Vacancy -- Deputy Director Legal Services (Welsh Essential)

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

Welsh Government
Senior Civil Service 1
circa £73,000
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

06/06/2023, 12:00

Purpose of Post

Working to the Director of Legal Services the post holders will within the Divisional portfolio allocated and as otherwise specified by the Director from time to time: 

  • act as the senior legal advisor responsible for the legal advice to Ministers the Counsel General and Policy Departments on matters falling within a specified Legal Division. The Legal Division will contain teams of lawyers.  The legal portfolios of the Division and its teams will be specified by the Director on appointment and subject to change thereafter.  
  • oversee and be responsible for the preparation of all subordinate legislation produced within the Division, for the production of instructions to the Office of the Legislative Counsel on proposals for Senedd Bills and for the production of representations to Whitehall Departments or instructions to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel on primary legislation proposals affecting Wales. 
  • have personal responsibility for difficult and controversial legal matters arising either within the Division or as directed by the Director. 
  • assist and support the Director, as the Solicitor to the Welsh Government, in the management and delivery of high-quality legal services to the Welsh Government; in particular to have direct managerial responsibility for the organisation and performance of the Teams. 
  • give purpose and strategic direction to the organisation and delivery of legal services to the Welsh Government (including as required liaison with outsourced legal advice and services) focusing on delivery and with a view to obtaining value for money and client satisfaction. 
  • to be a member of the Legal Services Management Board and to be responsible for such management responsibilities within the Department as may be allocated from time to time by the Director.

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.

Essential
Full understanding of all work related material
Fluent
Can understand all work-related conversations
Can prepare written material for all work-related matters

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

A leadership assessment, which will involve a series of on-line psychometric tests will include 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.  

Staff Engagement ExerciseWeek commencing 26 June 2023 - further details to follow to short listed candidates.  This exercise will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams

Briefings - Shortlisted candidates will be offered the opportunity for an informal discussion about the role with Helen Lentle Director of Legal Services.   

Final interviews and presentations - these are scheduled to take place week commencing 10 July 2023.  These will take place face to face at the Cathays Park Office in Cardiff. in. The interview will last around 1 hour and 30 minutes. The Panel will receive feedback on your psychometric tests and staff engagement exercise before you are interviewed.  Your interview will consider how your skills and experience as outlined in your CV and personal statement meet the requirements of the role. Candidates will be given the presentation topic 30 minutes before interview. Please note that presentations are to be delivered without the use of hand-outs or electronic devices unless as part of a reasonable adjustment, however, you are welcome to use prompt cards.

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

Week commencing 10th July, 23
helen.lentle@gov.wales

This vacancy is closed to applications.