Vacancy -- Welsh Language Commissioner

Vacancy details

Welsh Language Commissioner
Flexible. For information, the majority of the Commissioner’s staff are based in the Cardiff and Caernarfon offices.
The post will attract a salary of circa £95,000. The 
salary is subject to tax and national insurance and 
is pensionable.
5
week

Function of body

The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (“the Measure”) confirmed the official 
status of the Welsh language in Wales, created a new regulatory system of Welsh 
language standards, and created the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner
(“the Commissioner”). The appointment of the Commissioner is made by the First 
Minister.

The term of office of the Commissioner is 7 years and is non-renewable.

Role description


(i) Promoting and facilitating the increase of Welsh language services, and other 
opportunities to use Welsh

(ii) To work towards ensuring that the Welsh language is treated no less 
favourably than the English language and that persons in Wales should be 
able to live their lives through the medium of the Welsh language if they 
choose to do so

(iii) To encourage best practice and to offer assistance to bodies in relation to 
mainstreaming the Welsh language in policy development, with the aim of 
increasing the use of Welsh, increasing opportunities for persons to use the 
language, and ensuring that Welsh is not treated less favourably than English

(iv) To be responsible for regulating the Welsh Language standards system. 
Approximately 120 bodies are currently required to comply with standards.

This work includes:

 Give compliance notices to bodies that come under standards, and consult on 
a draft version of a notice
 monitoring the performance of bodies in accordance with the duties imposed 
on them and keep under review compliance notices, varying and revoking 
them as appropriate
 issue codes of practice for the purpose of providing practical guidance to 
bodies with respect to the requirements of standards
 determine on applications for the Commissioner to decide whether the 
requirement to comply with the relevant standards is unreasonable or 
disproportionate 
 publish decision notices following investigations into complaints of non-compliance with relevant standards,
in accordance with the enforcement policy
 deal with complainants, service providers, the Welsh Language Tribunal and 
any other parties involved in any appeals procedure
 create and maintain a register of enforcement action detailing all 
investigations, outcomes and any appeals to the Welsh Language Tribunal

(v) Following an application by an individual, consider investigating cases where 
there is an alleged attempt to interfere with the freedom of Welsh speakers to 
use the language with one another, and determine on cases which are 
investigated

(vi) To keep under review the adequacy and effectiveness of the law relating to 
the Welsh language and to advise Welsh Ministers on any changes that may 
be required

(vii) To work collaboratively with the Public Services Ombudsman Wales and other 
ombudsmen and commissioners as appropriate

(viii) To contribute to the process of appointing an Advisory Panel and to consult 
with the Panel in exercising his or her duties

(ix) To produce a 5-year report focusing on the position of the Welsh language 
over that period. A copy of the report must be laid before the Senedd

(x) To produce an annual report including, amongst other matters, a summary of 
the action taken in the exercise of the Commissioner’s functions and his/her 
proposals for a work programme for the following year. A copy of the annual 
report must be laid before the Senedd

(xi) To conduct and commission research into the Welsh language

(xii) To play an active role in the international network of language commissioners, 
and to share best practice and implement best practice from other countries 
where appropriate 

(xiii) To make recommendations or representations, or give advice, to any person 
including the Welsh Ministers in connection with any of his or her functions.

(xiv) To lead and manage the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner and 
appoint a Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner

(xv) To act as Accounting Officer and be responsible for ensuring the efficient 
financial management of the Commissioner’s Office and preparing accounts of 
expenditure and estimates of income and expenses as required. The 
Commissioner will be responsible for an annual budget of around £3million

(xvi) To create and maintain a register of interests of each relevant office holder.

Welsh language skills

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
Full understanding of all work related material
Can prepare written material for all work-related matters
Can understand all work-related conversations
Fluent

Person specification


 Proven leadership qualities.

 Experience of organisational design and development

 Knowledge of Welsh language policy issues; an understanding of the issues 
facing Welsh speakers and learners; and a commitment to increasing the use 
of Welsh.

 Excellent interpersonal skills in Welsh and English and the ability to work 
effectively through the medium of Welsh in all kinds of situations including 
working with a wide range of people such as Ministers, senior representatives 
of both private and public bodies, and engaging with members of the public.

 Experience of dealing and talking with the press and media.

 Credibility at a level which will command the confidence and respect of the 
Welsh Government, Senedd Members, local government, public, private and 
third sector organisations and the public.

 Proven ability to work effectively in partnership with stakeholders and external 
bodies to resolve difficult issues satisfactorily.

 Strong financial and people management and governance experience.

 A clear understanding and commitment to equality issues and to Nolan’s 
‘Seven Principles of Public Life’.

Interview dates

12 September 2022
12 September 2022

Closing date

17/06/2022, 16:00

Additional information

How to apply

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 Public Appointments Team on  PublicAppointments@gov.wales.

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

Commissioner for Public Appointments logo

This vacancy is closed to applications.