Vacancy -- Orders Branch Legislation Officer

'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.

The Orders Branch is a specialist team which is responsible for the production and confirmation of orders for improving and maintaining the trunk road and motorway network in Wales, delivering local authority road schemes and stopping up highways to enable local development to be undertaken. The work of the Orders Branch is highly specialised involving quasi legal drafting of statutory orders and ensuring compliance with statutory procedures. The branch is part of a wider delivery team with responsibility for trunk road development and maintenance throughout Wales. This role is to ensure that the statutory procedures and policies are adhered to and consistently and fairly applied. The post requires close liaison with local authorities, consultants, engineering colleagues, solicitors, agents and members of the public. There is line management responsibility for one Team Support.

• Preparing and checking draft orders and order plans / maps, and liaising with scheme consultants, local authorities, legal services, developers and members of the public relating to:

i. Preparation and making of statutory Line, Side Roads and Compulsory Purchase Orders under the Highways Act 1980 and Acquisition of Land Act 1981;

ii. Regulation, both permanent and temporary, of trunk road traffic under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;

iii. Stopping up of highways under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 enabling private and local authority development to proceed.

• Preparing and coordinating responses to objections received to draft orders.
• Organise the distribution of documents leading up to public inquiries and public information exhibitions.
• Processing and making recommendations on statutory blight notices, discretionary purchase applications and favourable opportunity purchases in respect of land and property.
• Overseeing and providing advice relating to the decision-making process for local highway authority orders submitted for confirmation.
• Process extension requests to local authority temporary traffic regulation orders and special event consents.
• Providing advice and drafting responses in connection with ministerial and other correspondence.
• Attending meetings, scheme exhibitions and public inquiries with line manager and project team when required.
• Monitoring and reconciling the branch’s financial spend.
• Assist Team Leader with the monitoring and distribution of work received via the branch mailbox as necessary, ensuring allocation worksheet is kept up-to-date.
• Line management of one Team Support member of staff.

Due to the variety of work undertaken by this role, the postholder has the opportunity to develop skills in many different areas. Primarily, the postholder will develop extensive knowledge of the legislation relating to the production of various types of order under the Highways Act 1980, Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Acquisition of Land Act 1981. The role has financial duties giving the postholder experience in financial monitoring and forecasting. The role also contributes significantly to new road projects and existing trunk road maintenance where the post holder will have the opportunity to develop project management skills.

The postholder will develop extensive experience in the operational delivery of major road schemes and will play a pivotal role in the maintenance of the existing trunk road and motorway network across Wales. The postholder will have line management responsibilities, with support from their team leader, which will develop their management skills.

The postholder will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across Transport and the wider Climate Change & Rural Affairs portfolio to deliver the priorities within the National Transport Plan.

20/03/2023, 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.