Vacancy -- Director General Education and Public Services and Director General Economy Skills and Natural Resources (2 Posts)

Recruitment Principles

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.

Vacancy Details

Welsh Government
Senior Civil Service 3
We are offering a salary of circa £120k per annum
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Other
Permanent or Secondment
These appointments are offered on either a permanent basis, or as a secondment for up to 5 years
Pan Wales
The post holders may work from any of the Welsh Government Offices located across Wales. The main locations are Cardiff, Merthyr, Llandudno Junction and Aberystwyth. However, weekly travel to Cardiff will be essential.

Closing Date

02/10/2017, 23:55

Purpose of Post

Reporting directly to the Permanent Secretary, the Directors General posts will take a whole-government approach to the delivery of Taking Wales Forward (PDF) and the Prosperity for All cross-cutting strategy (to be published in September).  They will work as part of the Senior Team to help ensure that the Welsh Government’s resources, its corporate systems and processes, and the work of the Civil Service are aligned to, and relentlessly focused on, delivering Ministerial priorities.

In the context of continued resource constraints, the Directors General will support the First Minister and Cabinet to make tough choices to prioritise the Government’s work with a view to achieving the greatest positive impact on the lives of people in Wales. They will encourage the development and implementation of innovative, effective, value-for-money policies by driving collaborative working across boundaries, both inside and outside of the Welsh Government. The Directors General will represent the Welsh Government externally, using their relationships and influence to communicate and support the Government’s programme and the interests of devolved administrations and of Wales.  

The Directors General will play an essential part in implementing the changes needed to build a strong, successful and sustainable Welsh Government Civil Service for the future. They will provide the excellent leadership needed to take forward the Permanent Secretary’s Future-proofing initiative to improve the skills, capability, confidence and resilience of the organisation, including developing the leaders of the future and encouraging effective leadership at all levels. They will promote and support diversity and challenge out-dated ways of working and acceptance of the status quo. The Directors General will manage closely the performance of staff in their areas, including both nurturing talent and dealing effectively with poor performance, setting and encouraging excellent quality standards. 

The Directors General will be designated Additional Accounting Officer by the Permanent Secretary and will be accountable to her for the performance of their duties. They will undertake the Additional Accounting Officer functions in relation to their specific areas of responsibility, which represent a significant proportion of the £15 billion of Welsh Government funds. They will operate within the overall governance framework laid down by the Permanent Secretary and will, in particular, consult her about issues which might be novel, contentious or repercussive, or which would have a negative reputational impact. Within these parameters, they will ensure when policy proposals or expenditure decisions are made within their Group, or when proposals are put to Ministers, that all relevant financial considerations including regularity, propriety and value for money are properly assessed and take into account. They will also ensure compliance with corporate values and standards and the required standards of ethical conduct. The Directors General will account directly to the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly, in person or through their senior Directors, and will provide formal evidence to assist the Committee in their examinations. 

As both Head of Group and Additional Accounting Officer, the Directors General will encourage and enable compliance with common and streamlined corporate services, standards and processes across the Welsh Government, with a view to improving the quality, efficiency and transparency of the work produced by the Welsh Government Civil Service.

The Directors General will be a member of the Welsh Government’s Board and Senior Team, and will hold a number of corporate roles including sponsoring one of the Welsh Government’s staff Equality and Diversity Networks. The Welsh Government has strong commitment to promoting and supporting diversity across the organisation.  

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

Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).

We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people.

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, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.

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

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.

Assessment Process

How to apply

Completed application form, an up to date CV, together with a personal statement of suitability for the post should be submitted by the closing date.  All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SCSrecruitment@wales.gsi.gov.uk to request an application pack in an alternative format or if you need to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability 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 Senior Civil Service recruitment process within the Welsh Government, please see the SCS Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link). Further guidance on Preparing Your Personal Statement (link) is also available.

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Other information about the vacancy

> These appointments are offered on either a permanent basis, or as a secondment for up to 5 years (if the successful candidates take up these roles on a secondment basis they may retain their existing terms and conditions including salary).

> These are full-time roles but flexible working arrangements (including job share arrangements) may be considered. It is expected that if you apply as a job share partnership, this arrangement is in place when submitting your applications. Part-time cannot be accommodated so please bear this in mind before submitting your application.

> The successful candidate will be required to undergo developed security vetting (DV clearance).

> Relocation expenses may be available. 

**Please indicate in the additional information box on the application form which of the Director General posts you are applying for (or both).**

6 and 8 November 2017

Peter Kennedy HR Director, Welsh Government

Peter.Kennedy@gov.wales

Tel. 03000 251659

Jemma Terry Managing Partner Odgers Berndston Wales

jemma.terry@odgersberndston.com

Tel. 02920 783050

This vacancy is closed to applications.