Vacancy -- Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales Appointing a Chair

Vacancy details

National Museum Wales
The Chair’s activities will usually be concentrated in the Cardiff area, but they will be required to visit other National Museums and other locations. Board of Trustees meetings are held 4 times a year, with most meetings held in south Wales
£35,182.80, the Chair is also entitled to travel and other reasonable expenses within agreed limits
2
week

Function of body

The role and responsibilities of Amgueddfa Cymru

Amgueddfa Cymru is one of the leading cultural organisations and national institutions in Wales and is visited by 1.9 million people each year.

Established by Royal Charter in 1907, Amgueddfa Cymru is one of the largest museums in the United Kingdom, the custodian of internationally significant, diverse collections, and a leader in education and cultural participation.

Amgueddfa Cymru’s sites include Wales’ seven national museums: National Museum Cardiff; St Fagans National Museum of History; Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon; National Wool Museum Dre-fach, Felindre; National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon; National Slate Museum in Llanberis, Snowdonia and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. We also have a National Collections Centre near Cardiff. There are over 5 million individual items in our collections, embracing art and design, history and archaeology, and the natural sciences.

Amgueddfa Cymru is sponsored by the Welsh Government. It has a Board of Trustees whose role is to set the strategic direction of the organisation and ensure proper management of its resources. As a Museum, we are also accountable for the use of our collections and resources to the nation we serve.


Amgueddfa Cymru’s vision

Amgueddfa Cymru belongs to us all. Our vision is to inspire people through Wales’ national museums and collections to find a sense of well-being and identity, to discover, enjoy and learn bilingually, and to understand Wales' place in the wider world.

We believe that everyone has the right to participate in the cultural life of their communities and of their nation. We’ve developed a ten-year strategy for the Museum - Amgueddfa Cymru 2030 - which includes six clear commitments. We will work with people and communities across Wales, through collections, public programmes and partnerships, to:

  • Make sure that everyone is represented
  • Inspire creativity and learning for life
  • Help protect and restore nature and our environment
  • Support well-being through inspirational spaces and experiences
  • Discover and explore the museum digitally
  • Build global connections.

Our new Chair will have a critical role to play in making these commitments a reality and in supporting the delivery of the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government commitments for which the Amgueddfa is a lead or key partner, particularly developing plans for a Museum of North Wales, a National Contemporary Art Gallery, a new Culture Strategy and commitments to create an Anti-racist Wales.

The Board’s Role and Responsibilities

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Amgueddfa Cymru.

The role of the Board is to provide effective leadership, to define and develop strategic direction and to set challenging objectives. The Board promotes high standards of public accountability and upholds the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money. It monitors performance against Amgueddfa Cymru's own strategic objectives and performance targets, and those set by Welsh Government.

Amgueddfa Cymru is a registered charity and a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. Trustees have obligations pursuant to charity law, those set out in the Royal Charter and to the Welsh Government and to Senedd Cymru and the Charity Commission.

Amgueddfa Cymru currently receives around 80% of its annual funding (£25.4 million revenue funding, and £4.75m capital funding in 2022/23) from the Welsh Government as Grant in Aid. The organisation employs over 600 staff across its sites.

A Tailored Review of Amgueddfa Cymru is currently underway – the recommendations of which are due in Spring 2023. The Board will be responsible for overseeing the swift implementation of the agreed recommendations.

Trustees of the Board

Trustees oversee, support and hold to account the Director General in implementing the Museum's strategic vision and delivering against the objectives as set out by the Welsh Government in Amgueddfa Cymru’s Remit Letter.

Trustees must also:

  • attend Board meetings regularly and prepare thoroughly for them;
  • be prepared to serve on sub-committees;
  • actively support the Museum’s management and staff in their work;
  • represent the Museum at public functions;
  • promote the profile of the Museum;
  • give the Museum the benefit of their experience and expertise;
  • facilitate contact with Museum stakeholders; and
  • contribute to the development of policy, strategies and priorities in relation to the management of the Museum's collections.

Trustees must be aware of their obligations arising from the position of the Museum as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body and as a registered charity. These are set out in the Framework Document, which sets out the Terms and Conditions relating to the funding provided to the Museum by the Welsh Government.

To be effective, the Board needs Trustees with a broad range of expertise and experience.

