Vacancy -- Regional Desktop Responder (Pan Wales) x3

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

Chief Operating Officer’s Group
IT Services
EO - £26,900 - £30,610
£26,900
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 Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) profession in the Welsh Government supports a range of digital services across the whole organisation. As part of our DDaT profession, you will be a key part of the IT Services team and will make a significant and direct contribution for the people of Wales.

Background

The Welsh Government is the devolved government for Wales with an annual budget of around £15 billion. We are responsible for key aspects of public life in Wales including health, education, the economy, transport, agriculture, and the environment. Welsh Ministers are supported by a workforce of more than 5,000 people with offices in Wales, London and overseas.

Welsh Government priorities are outlined in Taking Wales Forward with an overall ambition to build a Wales which is a self-confident, prosperous, healthy nation and a society which is fair to all. The Welsh Government has set out clear priorities for Wales following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

We are looking for people who can provide excellent advice and support, can focus resources and have energy and expertise. The Well Being and Future Generations Act provides context for our work.

Digital transformation of public services is vital to delivering the services that the people of Wales expect and need. The Welsh Government currently delivers digital services to people and business across Wales. Led by our Chief Digital Officer, the Welsh Government is increasingly delivering more services online. The Chief Digital Officer provides a consultancy service of digital and data expertise to business areas across the Welsh Government.

Role

The Desktop Responder is a crucial role within IT Services, providing onsite assistance and support to all users, including Ministers, whilst ensuring the delivery of day-to-day operations and IT provision across Welsh Government. As a responder you will provide first-time resolution by troubleshooting and diagnosing, or escalating faults (or both) to service desk managers, incident managers and problem managers to investigate and resolve.

Key tasks:

Technical / Operational Delivery Responsibilities

  • Troubleshoot, fault fix, and replacement of all ICT hardware where required.
  • Responsible for laptop builds, setup and Issue.
  • Responsible for iOS device support, including setup & Issue.
  • Provide support and guidance for VIP service within Welsh Government, which includes Ministers.
  • Technical collaboration and engagement with the vendor for Print Services
  • Assist, as required, end users in changing print consumables
  • Provide support for all services within the regional offices such as broadband and Wi-Fi..
  • Perform daily regular checks of meeting rooms to ensure A/V equipment is fit for purpose and fully functional
  • As required, perform basic A/V equipment troubleshooting and escalate further to A/V engineers for expertise and issue resolution
  • Provide support to staff on the planning of meetings / events in relation to the AV services on site, ensuring availability on the day where necessary.
  • Provide end user onsite training on;
    • any specific service requirement triggered by service changes
    • above and beyond “How do I” scope
    • any onsite end user support that cannot be accessed via the Service Desk or available on the Self-service portal
  • As required, provide with End user upskilling on new service functionality
  • Logging calls within the WG ITSM tool on behalf of the end user as required and manage assigned tickets to completion, following standard processes and procedures
  • Manage Service Requests to completion
  • Ensure tickets are correctly assigned if unable to resolve at Regional Services level
  • Incident queue/Resolver group queue management
  • To maintain a high degree of customer service for all support queries and adhere to all service management principles
  • Develop trends by monitoring and analysing incoming calls, issues and support requests
  • Systematic error analysis and problem recovery
  • Recording, managing and escalating service problems as appropriate
  • Analysing historical data to identify and eliminate potential incidents before they occur
  • Identifying underlying causes of incidents and preventing recurrences
  • Ensure the KEDB is populated accordingly
  • Developing workarounds or other solutions to incidents
  • Actively update the Knowledge Database with relevant technical documentation
  • Use the Knowledge Database as a part of Incident/Problem Management process
  • Ensure full knowledge of the core WG ICT processes at all times
  • Provide service desk cover as/when required
  • Occasionally perform other duties commensurate with the role, on request of your line manager
  • Contract / Vendor Engagement Responsibilities Technical collaboration and engagement with 3rd parties as applicable

DDaT skills required for this role;

  • Asset and configuration management. You can maintain secure configuration and accurate information, controlling IT assets in one or more significant areas. You can verify the location and state of assets. (Skill level: working)
  • Incident management. You can identify and register incidents, gathering the required information and allocating it to the appropriate channel. (Skill level: awareness)
  • Ownership and initiative. You can own an issue until a new owner has been found or the problem has been mitigated or resolved. (Skill level: working)
  • Problem management. You can investigate problems in systems, processes and services, with an understanding of the level of a problem (for example, strategic, tactical or operational). You can contribute to the implementation of remedies and preventative measures. (Skill level: awareness)
  • Continual service improvement. You can show an awareness of developing process efficiency and common ways in which processes are optimised. You can support specific activities to improve development processes. You can spot or identify obvious deficiencies. (Skill level: awareness)
  • Technical specialism. You can assist in technical support activities and carry out agreed or routine maintenance and administration tasks. (Skill level: awareness)
  • Technical understanding. You can show an awareness of the relevant subject matter and a high level understanding of what it involves. (Skill level: awareness)
  • User focus. You can identify and engage with users or stakeholders to collate user needs evidence. You can understand and define research that fits user needs. (Skill level: working)

Development opportunities:

Your role will form part of Welsh Government’s Digital, Data and Technology profession.  You will have the opportunity to work with multiple projects and programmes across all areas of Welsh Government. You will work with staff at all levels including senior staff, Ministers and our Digital Apprentice cohort. You will help build and improve links and collaboration within the cross-government Digital, Data and Technology community.

