public information;
  • Collate thematic translations and "Frequently Asked Questions" to create materials for the "Welsh" website of social media and any other relevant channels.
  • Build a good working relationship with the translation suppliers

 

Key tasks:

Key Tasks

Regularly and effectively work with others

  • Under the guidance of the Business Wales Helpline Manager, work effectively with other Business Support Officers and communicate clearly with colleagues in general to embrace consistent processes, policies and practices.
  • Assist the team to provide a timely, consistent and efficient customer service by participating in the Business Unit's work rota.

Providing business support

  • Undertake a variety of tasks shared between the members of the Business Unit.
  • Develop skills in specialist IT systems that are key to the work of the Translation Service (eg using translation memory software to align and analyse documents) and corporate systems, reporting on performance and trends.
  • Assist with any other aspect of the branch administration and general corporate projects, in accordance with the instructions of the line manager or senior staff.

Development opportunities:

Daily contact with various stakeholders, including businesses, voluntary sector organisations and customers.

Develop skills in ICT systems that are central to the delivery of services, as well as collecting data and gaining experience of using specialised equipment and software.

Work in a fully bilingual environment where Welsh is the working language.

Be part of an exciting new project that will contribute to the success of the 2050 Welsh Language Strategy.

Closing Date:

31/10/2018, 16:00

Eligibility

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

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

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.

Essential
Can read most work-related material
Fluent
Can understand most work-related conversations
Can prepare most written work in Welsh

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.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

Competencies

Changing and Improving - Take initiative to suggest ideas for improvements, sharing this feedback with others in a constructive manner

Delivering at pace - Be interested and positive about what they and the team are trying to achieve

Managing a quality Service - Work with team to set priorities, create clear plans and manage all work to meet the needs of the customer and the business

Delivering Value for Money- Manage information and financial data so that it is accurate, easily located and reusable


Job specific criteria

  1. Strong written and verbal communication skills to deal effectively with customers and translators and other suppliers through the medium of Welsh and English.
  2. Good IT skills, including experience of working with databases, and being prepared to use and improve those skills and to settle into new and specialist systems as they are introduced.
  3. Experience of providing front line services to customers under busy conditions, as a member of a large

Assessment Process

Other Information

  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
  • For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.
Due to the nature of the function remote working cannot be considered for this post.
Rhys Morris (07990690144) / Heledd Daniel (03000 256587)

How to apply

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 SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or 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 Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

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

Grievance and Complaints

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.

This vacancy is closed to applications.