Vacancy -- Decarbonisation Evidence Advisor

'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 Environment (Wales) Act puts in place legislation to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change.  The legislation puts in place a Welsh target of at least an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050, which is in-line with wider UK and EU obligations. It also puts in place a Statutory regime with interim targets and five-yearly carbon budgeting, which will provide a more robust governance framework that will allow the Welsh Government to provide greater clarity, which in turn will help drive investment for a low-carbon economy.

The Legislation requires that a plan, setting out how we are going to achieve the first budget and 2020 target is delivered by March 2019. Subsequently, in 2021 a further plan setting out how the government will meet the second carbon budget is required.

In addition, there is a requirement to track and report on Wales’ progress towards meeting the targets and budgets and to develop a framework to track the delivery of the emission reduction plan set by the government to understand why the targets have been met or otherwise.

The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of the appropriate evidence and reporting to inform the development and implementation of the Environment (Wales) Act. The role will work in collaboration with internal colleagues, wider Welsh Government departments and external partners.

This is a high profile agenda, which is often in the media and public spotlight due to its global significance. This post offers the chance to work in a high priority, challenging and rewarding area and the opportunity to contribute to the Welsh Government's approach to decarbonisation, which will impact all aspects of our economy and society going forward and has the potential to translate into real action to improve prosperity and tackle inequality in Wales.

The post will be working on developing the supporting evidence base, providing technical assistance and data analysis to the decarbonisation programme. The post holder will need to:

• Provide specialist technical advice to Welsh Government teams on climate change science and evidence, with a specific focus on tracking emissions of greenhouse gasses and decarbonisation policies.
• Apply a robust analytical approach to the review and assessment of data and outputs, underpinned by effective quality assurance processes, with a specific focus on quality assuring the Welsh Governments emissions performance reporting.
• Use strong analytical skills to contribute to the evidence programme, support research projects and data collation exercises as required, and assist in translating their significance in relation to policy goals (with a specific emphasis on scientific advice to inform WG’s decarbonisation policies under the Environment Act).
• Contribute to the development of Wales’ long-term emission projection model, developing future emissions pathways and ensuring these projections are supported by robust evidence.
• Liaise with other administrations and draw from UK and international best practice to inform the development of the Decarbonisation programme in Wales.
• Commission new evidence projects where existing programmes do not meet Welsh evidence needs by:

                                                                              -Identifying suitable routes to commission the work;

                                                                              -Leading on contract negotiations and contract management where appropriate; and

                                                                              -Ensuring quality of outputs through leading technical and project management of these research programmes.

• Identify opportunities for interdepartmental working, exploring innovative approaches and exploiting synergies and available funding sources; a key role being the engagement with evidence leads across Welsh Government and the other Administrations in relation to the decarbonisation agenda.

The successful candidate will join an analytical team managing a diverse evidence base and delivering technical and advisory support across the Decarbonisation programme. The post offers a chance to work in this innovative and developing area, which will make a real difference to the lives of people in Wales, whilst also delivering on our international commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This is an interesting and diverse role, working on high profile areas of work with often challenging deadlines. The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for managing and delivery of work commitments, providing an opportunity to develop project and resource management skills. 

Working closely with a wide range of customers and partners you will build valuable working relationships, broadening your knowledge and understanding of Welsh Government policy work and the post holder will have the opportunity to identify areas to add value to the delivery of evidence based policy and maximise the value of Welsh Government resources. 

The diverse nature of the work will require continual development and broadening of technical skills and specialist knowledge.

02/05/2019, 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.