Vacancy -- Appointment of Board Members - National Academy for Educational Leadership

The NAEL will be responsible for the strategic oversight and direction of leadership provision to meet the needs of the education system within Wales.

 

One of its key features will be its role in ensuring equity of access to high-quality leadership development. This will be achieved through 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 a quality assurance 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.

 

The NAEL will be a Company Limited by Guarantee. It will ensure a real sense of ownership by the sector including by having a Stakeholder representative group.

The Academy’s core functions will include:

¨  securing a good supply of programmes and provision to develop the skills and capabilities of leaders;

¨  commissioning provision to fill gaps and secure comprehensive access to provision that supports the development of current and potential leaders

    including mentoring and coaching;

¨  assuring quality in the provision via a process of endorsement;

¨  commissioning, using and sharing the products of research to ensure national and international best practice is being disseminated;

¨  offering support and advice on leadership career pathways;  and

¨  being available online to create a community of peers and offer information and advice. 

General description of the role of Board Members

The Board will be expected to challenge, support and to provide an external perspective and experience. The aim is to have a Board that, overall, has a diverse range of relevant skills and life experiences that will enable it to develop a collective view on issues, providing the stimulus for continuous improvement within the organisation for the benefit of its customers and wider society.

We are therefore looking for a skills based board and a list of specifically required expertise is given below. Board Members will need to provide support and expertise to a newly established organisation, providing a clear sense of direction and purpose.  They will need to develop a strong grasp of the role and remit and potential reach of the NAEL and its important role within education reforms in Wales. 

All board members will be expected to: 

1. Provide strategic direction and leadership, driving performance and hold the NAEL to account against its strategic and corporate plans.
2. Ensure propriety, regularity, economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the operation of the body and adherence to the 7 principles of public life (the Nolan principles).
3. Together with other Board members, ensure and support the NAEL to fulfil its aims and objectives.
4. Be a champion for the organisation and its aims and objectives. Be a role model for both staff and stakeholders.
5. Work co-operatively to build relationships with all stakeholders and to ensure that stakeholders voice is clearly heard in the running of the NAEL 
   
   
   

Role & Responsibilities

These will include: 

• Supporting the development of the NAEL in the early days, including taking part in the endorsement of provision.
• Scrutinising and monitoring performance against strategic and corporate business plans
• Providing effective scrutiny and governance in line with best practice
• Representing the NAEL externally and fostering close working relationships with key stakeholders, including with the Stakeholder representative group.
• Seeking to make links to other areas within the education system, ensuring that the NAEL develops in conjunction with education reforms.

The Welsh Government acknowledges the importance of developing and growing bilingual capabilities in public appointments in Wales, and welcomes applications from candidates who demonstrate their capability to work in both English and Welsh.  The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the recruiting body of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

All candidates will need to demonstrate the following:

• Excellent analytical skills and intellectual capability with the ability to make decisions and contribute effectively to thinking on both strategic and practical issues;      

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to represent the National Academy for Educational Leadership  in public and engage with key stakeholders;

• The ability to bring fresh ideas to discussions while ensuring the NAEL keeps to its stated aims and has effective governance arrangements 

• Commitment to promoting diversity 
  
  

Knowledge and/ or experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Financial expertise, experience and qualifications 

• Legal  background, experience and qualifications 

• Expertise in audit and/or risk management 

• Media and communications expertise 

• Experience as a practitioner in any relevant field of education  

• Knowledge of IT and Technology and its role  in professional learning  

• Human resources expertise  

• Ability to speak Welsh  

• Expertise on Welsh medium issues

 

Applicants able to offer expertise in one or more of these areas should clearly demonstrate this on their application. 

Welsh Language

Welsh language skills are essential for at least one Board Member role and desirable for the rest.

Skills and experience - desirable 

• Understanding of the public sector context and a commitment to the principles of public life
• Understanding of the culture and heritage of Wales and a commitment to ensuring that, along with its language, the Welsh context is reflected in the working of the Body

Eligibility

You are not eligible for this post if you are:  

1) Disqualified from being a company director
2) Bankrupt

A check will be made with Companies house before any appointments are confirmed to ensure you are eligible, and you will be required to undergo vetting to Security Clearance level.

Conflict of Interest 

You will be asked to declare any private interests which may, or may be perceived to, conflict with the role and responsibilities as a Member of the Board of the NAEL including any business interests and positions of authority outside of the role in NAEL.

Any conflicts of interest will be explored at interview.  If appointed, you will also be required to declare these interests on a register which is available to the public.

Standards in public life

You will be expected to demonstrate high standards of corporate and personal conduct. All successful candidates will be asked to subscribe to the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, you can access this document at: 

http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/governance/blboard/Board%20Code%20of%20Practice%202011.pdf

11/02/2018, 16:00

To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button below. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system.  You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form.  To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates.  This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4.  Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.  The second document is a full, up to date CV.  The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities.  We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years. 

It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence.  You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go.  You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.

If you’d like to apply for this opportunity 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.

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Corporate Shared Service Centre Helpdesk on 03000 255454 or SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.

For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments