Vacancy -- Team Leader Land Acquisition (Strategic Road Network Division)

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
Strategic Road Network
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:

Overview of the role

The land and property team are key part of wider delivery team within the Strategic Road Network (SRN) Division.  The division is responsible for the planning, operation, maintenance and improvement of the motorway and trunk road network in Wales on behalf of Welsh Ministers.  One of Wales’ most important infrastructure assets with a value of over £18.0bn, it is essential for supporting the Welsh Government’s vision for a sustainable and prosperous Wales. The land and property team are responsible for the acquisition, management, disposal and any associated compensation payments for land relating to any schemes. 

The post holder will be required to lead a small team of Case Officers and Team Supports.

The postholder will work with the other team leaders and the Head of Branch (HoB) in any reviews/development of procedures and processes supporting the rest of the team through any changes.  They will undertake team reviews with the HoB and other team leaders in relation to legislation and policy changes and their associated implementation.

The posts require close liaison with outside organisations, engineering colleagues, solicitors, Land Agents and members of the public.

Please note that the post will require very occasional travel, cover at Public Information Exhibitions relating to future schemes and overnight stays throughout Wales when needed.  The post involves occasional attendance at site visits and meetings with colleagues and external service providers.

Opportunities offered by the role

The role offers an exciting opportunity to work in a complex area of Welsh Government, with the chance to develop a wide range of internal and external relationships.  As part of the role, you will develop a working knowledge and understanding of legislation in relation to Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) and the acquisition of land by agreement.

The post holder will also be able to develop their financial skills when forecasting and budgeting on behalf of the team and have an opportunity to lead procurement exercises to secure services required on behalf of the team.

The role will provide extensive experience in line management and development of a small team. It will also provide experience in dealing with members of the public and professionals from a variety of backgrounds.

 

Key tasks:

Key Tasks

  • Responsibility for the line management and development of a small team of between 3 and 5 members all of whom are currently based across Wales. Support and development of this team with joint reviews of case documentation and plans. Work closely with the team to undertake the statutory processes necessary for the 
    acquisition of land and rights (under CPO & other legislation) associated with construction 
    and improvement of Motorways and Trunk Roads in Wales
    • Oversee and lead the land acquisition for small improvements to the existing 
    operational trunk road; liaising with Strategic Road Network colleagues and aligning 
    procedures to acquisitions through CPO
    • Deal with correspondence, queries and telephone calls from owners and occupiers of 
    land required for road schemes. 
    • Deal with more complex casework and provide advice to other parts of the team on 
    procedure and precedent. Attend and take an active part in weekly case surgeries with other 
    team leaders & the HoB in support of this.
    • Authorise payments up to a limit of £500k and monitoring expenditure across the 
    branch. Working with HoB to prepare estimates of in year expenditure and forecasting for 
    future years
    • Work with the HoB and drafting team in the preparation of drafts and advice for 
    Ministerial correspondence. Work the HoB to collate/capture information in line with audits, 
    Public Account Committees and ministerial briefings. 

Development opportunities:

The postholder will develop extensive knowledge of the legislation relating to the acquisition of land under the Highways Act 1980 and the various provisions which enable compensation to be paid to claimants under Acts including the Land Compensation Acts 1961 and 1973, the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (& legislation changes currently being implemented)

Due to the variation of this role the post holder has the opportunity to develop skills in many different professions. The role has finance duties which need to be undertaking giving the postholder experience in financial data, monitoring and forecasting. The role also involves projects within schemes and the post holder will have the opportunity to develop project management skills.

The postholder will develop extensive experience in the operational delivery of a road scheme and will play a pivotal role in the overall road scheme project. The postholder may be required to undertake line management of a team support, which will develop their line management skills with support from their team leader.

The postholder will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across Transport and Digital Connectivity to deliver the priorities within the National Transport Development Plan

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.

Not necessary to undertake the duties of this post

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

Strategic Cluster – Setting Direction – Making effective decisions - Recognise patterns and trends in a wide range of evidence/data and draw key conclusions, outlining costs, benefits, risks and potential responses.

Performance Cluster – Delivering Results - Managing a Quality Service - Work with team to set priorities, goals, objectives and timescales.

People Cluster – Engaging People – Collaborating and Partnering - Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes.

People Cluster – Engaging People – Leading and Communicating - Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner with all stakeholders and stand ground when needed.

Job Specific Criteria

  1.  Experience of property acquisition and negotiations 
  2. Experience of managing a multi-faceted team 
  3. Experience of financial management

Assessment Process

Applications will be sifted and successful candidates invited to interview.  Dates will be confirmed when sift outcomes are issued.

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.

Transport and Digital Connectivity Directorate

‘Who we are and why we’re here’

Our background

Transport and Digital Connectivity’s responsibilities have expanded with successive devolution settlements and responsibilities now extend to roads, rail operations, the bus industry, active travel (walking and cycling), ports and aviation.

The Directorate sits as part of the Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group, reflecting that decarbonising the transport system and making best use of digital connectivity is one of the biggest challenges in meeting Wales’ net zero targets.

Connectivity is what binds us together – through technology, transport infrastructure and policy, we help people and businesses connect across Wales, the UK and the rest of the world.

Our mission

Achieving modal shift and carbon reduction are the core aims and challenging targets have been set out Llwybr Newydd – the Wales Transport Strategy. Launched in March 2021, it is shaping our transport system over the next 20 years. It sets out a new way of thinking that places people and climate change at the centre of our transport system. It is also the first time that our transport strategy has explicitly incorporated digital connectivity and behaviour change.

How we are structured

We are a team of around 150 people made up of five Divisions.

Welsh Ministers have a statutory duty to provide a safe and reliable trunk road network. The Strategic Road Network (SRN) Division operates, maintains and enhances Wales’s trunk road network as a statutory highway authority.

The SRN is one of the largest single assets on the Welsh Government balance sheet, with a depreciated replacement cost of around £18bn. Only around 5% of the total road length in Wales, covering 75 miles of motorway and 1000 miles of trunk road, the network carries a third of all traffic and supports the delivery of many of the Welsh Government’s strategic objectives. It is vital to the economy, connecting people and communities.  It enables access to vital services and has an important role to play in sustaining and enhancing our environmental assets and supporting active travel and modal shift.

The delivery model for the strategic road network is currently based on a delegation of some statutory functions to the trunk road agents, North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA) and the South Wales Trunk Road Agent (SWTRA). They carry out the day-to-day operation, maintenance and improvement of the network in their area under the direction and governance of Welsh Government, utilising their public and private sector supply chains

Working through the trunk road agents, the Division ensures the smooth and safe running of the network, alongside managing a pipeline of projects for maintaining the network and making improvements. It is a large Division, with a significant element of technical work, especially in relation to the engineering profession.

The Division consists of 70 staff directly employed by the Welsh Government, with hundreds more employed via the Trunk Road Agents and our supply chain. 

You will be joining a team of dedicated professionals to help ensure the integrity and sustainability of the trunk road network.  Our projects across Wales include some that address the country’s most critical challenges; from complex infrastructure projects, increasing multi modal transport needs, to addressing the climate change emergency.  Your work will help contribute to supporting this vital asset and delivering a lasting impact on Wales and the local communities. 

Transport Strategy and Policy (TSP) is responsible for implementing and monitoring the transport strategy, with a particular focus on modal shift. This includes investing in active travel, transitioning to electric vehicles, making 20mph the default speed limit in residential areas and promoting behaviour change. The Division works very closely with local government and Transport for Wales.

Public and Integrated Transport is responsible for rail and bus policy in Wales, maximising the integration between the two networks wherever possible. Rail functions are delivered in very close partnership with Transport for Wales, particularly in relation to delivering new rolling stock and transforming the Core Valleys Lines to high-frequency, modern services. Alongside this, the Division is leading on the UK’s most ambitious reforms to the bus sector, involving primary legislation, network design and fares policy.

National & International Connectivity is responsible for transport where other levels governments – local and UK – have co-responsibility, including aviation, freight, maritime and taxis. Key roles within this include the governance model for Cardiff Airport, creating a new freight and logistics plan, and modernising the legislative basis for taxis and private hire vehicles.

Digital Infrastructure has policy responsibility for telecommunications matters including broadband, mobile and engagement with Ofcom. The Division also delivers targeted infrastructure interventions that address market failure, resolve capacity bottle-necks and extend the reach of connectivity services across Wales.

Commitments and functions

The Directorate has nearly 40 Programme for Government commitments across all modes, many of which flow directly from the transport strategy. But new policy work is only one part of what we do; there is a significant governance and operational element to our work – both statutory functions and project management. Overall, the Directorate leads on the policy, finance, planning, and delivery of all the devolved functions described above – as well as a wide portfolio of capital projects.

How we embody Welsh Government’s values

Creativity. We are constantly looking for new ways to do this and innovations to test. We facilitate supportive challenge of the status quo in our efforts to deliver new policy and operations.

Fairness. We know we need to be diverse in order to provide transport and connectivity that serves all groups. We invest in excellent management and treat our staff fairly, regardless of role, grade or profession.

Partnership. We are exceptionally outward-facing and know we can only deliver with our partners – both inside and outside of government. We build meaningful cultural links to help deliver our strategy.

Professionalism. We are impartial and objective, ensuring our decisions are grounded in a wide range evidence. We constantly prioritise in order to get most value for money. We respect and support our professions.

Thomas Maton - EST-NMDmailbox@gov.wales

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.