Vacancy -- Hwb Service Owner

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

Education and Public Services
Digital Learning Division
Grade 6 - £67,100 - £76,990
£63,880, but a starting salary of up to £69,690 may be offered for an exceptional candidate
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Fixed term
Appointment to this post is on a 2 years fixed-term basis. There is no guarantee the appointment can be made permanent in future, but a review of the work needs and funding arrangements will be made prior to the two year anniversary to see if the appointment should be made permanent. However, if you are already employed within the public sector, a secondment from your existing employer can be considered. We anticipate that the majority of candidates who seek to secure a secondment through this opportunity will move laterally, as such they would be able to remain on the same pay they receive from their employer. It is only in exceptional cases, e.g. where a secondment opportunity would equate to a temporary promotion in terms of pay, that there may be flexibility. In this situation Welsh Government may be prepared for the Secondee to be paid at the minimum of the Pay Band for the Grade being appointed to, however, the Secondee’s employer would need to be in agreement with the terms of the appointment and the temporary increase in their employees pay for the period of the secondment.
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 Welsh Government is the devolved Government for Wales with an annual budget of around £18 billion. It is responsible for key aspects of public life in Wales including health, education, the economy, transport, agriculture and the environment. 

Dedicated to providing the very best education to learners across Wales, the Welsh Government champions the use of digital technologies, combined with sound pedagogy, to make a substantial difference to the quality of learning opportunities.  Wales is acknowledged as a global leader in the delivery of digital learning services by ‘tech-giants’ such as Microsoft, Google and Adobe. 

This exciting post will be accountable for the quality and delivery of a range of complex digital learning services which underpin the wider national Hwb programme.  Leading a multi-disciplined team of programme delivery specialists, they will maintain a portfolio view, managing end-to-end services including multiple products and channels. 

Reporting to the Deputy Director Digital Learning, the post holder will undertake a pivotal role in developing the Hwb strategy for education stakeholders across Wales, with a clear focus on ensuring a cohesive programme of digital products are developed and implemented to support the delivery of the curriculum for Wales. 

The post offers significant opportunities to work extensively with stakeholders and digital experts within and outside of Welsh Government. It would suit an energetic, motivated individual who wants to take ownership of building on the existing digital learning services programme of work, and who has a strong interest in transforming digital services to support education settings.

Key tasks:

      Be responsible for the successful operation and continuous improvement of the complex range of Hwb services including technical, digital content and digital resilience teams

Ensure the necessary government business and operational processes are developed and followed across the unit

Lead the governance of the Hwb service, including acting as a point of escalation for the delivery teams

Manage dependencies of varying complexity, planning and feeding into larger programmes and portfolios

Be responsible for the Hwb service budget, allocating funding to areas of the service based on your decisions about priorities

Remove blockers and manage risks, commercials, budgets and people

Communicate the benefits and performance of the service

Be able to balance objectives and redeploy resources as priorities change, working with other parts of the DDaT profession within the Welsh Government.

Have an in-depth knowledge of Agile and other methodologies

Be responsible for understanding, managing and communicating to complex senior stakeholder groups, balancing priorities

Advise senior stakeholders, including Ministers, on proposed digital learning services -  bridging the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders

Be pro-active in establishing good working relationships with senior management and policy leads across Welsh Government to ensure that the advice and recommendations provided are trusted and acted upon

Development opportunities:

Your role will form part of Welsh Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) profession.  This is a growing profession and you will have the opportunity to be part of shaping and growing it. .

We are committed to developing the skills and capability of our staff and encouraging them to use five days of learning a year.  To support this we offer a range of opportunities which could include:

  • Shadowing
  • Mentoring
  • Work based learning
  • Qualifications
  • Coaching
  • Short Term Experience Programme (STEP)

Proactively making links and working with a wide range of Welsh Government teams and external partners including other Governments in the UK. 


Closing Date:

14/05/2021, 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

As part of your application, please prepare a personal statement that outlines how you meet the following ESSENTIAL requirements for the role.  Your personal statement should be no more than 2 sides of A4.

To be successful for this role: 

You can develop a long-term vision and objectives. You are discerning and disciplined in focusing on what is important and most relevant. You know how to develop the capability of others. (Relevant skill level: expert)

You keep abreast of industry best practice and can cascade ways of working. You know how to make operations efficient. You can act as the escalation point for major operational issues and champion operational management across the community. You can work closely with leaders of operational delivery teams in digital, data and technology (DDaT). (Relevant skill level: expert)

You know how to anticipate problems and how to defend against them at the right time. You understand how the problem fits into the larger picture. You can articulate the problem and help others to do it. You know how to build problem-solving capabilities in others. (Relevant skill level: expert)

You know how to coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You are able to act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team. (Relevant skill level: expert)

You can develop an Agile business case and own and iterate it throughout the product life cycle. You know how to develop benefits with others within the portfolio. You understand the granularity of financial costs per sprint and value delivered. (Relevant skill level: expert)

You can apply experience of multiple parts of the product life cycle. You can recognise when it is right to move forward and when it is right to stop. You can recognise the appropriate deliverables and the right people to meet these. You are able to work with other agile delivery operations throughout the product life cycle. You can plan and engage with the appropriate stakeholders at a particular stage in the project. (Relevant skill level: practitioner)

You know how to give direction on which tools or methods to use. You are experienced in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You can bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business. You know how to apply strategic thinking in how to provide the best service for the end user. (Relevant skill level: expert)

You know the tools, terms and concepts used to deliver a product and how they can be adapted and applied to different phases of delivery. (Relevant skill level: working)


The following technical skills are also ESSENTIAL for success in this role.  Please ensure you attach a CV which demonstrates your ability in relation to these skills. 

  •  Deep understanding of technical service delivery, with a primary focus on providing service assurance to senior management and stakeholders.
  •  Being capable of producing a strategy for technology that meets business needs.
  •  Being able to create, refine and challenge patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements.

Assessment Process

To apply for this role you will be asked to attach the following: 

A Personal Statement of suitability explaining how your experience and skills provide evidence against the essential requirements of the role.  Your Personal Statement should be no more than two sides of A4. 

An up to date CV including evidence of the essential technical skills and any desirable job specific capabilities where applicable. 

If you are successful at the sifting stage, you will be invited to interview.  The interview will focus on your skills and experience in relation to the essential requirements of the role.  We may also include a test or assessment if appropriate. 

Following the interview, if successful, we may keep your details for up to 12 months on a reserve list should other similar posts become available. 

PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you do attach both of these documents (both the Personal Statement and CV) in your online application to be considered 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.
CHRIS OWEN christopher.owen2@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.