Vacancy -- Archives Development Adviser

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

Economy, Treasury and Constitution Group
Libraries and Archives
HEO - £32,460 - £39,690
£31,210
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
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:

This post will contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of archive service policy and provision for the Welsh Government.  This will include the statutory duties relating to archive service provision contained in Section 60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, and the associated management and administration of the UK-wide Archive Service Accreditation Scheme in Wales.  The post holder will be expected to lead on agreed policy initiatives to support archive and records management provision in the Welsh public sector, with a particular focus on digital access and preservation agendas.

Key tasks:

  • To provide policy advice to Ministers on local archive provision and contribute to the development of future policy and strategy on archives
  • To administer the Archive Service Accreditation scheme in Wales. To carry out advisory and validation visits to services participating in the Accreditation scheme and to attend meetings of the Accreditation Panel
  • To take responsibility for ‘Section 60’ schemes of the Section 60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 to support the Minister to discharge the statutory duties
  • To liaise with The National Archives (UK, England and Wales) on matters such as the management of the Public Records Act 1958 in Wales, as this relates to the local Places of Deposit system
  • To develop and manage programmes and projects to support the development of the archive sector in Wales
  • To monitor associated budgets and expenditure
  • To build relationships and work effectively with a range of partners from the archive sector in Wales and more widely, including professional bodies and groups, and leading national institutions
  • To prepare ministerial advice and briefings, draft responses to correspondence and enquiries, and attend ministerial visits as required
  • To provide advice to colleagues within the Welsh Government on matters affecting archives including the designation of new public records bodies
  • To act as a line manager if required and contribute to team management
  • Other tasks as required appropriate to this role and grade, including cross divisional work and priorities

Development opportunities:

As well as gaining in depth knowledge and experience of the archive sector in Wales, the successful post holder will develop their management skills in a policy area which impacts on priority areas across the Welsh Government including education and learning, digital services, communities and tackling poverty, health and well-being, social justice and sustainability.

Closing Date:

03/10/2022, 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
Can read some routine work-related material with support e.g. dictionary
Can hold some work-related conversations
Can understand routine work-related conversations
Can prepare routine work-related material with checking

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

  1. Seeing the Big Picture – Seek to understand how the services, activities and strategies on the area work together to create value for the customer / end user
  2. Changing and Improving - Be willing to meet the challenges of difficult or complex changes, encouraging and supporting others to do the same
  3. Collaborating and Partnering - Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes
  4. Managing a Quality Service - Develop, implement, maintain and review systems and service standards to ensure professional excellence and expertise and value for money

Job Specific Criteria

  1. A broad knowledge of professional standards, including the Archive Service Accreditation Scheme
  2. Experience of working with a range of archive collections including mixed media/digital material
  3. Experience of managing projects and programmes involving multiple partners

Assessment Process

Candidates will need to score a minimum of 3 for competencies and 4 for job specifics 1 and 2 to be invited to interview.

The presentation topic will be sent to successful candidates at sift.  The area being tested will be Job Specific 2.

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.
For the Archives and Records Association publication please contact Mary Ellis for contact details.
Mary Ellis - 03000622105

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.