Vacancy -- Bus Bill Policy Lead

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
Bus
SEO - £41,700 - £49,370
£41,700
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Other
2 Year Fixed Term/Secondment
Two years
Cardiff, Pan Wales
TBC

Purpose of Post:

The purpose of the post is to directly contribute to the policy development underpinning a new Bus Bill, which is a key Ministerial priority. This is a core policy role incorporating many aspects of the legislative process. The post holder will be required to work in a high profile environment and will be expected to collaborate with a broad range of internal stakeholders such as legal advisers, drafting lawyers, legislative programme managers and a range of policy teams across the Welsh Government.

The work will require strong analytical skills and the ability to manage competing priorities whilst acting as the lead on elements of the policy for the Bill.  Many aspects of the role will be highly sensitive and as such the post holder will need an awareness of the political environment.

The post holder will act with minimal supervision within a defined remit i.e. the policy areas for which they are responsible.  They will be expected to use their judgement on a day to day basis and independently identify policy solutions within their remit. They will have some discretion when it comes to prioritising their work within the boundaries of the legislative timetable.

The post holder will also support colleagues within the team through the provision of briefings and written reports which include appropriate recommendations.

Key tasks:

The main duties of the post will include:

  • Responsibility for distinct policy work streams within the Bill, including advising and responding to questions from legal advisers and drafting lawyers about those policy areas;
  • Working with the Head of Branch to develop and implement the overall policy direction for the Bill
  • Developing and drafting Impact Assessments assessing the impact of the policy proposals;
  • Working with Transport for Wales to support their implementation of the Bill’s policy
  • Contributing to and leading some external stakeholder engagement;
  • Contributing to and where relevant leading the development and drafting of the key documents required to accompany the Bill such as the Explanatory Memorandum, Regulatory Impact Assessment and Explanatory Notes;
  • Contributing to and where relevant leading the drafting Ministerial briefings, submissions, Senedd Questions, correspondence and other briefings; and
  • Communicating with and influencing internal and external stakeholders in order to support the policy objectives of the Bill.

Development opportunities:

Opportunity to lead policy development and management for a key Ministerial priority area.

Opportunity to be involved in a Bill team, managing legislation through the Senedd process.

Closing Date:

04/04/2023, 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.

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

Competencies

Leadership

  • Consider the impacts of own and team’s activities on stakeholders and end users.

Making Effective Decisions

  • Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions.

Working Together

  • Invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another.

Developing Self and Others

  • Reflect on own work, continuously seek and act on feedback to improve own and team’s performance.

Job Specific Criteria 

  1. Experience of developing policy to improve public services, and assessing the impact of that policy.
  2. Experience of the legislative process, sound drafting skills and experience of drafting documents for publication would be desirable. An awareness off the Senedd legislative process and political environment, and sound judgement to help navigate them would also be desirable.
  3. The ability to work constructively with a range of internal and external partners to establish and take forward joint objectives.

Assessment Process

Applications will be sifted, successful candidates will then be invited to an interview

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.

A large number of the team are based in Cathays Park, occasional travel to the Cardiff office will be required, in line with  business need.

The post holder may be required to undertake some travel throughout Wales, depending on business need.

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 £41,700 to £49,370.
  • Individuals on Welsh Government terms and conditions 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
Robbie Thomas - DeddfwriaethBysiau.BusLegislation@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.