Vacancy -- Member - Sport Wales (Welsh desirable)

Sport Wales is the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and active lifestyles. Sport Wales is a Welsh Government Sponsored Public Body and is funded largely by grant-in-aid from the Welsh Government. It is also responsible for distributing funds from the National Lottery to sport in Wales.

Sport Wales was established by Royal Charter in 1972. The four objectives set down when the Sports Council for Wales (now trading as Sport Wales) are to:

• Increase participation in sport and active recreation;
• Raise standards of performance and excellence;
• Improve the provision of sporting facilities;
• Provide technical information and advice about sport, recreation and active lifestyles.

The full Royal Charter can be found here: www.sport.wales/media/128780/royal charter.doc

Sport Wales operates two national centres; the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff and the Plas Menai National Watersports Centre in North Wales.

Sport Wales’ operational priorities and performance targets are informed by, and respond to, the annual remit letter from the Minister for Social Services and Public Health which sets out his strategic priorities; any specific policies and action plans; and the wider policies and priorities of the Welsh Government.

Sport Wales subscribe to the Welsh Government's vision for a physically active and sporting nation, as outlined in their strategies Climbing Higher and Creating an Active Wales.

Sport Wales aims to improve the level of sports participation at grassroots level but also provide our aspiring athletes with the support required to compete successfully on the world stage.

Wider policies and priorities of the Welsh Government, in particular include the Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This requires Sport Wales to integrate all its work into supporting of all of the seven well being goals as well as the five governance elements of the Sustainable Development Principle.

You can find out more about Sport Wales by visiting www.sportwales.org.uk as well viewing the corporate films below:

➢ http://www.sportwales.org.uk/about-us/about-sport-wales/what-we-do.aspx
➢ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNvHHKHt-x0

The Board of Sport Wales provides leadership and governance to Sport Wales and performs the important role of scrutinising all of Sport Wales’s investments and activities. It also shapes its future goals.
The Board currently consists of 10 Members, including the Interim Chair, Lawrence Conway.

Board Members have individual and collective responsibility to the Welsh Government through the Minister for Social Services and Public Health.

Board Members are expected to:

• Have an understanding of and actively promote the benefits of sport and physical activity and the positive benefits they have for society;

• Have a clear vision as to how Sport Wales can continue to contribute as a main deliverer of Government policy on sport and thus have an understanding of the Welsh Government and how the public sector in Wales functions.

• Have excellent scrutiny and analytical skills to support and challenge the Executive effectively, to ensure that Sport Wales meets its aims, objectives and performance targets;

• Ensure Sport Wales achieve value for money within a framework of best practice, regularity and propriety;

• Participate in the corporate planning process, including agreeing annual budget plans for operational programmes and corporate activities;

• Have a clear understanding and commitment to Nolan’s “Seven Principles of Public Life’.

• Act in a way that promotes high standards of propriety and public finance;

• Have a good understanding of corporate responsibility and risk management to ensure that Sport Wales’ activities are conducted effectively and efficiently;

• Have an enquiring mind, good listening skills and ability to understand complex situations/reports.

• Have a willingness and commitment to attend and actively participate at Board meetings and key activities between meetings.

• Be politically independent.

• Appoint, with the Welsh Government’s approval, a Chief Executive, should the need arise.

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.

Essential

• An understanding of public life and the principles of good governance

• Excellent communication skills and a track record of working with others to achieve objectives.

• Ability to think logically and objectively in analysing complex information in order to identify key issues and make effective decisions.

• A demonstrable commitment to increasing levels of physical activity across Wales;

• An understanding of the diverse communities of Wales and a commitment to promoting diversity.

• Senior experience of at least one of the following;

o Corporate management with a focus on value for money and delivery.
o The application of digital technology and innovation in the areas of sport and active recreation.
o Public relations and communications.
o Tackling inequalities through engaging the disengaged.

Welsh Language

Welsh Language Skills are considered an essential requirement for one of the Board Member posts, at the level specified below:

Understanding – can understand most work-related conversations.
Reading – can read most work-related material.
Speaking – can converse in most work-related conversations.
Writing – can prepare routine work-related material with checking.

Applicants will be asked to evidence their Welsh Language skills as part of the recruitment process.

Welsh Language Skills are considered as ‘desirable’ for the three remaining Board Member posts, at the level specified below:

Understanding – can understand parts of a basic conversation.
Reading – no skills
Speaking – can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
Writing – no skills.

This means that it would be an advantage for applicants to understand and speak parts of a basic conversation in Welsh if all other essential criteria has been met.

06/06/2017, 23:55

For further information regarding the role of Sport Wales and the role of Members please contact David Rosser, Head of Sport, Welsh Government.

Tel: 0300 061 6051

Email: david.rosser@wales.gsi.gov.uk

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Corporate Shared Service Centre Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 or SharedServiceHelpdesk@wales.gsi.gov.uk

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

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 029 2082 5454 or SharedServiceHelpdesk@wales.gsi.gov.uk 

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