Vacancy -- Senior Projects Manager - Armed Forces Co-ordinator (Wales)

To project mange, co-ordinate and support a multi-agency policy and legislative approach to identify and provide services and support for the Armed Forces community in Wales.

The Senior Projects Manager - Armed Forces Coordinator (Wales) post will work across both devolved and non-devolved statutory and third sector agencies to:-

• Work towards greater co-ordination and co-operation across organisations in Wales to tackle disadvantage amongst the Armed Forces community in the provision of support and services for Serving personnel, veterans and their families;
• Engage with organisations in Wales and across the UK in raising awareness of issues relating to services and support for the Armed Forces community, and to raise them with senior officials across devolved and non-devolved governments on any significant announcements, articles and briefings;
• Project manage and co-ordinate the policy and legislative requirements including the sharing of emerging research / information to lead the development of a national and UK wide assessment that will assist the Welsh Government and other service providers to deliver an appropriate and effective service response;
• Lead on the strategic policy management of all agreed portfolio of projects using projects methodology best practice approach, setting direction, and ensuring capacity to deliver against the agreed strategic actions and supporting all aspects of the Armed Forces programme;
• Responsibility for project planning and executing implementation activities, and applying the appropriate Project Management disciplines, including planning, resourcing, scheduling, monitoring, reporting and risk, issue and dependency management for the Armed Forces projects;
• Lead on the Wales policy understanding to highlight any perceived gaps in policies, and service provision in Wales providing appropriate advice to Ministers and relevant partners;
• Deputise for Head of Branch and lead on associated stakeholder engagement work with statutory, third sector partners, and Armed Forces Liaison Officers in Wales to identify local and regional issues, ensuring they are raised at relevant programme / project meetings including the Armed Forces Expert Group and progressed as required.

A set of specific objectives will be agreed by the post holder on appointment for delivery in 2021-22.

• This role is urgently required to support the Head of Partnerships and to facilitate and support a joined up branch approach to policy and legislative delivery by using best practice project management methodology.        
• This senior project management role will be instrumental to establish and ensure appropriate governance of the Welsh Government Armed Forces Programme Board and will provide regular, formal and necessary dialogue between Welsh Government Senior Directors, Senior Responsible Officer (SRO), Senior Welsh Armed Forces Users and key stakeholders including the Ministry of Defence.
• This role will be responsible for providing robust scrutiny of the Armed Forces Programme in Wales; drafting and provision of advice to Welsh Government and Ministers; and ensure that robust governance measures are in place to control all activities to successfully deliver the Armed Forces Programme to time, budget and quality.
• To lead and champion the co-ordination of programme delivery activities with the Armed Forces Community Project Officer(s).
• To ensure the milestones, objectives and recommendations from the Armed Forces Scoping Exercise are communicated appropriately, progressed, agreed via the Programme Board. To lead on the production of an appropriate key performance indicator to highlight progress against deliverables and budget.
• Work in collaboration with key partners (both internal and external) to progress actions identified in the Scoping Delivery Plan by drafting appropriate project documentation (briefs, PIDs) to identify scope, time, budget and resources implications). To then lead on the establishment and initiation of Action Groups to deliver key findings.
• To provide Welsh policy and legislative input (where required) in the delivery of the UK Veterans’ Strategy. This will require considerate and sensitive handling with the Ministry of Defence, ensuring devolved issues are included and actioned.
• To lead, scope and initiate together with appropriate stakeholders’ consultation in the delivery of a ‘Guaranteed Interview Scheme’ for veterans and ‘Going Forwards into Employment scheme – in line with First Minister’s requirements.
• To support the Head of Branch in the co-ordination of the Welsh Governments contribution to the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Covenant Annual report.
• To lead the development of a Welsh Government Covenant Annual Report.
• To lead, manage and co-ordinate the Armed Forces Liaison Officers in Wales, which are Welsh Government funded posts that provide information and share good practice to enable the identification of local and regional issues. This role will ensure officers’ agenda and outputs are monitored and raised at the Armed Forces Expert Group. To identify further communicated as and when required.
• To lead on the identification, collation of case studies and examples of Covenant delivery best practice for Welsh dissemination.
• To deputise on occasion for Head of Branch as the Welsh Government’s representative by attending meetings (physical and virtual) when relevant with both internal colleagues and external partners ensuring good practice and lessons learned are embedded in Armed Forces policy moving forward.
• To lead and disseminate research within the branch by working in partnership with Northumbria University’s Map of Need to ensure timely capture of relevant information in respect of services for Armed Forces community in Wales.
• Actively seek out opportunities to progress understanding of future learning needs.
• Providing support, advice and disseminating best practice to external organisations which play a key role in supporting the Armed Forces Community.

The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to become a significant player in improving the opportunities of the Armed Forces programme and veterans in Wales.

18/12/2020, 16:00

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:

• UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

• Nationality rules – GOV.UK

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.

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.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

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.

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.

• 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.

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)

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.