Vacancy -- Assistant Director - Leadership Development and Quality Assurance

In July 2016,the Cabinet Secretary announced that a National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL) would be established as an arm’s length organisation separate from Welsh Government (WG) and that it would not be a deliverer of learning but would broker and quality assure a range of approved provision for the Welsh education system.

The NAEL will be responsible for the strategic oversight and direction of leadership provision to meet the needs of the education system within Wales. It will have a key role to ensure equity of access to high-quality leadership development by endorsing a range of leadership provision for all levels of educational leadership and commissioning provision where gaps are identified. The NAEL will also be charged with developing and delivering an endorsement model for leadership provision, developing system leadership across education, feeding into strategic workforce planning for leadership and acting as a conduit and focus for policy thinking, evidence gathering and research dissemination in regard to educational leadership.

“Education in Wales, Our National Mission” sets out the key actions with our 5 key objectives for our country up to 2021. Inspiring leaders working collaboratively is one of the 5 objectives. The Academy has a critical role in securing this objective.

The Assistant Director - Leadership Development and Quality Assurance will lead the work of the Academy enabling it to achieve its core purpose of securing equity of access to high quality leadership development initially for those in schools and then extending to wider education settings. The post will crucially be responsible for leading on the development and delivery of the full range of quality assurance work of the Academy, specifically leading the work on an endorsement model for leadership programmes.

This post will report directly to the Chief Executive of the NAEL. This post will be part of a small senior team and critical to the delivery of the NAEL’s aims and objectives.

The relationship that the NAEL has with providers of leadership development provision across Wales and further afield is a critical one and building this relationship will be a key part of the role. In the early phase of the set up of the Academy there will be three key areas of focus for this post-holder; leading on the leadership development provision endorsement process, supporting the delivery and review of the pilot Academy Associate Programme and supporting the newly appointed NAEL Associates.

The role will provide support to the CEO on leadership development provision including ensuring that the work of the Academy is underpinned by international research into this field. The post holder will also support the CEO in building strong links with other leadership academies worldwide in order to build the profile of the NAEL internationally.

• Developing and delivering the quality assurance and endorsement processes so that leadership provision in Wales aspires to the highest international standards

• Working with stakeholders to promote and lead on issues relating to QA and endorsement in line with the aims and objectives of the Academy

• Employing appropriate strategies to ensure that the Academy reaches the widest possible range of leadership providers and is endorsing provision that over time will address the needs of all those with leadership roles across the education system

• Ensuring QA and endorsement processes are agile and flexible and able to take into account the “voice of the sector” and that provision is in line with the needs of practitioners and in line with the principles of the Academy (thereby furthering support for and the influence of the Academy on educational leaders in Wales).

• Managing the recruitment process for the Endorsement Panel and support the training for Panel members;

• Managing the 3 stages of the endorsement process ensuring effective communication with providers and panel members throughout.

• Working with providers to guide and advise them in regard to the endorsement process, overseeing the process and delivering rigour thereby ensuring that the Academy is seen to be operating rationally and fairly – able to withstand high levels of scrutiny.

• Representing the Academy, as an independent body, and securing high-value relationships with key providers of leadership provision and with the Education Department of Welsh Government;

• Supporting the CEO in building the profile of the Academy in Wales and internationally by:

Developing and brokering relationships with other educational leadership institutions world wide;
Keeping abreast of research into educational leadership and ensuring this contributes to the knowledge base of the Academy;
Developing and brokering relationships with lead thinkers and researchers on educational leadership worldwide;
Providing opportunities through social media, speaking engagements and other channels for the NAEL to raise its profile in Wales and internationally.

• Advising Welsh Government on matters to do with the range of endorsed provision and any gaps therein

• Be the key point of contact for the newly appointed Associates in their work with the NAEL including:

Agreeing key areas of work with each Associate according to interest and need;
Providing the Associates with access to events and conferences and supporting them in representing the Academy at such events;
Regularly reviewing the role with the Associates and proposing adjustments where necessary;
Liaising closely with the regional Consortia ensuring that the Associates are able to fulfil their role as advocates for the Academy by having full access to regional systems and structures that are already in place;
Engaging in the review of the programme and leading on the compilation of a ‘lessons learned log’ and recommendations for changes to Cohort 1.

• Ensuring that programmes and provision fully integrate with an enquiry model of leadership, leading to establishment of a research-rich profession.

• Exploring the potential for endorsed programmes to be accredited by HEI partners and working closely with HEIs across Wales in pursuit of accreditation.

Key skills

• Proven ability to create, review, develop and quality assure leadership development provision for a range of educational contexts
• Ability to work on own initiative with strong problem solving capabilities
• Strong leadership skills and an ability to develop and implement policies and procedures
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders and in particular with school leaders
• A strong interest in leadership development and the ability to build credibility quickly with a range of experts in this field
• Excellent written communication skills with proven experience in a variety of written forms including web content and social media
• Self-motivation and ability to work without high levels of supervision whilst working with and through already functioning teams namely the NAEL Board, the Associate Programme design and delivery team and the Regional Consortia
• An understanding of the vision and principles of the NAEL and a proven ability to manifest them in day to day work

The establishment of the Academy represents a step change in the focus on leadership in education and this role affords an opportunity to play a key role key in the establishment of this new body.

The role of the NAEL is crucial to the delivery of objectives within “Education in Wales – Our National Mission” and this senior level role presents an exciting opportunity for the right individual to shape the new organisation and make a real difference to the education community in Wales.

The role will provide an extensive range of opportunities for personal development including:

• Engagement with educational leaders and leadership learning across Wales and beyond
• A deeper understanding of highly effective leadership development provision and how to design, develop and deliver it
• An understanding of strategic system leadership through working closely with the Associates
• The opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in building the profile of the NAEL in Wales and internationally

21/06/2018, 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 a disability 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 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 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.