Vacancy -- Principal Geospatial Information Specialist

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
Rural Payments Wales (RPW) - RPW IT
Grade 7 - £53,440 - £63,900
£53,440
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:

Background

The Welsh Government is the devolved government for Wales with an annual budget of around £15 billion. It is responsible for key aspects of public life in Wales including health, education, the economy, transport, agriculture and the environment.

The post sits in the RPW IT branch within the Rural Payments Wales (RPW) division. The division is responsible for managing the transition, development, implementation, and ongoing future delivery of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and the National Minimum Standards (NMS) both of which fall under the Welsh Governments Programme for Government (PfG) commitment ‘to create a new system of farm support that will maximise the protective power of nature through farming’.

In addition to this, RPW is the Operational Delivery arm of Welsh Government that will deliver the future Marine and Fisheries support scheme, together with other Environment & Rural Affairs (ERA) grants, including forestry and woodland creation, whilst continuing to deliver the ongoing Basic Payment Scheme and EC RDP and EMFF 2014-2020 programmes in Wales up to the end of 2023.

The RPW IT branch provides the digital service that will underpin the implementation of SFS and NMS, as well as other PfG commitments within the ERA Directorate.  The branch is responsible for the maintenance of existing and future IT systems that underpin the Divisions activity, ensuring development is in line with business requirements, IT industry best practise, EC and UK regulations and Welsh Government policies and strategies. The branch works with external IT service provision contracts and is located at multiple sites across Wales.

Role

  • Research, develop and deliver geospatial technologies to business requirements.
  • Produce databases and technology-based systems.
  • Lead an applications programming team and coordinate projects.
  • Specialise in areas such as agriculture, environment, cartography and remote sensing.
  • Champion the Geospatial profession

The post holder will be looking at the current Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies available within Rural Payments Wales (RPW) and developing a GIS/Monitoring/Big Data/AI/ML road map to get us into a position to deliver Sustainable Farming (The post Brexit - Target Operating Model).

Key tasks:

  • Conduct feasibility studies or identify system, time, equipment, or cost requirements for projects.
  • Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
  • Design, program, or model Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications or procedures.
  • Perform integrated or computerised Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses to address scientific problems.
  • Provide technical support for computer-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping software.
  • Create visual representations of geospatial data using complex procedures, such as analytical modelling, three-dimensional renderings, or plot creation.
  • Assist users in formulating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) requirements or understanding the implications of alternatives.
  • Collect, compile, or integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, such as remote sensing or cartographic data for inclusion in map manuscripts.
  • Conduct or coordinate research, data analysis, systems design, or support for software such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or Global Positioning Systems (GPS) mapping software.
  • Document, design, code, or test Geographic Information Systems (GIS) models, internet mapping solutions, or other applications.
  • Make recommendations regarding upgrades considering implications of new or revised Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, equipment, or applications.
  • Produce data layers, maps, tables, or reports, using spatial analysis procedures or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, equipment, or systems.
  • Coordinate the development or administration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects, including the development of technical priorities, client reporting and interface, or coordination and review of schedules and budgets.
  • Lead, train, or supervise technicians or related staff in the conduct of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analytical procedures.
  • Prepare training materials for or make presentations to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) users.
  • Provide technical expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to clients or users.
  • Apply three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) technologies to geospatial data to allow for new or different analyses or applications.

Development opportunities:

This is a demanding post in the forefront of Welsh Government Geospatial digital services, in which the post holder will gain experience of working in a dynamic, customer-focused environment.

The Post holder will have the opportunity to work closely with senior officials both within the Welsh Government and from other organisations.

Closing Date:

17/04/2023, 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;

Candidates will be assessed against Behaviours from the Civil Service Success Profiles.

These behaviours and strengths will be tested at interview.

Civil Service Behaviours

  1. Changing and Improving - Understand and identify the role of technology in public service delivery and policy implementation.
  2. Managing a Quality Service - Make clear, pragmatic and manageable plans for service Delivery.

The strengths tested during the interview will be Problem Solver and Service Focussed. You can find out more about Strengths and behaviours here.

DDaT skills

Agile working. You are unafraid to take risks, willing to learn from mistakes and appreciate the importance of agile project delivery for digital projects in government.

Business analysis. You know how to investigate, analyse, visualise, articulate and solve complex problems and concepts, and make disciplined decisions based on available information

For more information on the DDaT skills required for this role, please refer to the Principal Data Analyst 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. Geography -- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  2. Engineering and Technology -- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services. Specialise is Big Data, AI and Machine Learning methodologies.
  3. Analysing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Assessment Process

Your application will be assessed in two stages:

  1. An initial sift will be carried out against your CV and the essential job specific skills. As part of your application you will be asked to upload a copy of your CV. This should be no more than 2 sides of A4. Anything above 2 sides of A4 will be discounted and will not be considered as part of the sift. Please remove from your CV your name and address to support us in undertaking a “name free” sift.
  2. Candidates who have passed the initial sift will be invited to participate in a Technical Exercise and invited to participate in an Interview.

Reserve List

Unsuccessful candidates who have achieved the minimum score across the assessment, will have the opportunity to be held on a WG ‘reserve’ list for 12 months from the date of the outcomes being issued.  If additional roles become available or existing roles become vacant during this time, WG may offer the role to the highest scoring candidate on the reserve list.  If they decline, WG may offer the role to the next highest scoring candidate and so on.

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.

Our Commitment to Equality

Due to current under-representation in the organisation, candidates who declare that they are disabled or from a black or minority ethnic (BAME) background will automatically be put forward to the Assessment Gateway if their application meets the minimum criteria. We can only do this if candidates provide this information in their application. Information on BAME candidates will be taken from the equality monitoring form and it is important that you complete this as part of your application.

Recruitment Adjustments

Welsh Government is committed to the social model of disability and to making reasonable adjustments to remove any barriers in the recruitment process for staff with impairments, health conditions or who use British Sign Language.  We can make adjustments to any part of the recruitment process (the application as well as the assessment centre) and we will ensure that disabled candidates are matched to roles which are compatible with workplace adjustments. We can provide advice to staff who think they do or might need reasonable adjustments but who need to know more about the assessment process and what sort of adjustments we could make to ensure fair assessment. 

If you know you need (or think you might need) any type of reasonable adjustment in order to make an application, please contact the recruiting team via RPW Communications mailbox as soon as possible to discuss any required adjustments.

Following the closing date for applications we will contact all candidates with details of how disabled candidates can request and have agreed any adjustments that they may need for the assessment event. This will include the opportunity for 1-1 advice sessions for candidates who are unsure whether or what reasonable adjustments they could or should ask for in order to ensure that they can perform to their best.

Contact point for further information  

Amanda Lynn via the RPW Communications mailbox

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 or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, please e-mail RPW Communications mailbox 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 either 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.

**Please note:  If you already have an Appoint account and would like to update your username and e-mail address to the new @gov.wales address, simply log in using your old details, click on your name in the menu bar, and select ‘Edit Personal Details’ in the dropdown list.  You can update any of your registered personal details on this page.**

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

  • 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 allows 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
Hugh Morgan - RPWCommunications@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).

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.