Opportunities to develop career within IT Services.

Closing Date:

19/06/2023, 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
No skills
No skills
No skills
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

Behaviours and Skills

The following behaviours and skills will be assessed at the interview stage:

Civil Service Behaviours

Making Effective Decisions.

  • Talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed.

Managing a Quality Service.

  • Work with customers to understand their needs and expectations.

DDaT skills

Technical specialism.

  • You can assist in technical support activities and carry out agreed or routine maintenance and administration tasks.

Ownership and initiative.

  • You can own an issue until a new owner has been found or the problem has been mitigated or resolved.

For more information on Civil Service Behaviours and what is required for each grade, please refer to Success Profiles: Civil Service Behaviours.

For more information on the DDaT skills required for this role, please refer to the End user computing engineer role in the DDaT Capability Framework.


Job Specific Criteria

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

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

  1. Experience of providing Windows 10 and Office365 support to a wide range of users.
  2. Experience of working in a customer facing team and to tight timescales.
  3. The ability to take ownership of problems and proactively resolve technical problems,ensuring that technical solutions continue to meet business requirements.

Assessment Process

There are 4 stages to the application and assessment process:

Stage 1 – Complete online application, Submit CV and Job Specific Evidence

Please upload your CV (no more than 2 pages) and your Job Specific Evidence (approx. 300 words for each criterion)

Please note that we will be assessing only against the Job Specific Criteria listed in the advert. You can find these in the Job Specific Criteria section of the advert.

You MUST demonstrate how you meet each of the Job Specific Criteria for the role, including examples. Candidates that do not provide detailed examples will be sifted out.

Stage 2 – Skills Test (Online)

The skills test will be scheduled from TBC and you will have 5 calendar days to complete this test.

The skills test will cover these topics:

COMPUTER LITERACY: BASIC COMPUTER CONCEPTS FOR END USERS

  • Computer Networking
  • Hardware Concepts
  • Software Packages
  • Working with the Desktop

PC TECHNICAL SUPPORT (WINDOWS 10) NEW

  • Devices and Printers
  • Remote Access and Support
  • Windows 10 Applications and Apps
  • Windows 10 Installation and Deployment

WINDOWS 10 TECHNICAL SUPPORT

  • Local and Group Policy Management
  • Networking and Connectivity
  • Windows 10 User Interface

Stage 3 – Sift of Job Specific Criteria

The candidates who passed the test and successfully demonstrate that they meet the minimum Job Specific Criteria will be invited to interview. 

Stage 4 – Interview

Your interview will be based on the 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.

Location: This is a site-based role based in one of our Welsh Government offices. Travel to other locations to provide support, may be required.

Vetting: This role will also require Security Clearance (SC) level which will be undertaken by Welsh Government.

A reserve list will be held for 12 months in the event that any future vacancies arise.

Benefits of Working in Welsh Government

Where can I work?

For a lot of roles, we are operating a hybrid approach to working - known as 'Smart Working'; this includes a blend of home and office-based working.  You may have the opportunity to work from home depending on the business needs and commitments for your team.  Your working arrangements will be discussed and agreed with your line manager when you join.

We will consider requests to work in specific locations based on personal circumstances like caring responsibilities or an impairment or health condition. Tell us your preferred locations in your CV in the ‘Location preferences’ box. 

By applying for this role, you will be willing to work in one of the following locations as your base office:

  • Cardiff, Bedwas, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Aberystwyth, Llandudno, Carmarthen

What are the benefits?

Working for the Welsh Government has many great benefits, including:

  • The salary range for this grade is £26,900 to £30,610.
  • You will earn £26,900 for the first 12 months thereafter you will receive an annual increment until you reach the maximum of the grade (this is subject to passing probation). 
  • You will get 31 days holidays as well as 10 public and privilege days.  
  • We offer flexible working arrangements to help you get the right work/life balance.  
  • You will also be eligible for membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme

Other benefits

  • Flexible Working – We support staff in managing their work-life balance through working from home (subject to business need and if appropriate for the role)
  • Working Patterns – Different options are available: Full Time, Part Time, Job-Share, Condensed Hours, Term-time etc. (subject to business need and if appropriate for the role)
  • Green Car Scheme – Which allow you to lease a brand new ultra-low carbon emission car and pay for it through salary sacrifice
  • Supportive Finance – Advance of salary loans for a range of situations including: season travel tickets, eye-care, IT equipment, Cycle2Work and more
  • Parental Leave – 26 weeks maternity/adoption leave on full pay and 15 days paternity leave
  • Wellbeing Time – Dedicated wellbeing hour each week for use in office hours. Whether this is a walk in the local park, yoga, meditation or gym, this is time for you
  • Pay – Competitive increments throughout the pay bands
  • Training and Progression - Access to training and development tailored to your role
  • Inclusion and Diversity – We encourage a rich and diverse workplace, where everyone feels able to be themselves, and no one feels discriminated against
  • Staff Engagement – We have a wide range of very active and welcoming networks including: Autism, Carers, Women Together, PRISM (our LGBTQ+ network) and many more
  • Safety and Occupational Health – Dedicated teams to provide staff with help and support needed most
  • Mental Health – Employee Assistance Programme and a dedicated helpline to support staff to manage their mental health
  • Up to date IT Equipment – Laptops with Office 365 will give you greater flexibility in when, how and where you work
  • 3 Unions – There are 3 unions currently active in our organisation
Jessica Williams - ictservicecontrol@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.