Vacancy -- Head of Safety & Improvement Finance

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

Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group
Innovative Funding
Grade 7 - £53,440 - £63,900
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
Pan Wales
'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.
TBC

Purpose of Post:

The Innovative Funding team are responsible for designing and implementing new housing schemes, which contribute, to increasing supply of housing and improving housing standards across Wales.

The Head of Safety & Improvement Finance advises and supports the directorate and sector to consider innovative funding solutions that promote the long-term development of high quality, affordable and safe homes. This may be through developing innovative funding options to support policy, decarbonisation and safety improvements in both new build and existing properties, regardless of tenure. The post holder will ensure that WG investment offers value for money from their own investment and is used alongside alternative funding mechanisms available from other government funding initiatives as well as private investment.

This role will work across the Division, as well as wider Housing Department, to identify potential areas where new and innovative finance mechanisms can unlock opportunities to make improvements to the existing housing stock and improve supply of new homes.

Key tasks:

  • Work closely with our Minister, colleagues across WG and key strategic partners to ensure that policy thinking and development is in line with Programme for Government priorities and Net Zero Wales commitments and grounded in financial, legal and regulatory requirements.
  • Drive development and implementation of a new Residential Decarbonisation Strategy drawing together our strategic intent in the policy area and assuring the delivery of the Net Zero Wales commitments on residential decarbonisation. 
  • Helping the wider division to drive the transformational shift needed in policy, culture and practice to implement change and meet targets in relation to the decarbonisation of Welsh Homes.  Policy development needs to take into account system wide changes that are necessary to drive forward this change at pace.  Its wider than simply developing a strategy and policy its ensuring that the system shifts to support this – including ensuring that there is capacity and capability to (for example) install decarbonisation technology, secure the availability of decarbonisation technology through ethical secure procurement and sourcing pathways, and managing communications to ensure that messaging around social change and behavioural change is delivering impact. 
  • Undertaking stakeholder mapping, management and engagement, listening and building consensus with strategic external partners, in a high profile and sometime contentious policy area with multiple competing interests and views.
  • Underake matrix management, engagement and influencing, work closely with colleagues in the Climate Change, Energy and Planning Energy Directorates as well as skills and education. 
  • Responsibility for implementing robust and evidence based policy for not only ongoing work with Local Authorities (LAs) and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), but also the Private Rented Sector and owner Occupied homes ensuring the effective implementation of Government policy and achievement of agreed outcomes.
  • Working with the Grade 6 to establish and maintain strong working relationships with Ministers - providing effective Ministerial support on all matters relating to the work of the policy development team. This includes leading on management of all Government business in this area, including Ministerial briefing, letters and speeches, responses to committee reports, press enquiries, WSQs, OSQs and all other correspondence.
  • Establish strong working relationships with key senior internal and external partners in all local authorities across Wales, Chief Executives of key third sector organisations and Registered Social Landlords, as well as UK Government, and Welsh Government’s Decarbonisation Implementation Group.

Development opportunities:

TBC

Closing Date:

12/06/2023, 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.

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.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

The following Behaviours and Skills will be assessed at the interview stage.

Civil Service Behaviours

Making effective decisions

  • Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.

Communicating and influencing

  • Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.

Changing and improving

  • Make changes which add value, clearly articulating how changes will benefit the business. Identify early signs that things are going wrong and respond promptly.

Delivering at pace

  • Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

Job Specific Criteria 

The following job specific criteria will be assessed at sift and interview stage.

In your CV and personal statement, please provide evidence (including specific examples) to show how you meet each of the Job Specific Criteria for this role.

  • Ideally an expert in understanding finance and alternative financial models. We will be interested in how you have approached the development of your expertise in this area, with reference to particular cases or issues you have worked on.
  • Flexible and adaptable in driving a high profile and fast moving work area.
  • Qualified Accountancy professional e.g. ACCA, CIMA

Assessment Process

There are 3 stages to the application and assessment process:

Stage 1 – Submit CV & Personal Statement

Please upload your CV and Personal statement (no more than 2 pages). We are particularly looking for you to demonstrate how you meet each of the Job Specific Criteria. You can find these in the Job Specific Criteria section of the advert.

  • Please note that we will be assessing your CV and personal statement against the job specific criteria listed below . Ensure that your personal statement identifies how you meet the Job Specific Criteria. (approx. 300 words for each criterion).

Stage 2 – Sift of CV

After the closing date, all applicant’s CVs and personal statements will be assessed.

Candidates who successfully demonstrate that they meet the minimum Job Specific Criteria will be sent an online presentation (title ) duration 5 minutes).

Interviews date is TBC.

Stage 3 – Interview

Your interview will be based on the Skills Profiles or Behaviours/Skills and Job Specific Criteria outlined in the sections of this advert.

At Interview stage you will be asked questions which will allow you to provide evidence (including specific examples) of how you meet each of the Job Specific Criteria and Behaviours and Skills required for this role.

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.
Carrie Satherley

How to apply

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 SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or 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 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.