Vacancy -- Finance Manager and Antimicrobial Resistance Manager

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
Finance and Strategy
HEO - £32,460 - £39,690
£32,460
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
'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 post is within the Finance and Strategy team of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO).

The objectives of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO) are:

  • To protect public health;
  • To ensure a state of preparedness to deal with any incursion of exotic animal disease and to control endemic animal disease;
  • To raise awareness and improve animal health and welfare in Wales; and
  • Tackling Bovine TB through our delivery plan.

OCVO’s Key Strategic Outcomes are:

  • Wales has healthy productive animals;
  • Animals in Wales have a good quality of life;
  • People trust and have confidence in the way food is produced and the way public health is protected;
  • Wales has a thriving rural economy; and
  • Wales has a high-quality environment.

To accomplish this, OCVO works closely with the other UK Governments, Welsh Government colleagues, operational partners and industry stakeholders to manage existing and develop new policies in a proactive and strategic manner. 

This post will work closely with industry stakeholders to manage policies in a proactive and strategic manner. There will also be direct engagement with the Chief Veterinary Officer and other senior colleagues within OCVO

Our approach to Animal Health and Welfare is set out in the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework and our Animal Welfare Plan for Wales.

One of the key principles underpinning the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework is “prevention is better than cure” to minimise animal disease and associated welfare impacts. The post-holder will work with policy leads and Veterinary Advisers to integrate this approach into any future support and policies.

This role sits within the Finance and Strategy Branch and will include relationship and budget management of our two delivery partners, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). In managing relationships, the role will lead on developing and agreeing annual Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators. In managing budgets, the role involves monitoring expenditure in-year and using forecasted data to support wider forecasting exercises. The role will report against budgets to central operations and senior colleagues and directors monthly. It also includes working with our delivery partners to consider and develop accurate forecasting, reporting and invoicing arrangements.

The role will also have the opportunity to introduce legislation in Wales, for example, supporting the APHA Charging Project. The project will introduce a fairer charging system for services delivered by APHA. Working directly with colleagues across the Welsh Government, APHA and the other GB Administrations, this role will introduce mirroring legislation for Wales, via negative and affirmative procedure.

The post also acts as policy manager, directly support the policy lead and the deputy CVO with developing approaches to address Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in animals. There is an opportunity to work directly with the Animal and Environment AMR Delivery Group, made up of representatives from the farming industry, the veterinary profession, Public Health Wales and Welsh Government officials. As well as other stakeholder organisations within Wales and across the UK.

Funding has been allocated to a stakeholder consortium, and there will be a need to work closely with this external stakeholder group, sharing information and learning from others to shape our approach.

There will be opportunities to lead on communication campaigns, to work with senior colleagues across the WG, and to provide representation at a UK level.

The post will also have an opportunity to share experience, and learn from others, becoming familiar with other OCVO work areas to support business resilience.

The postholder may be called upon to support wider OCVO priorities, for example, during a disease outbreak.

Key tasks:

  • Develop a thorough understanding of OCVO’s policy areas and play a constructive role in achieving positive outcomes for animal health and welfare in Wales.
  • Work with the APHA and FSA Relationship Managers to compile the annual SLA and to ensure the CVO Wales can agree the SLA by 31 March annually.
  • Arrange for policy leads within the Welsh Government to consider, contribute to development, and clear their respective Annexures and Key Performance Indicators.
  • Monitor and manage any changes to the SLA or any disputes arising. And support your team in monitoring current invoice and performance reporting processes to identify areas for improvement.
  • Responsibility for managing and monitoring accurate budget information, to assist with monthly and annual budget expenditure and forecasting.
  • Lead on the introduction of legislation in Wales to allow APHA to charge for services provided to industry.
  • Maintain close working links and strong networks within Welsh Government, other UK administrations as well as delivery partners and stakeholders.
  • Management of 2 EOs.
  • Work closely with the others within the team to provide support as required.

Development opportunities:

The post offers a range of necessary skills to enable progression. 

The post offers the opportunity to engage directly with stakeholders and represent OCVO at high profile events such as the ‘Royal Welsh Show’ and the ‘Winter Fair’.

Closing Date:

09/06/2023, 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
No skills
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
No skills

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

  • Work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources.

Delivering at Pace

  • Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands, to maintain performance.

Working together

  • Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders.

Communicating and Influencing

  • Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact.

Job Specific Criteria;

  1. Good drafting skills and ability to present complex subjects, clearly and concisely, taking account of the audience, for which messages are intended.
  2. Ability to see the bigger picture, and alert to emerging trends and threats which may impact on the work of the post and the wider team.
  3. Be adaptable and flexible to work within a swiftly changing environment.

Assessment Process

Applications will be sifted and successful candidates invited to attend an interview.

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.
Sian Timms - 03000 255 006

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).

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.