Vacancy -- Chief Executive Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)

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

Chief Operating Officer’s Group
Senior Civil Service 2
Circa £93.000
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

Closing Date

30/05/2022, 23:55

Purpose of Post

The Chief Executive will have day to day management responsibility for HIW operations and annual work programme.  The post holder will lead HIW on the full range of its responsibilities, and will have responsibility for matters of good practice, probity and corporate accountability; and the profiling and positioning of HIW to outside bodies, the NHS and the public in Wales. 

The Chief Executive has the authority to provide independent assessments of and judgments about healthcare in Wales, which will include (but not exclusively) publishing reports, making public statements and setting HIW’s priorities and annual work programme. 

This is a high profile role and the post holder will have a strong track record of achievement at a senior management level with experience of working within a national framework.  

The post holder will: 

  • provide leadership for the organisation to further develop its strategic direction;
  • be adept at getting to grips with a diverse range of complex issues and be both resilient and politically astute;
  • operate at the very senior level and have excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills
  • contribute robust and reliable professional advice to Ministers and their supporting policy teams, including through published reports, in conjunction with other inspectorates wherever necessary, and giving evidence before Committees of the Welsh Government whenever required;
  • command respect and credibility with a wide variety of audiences including the public, patients, service users, patient representative groups, health professionals, Ministers and Members of the Senedd;
  • operate with a high degree of autonomy, maintaining the independence of the inspectorate, while working collaboratively towards shared aims in terms of improved outcomes and maintaining constructive relations with others. 

This role brings together a challenging breadth of responsibility. It combines leadership, strategy development, change management, relationship-building, performance management and standard setting.  The Chief Executive will work closely with a range of different stakeholders to build commitment, set standards for the work of HIW and deliver results across healthcare organisations. 

The successful candidate will have a real opportunity to make a significant difference to the healthcare people in Wales receive in their everyday lives through being a driving force for the continuous improvement of the quality and safety of healthcare services.   

As one of the leaders among the ‘family’ of regulatory and inspection bodies in Wales, the Chief Executive also has a wider corporate role in promoting collaboration between those bodies with a view to increasing their efficiency and effectiveness in improving public services.

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
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can write basic messages on everyday topics

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

Shortlisted candidates will undergo online psychometric tests that will include numerical and verbal reasoning and a discussion with a psychologist. You will receive a link to these on-line tests within 10 working days from the shortlisting meeting. The shortlisting meeting will take place on 9 June 2022

 If you have completed the online psychometric tests in the last 2 years, for a civil service post at the same grade, it will not be necessary for you to take these tests again for this particular recruitment exercise.

 

Staff/Stakeholder Engagement Exercise 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to take part in an engagement exercise with

Staff/Stakeholders week commencing 20 June 2022. Further details will follow.

 

Media Test 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to take part in a media test week commencing 20 June 2022. Further details to follow. 

The above activities will form part of the overall assessment required for this recruitment exercise in addition to the selection panel interview.

 

Interviews 

Interviews are scheduled for 8 July  2022 and will be held remotely. Interviews will last around 45 minutes. The panel will receive feedback on your psychometric tests, Staff/Stakeholder Engagement Exercise and media test before you are interviewed. Your interview will be a competency based interview that will consider how your skills and experience as outlined in your CV and personal statement meet the requirements for the post. 

If candidates are asked to prepare a presentation for their interview, they will normally be given at least one week’s notice of the topic.

 Please note that presentations are to be delivered without the use of hand-outs or electronic devices however, you are welcome to use prompt cards. 

In the event of the panel finding candidates of equal merit the desirable criteria will be brought into play to determine the merit order.

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 an impairment 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 an impairment 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

8 July 2022

This vacancy is closed to applications.