 

Role description

The Role of Chair

Amgueddfa Cymru is incorporated by Royal Charter and is a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Chair therefore has responsibilities under the Charter and, like all Trustees, must comply with charity law and Charity Commission guidance.

The Chair is accountable to Welsh Government Minister(s) (the Welsh Government provides some 80% of the Museums funding) and may also be held to account by Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament. Communications between Board and the Minister must, in the normal course of business, be conducted through the Chair. The Chair must ensure other trustees are kept informed of all such communications.

The Chair is responsible for ensuring policies and actions support the Minister’s wider strategic policies, and the Body’s affairs are conducted with probity. Where appropriate, the Chair must make arrangements to communicate and disseminate these policies and actions throughout the Body.

We are looking for candidates who can play a leading role, inspiring and supporting the work of the Museum in achieving its vision, The position of Chair requires a person of integrity and vision, capable of leading a national organisation in the senior non-executive role, and of being an advocate for the Museum with our key stakeholders. 

 

Relationship with the Senior Executive Team

As Chair, you will establish, build and maintain a strong, effective and supportive working relationship with the Director General and wider Senior Executive Team providing support and advice in the implementation of the Museum’s Amgueddfa Cymru 2030 strategy, whilst respecting executive responsibility.

The current Director General will be stepping down in April meaning, at the time of appointment of the new Chair, there may be an interim Director General or no Director General of the Museum.

The Chair has leadership responsibilities for:

  • leading the Board of Trustees in formulating and approving Amgueddfa Cymru strategies and overseeing their implementation including delivering the Amgueddfa Cymru 2030 strategy;

  • representing Amgueddfa Cymru to Ministers and Welsh Government officials;

  • ensuring Amgueddfa Cymru, in reaching decisions, takes proper account of statutory and financial management requirements and all relevant guidance including guidance provided by the Welsh Ministers;

  • developing strong and effective relationships between Amgueddfa Cymru and key stakeholders, including other cultural and heritage organisations;

  • maintaining oversight of overall progress of the Amgueddfa Cymru senior leadership team, including the Director General;

  • supporting the executive team in promoting the economic, efficient and effective use of staff and other resources;

  • ensuring high standards of regularity, propriety, and governance; and

  • representing the views of Amgueddfa Cymru to the public including with the Director General, being the public face of the Museum.

 

The Chair must also:

  • ensure all Board Members are briefed fully on the terms of their appointment and on their duties, rights and responsibilities;

  • lead Amgueddfa Cymru to actively widen access and create an inclusive culture sector and organisation, in line with the Widening Engagement Action Plan and the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan, Action on Disability Framework and the LGBTQ+ Action Plan;

  • work with the Welsh Government and lead the process in Amgueddfa Cymru of responding to the recommendations of the Tailored Review;

  • ensure all Board members receive appropriate training, including on the financial management and reporting requirements of charities and public sector bodies and on the differences which might exist between private and public sector practice;

  • ensure the Board has a balance of skills appropriate to directing the Body’s business;

  • where appointments to vacancies on the Board are to be made by the Minister, advise accordingly;

  • assess the performance of individual Board members in accordance with the arrangements agreed with the partnership team in Welsh Government;

  • appraise and asses the performance of the Director General;

  • ensure an appropriate code of conduct for Board members, including rules and guidance on Board members’ interests and conflicts of interest, is in place.

    Essential Criteria

    In your application, you will be expected to demonstrate the following essential criteria, which will be tested further at interview:

     

    • experience of operating at a senior level (executive or non-executive) and sound decision making in a large, complex or multi-disciplinary organisation and the ability to Chair a Board effectively;

     

    • demonstrates a commitment to the values and the vision of Amgueddfa Cymru, and an appreciation of its role and purpose as a national organisation in Wales; including the cultural, learning, health and well-being, economic and socio-political contexts in which it operates; and an understanding of its obligations under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015;

     

    • strong interpersonal, communication and stakeholder management skills, including ambassadorial skills;

     

    • a proven track record of increasing diversity and promoting inclusion and equality. A demonstratable commitment to widening access and participation in culture throughout Wales;

     

    • demonstrates the ability to think strategically and/or demonstrates commercial acumen, income-generating experience in the visitor economy or equivalent and/or fundraising experience;

     

    • able to evidence a thorough understanding of good governance, accountability, and financial responsibility, ideally including public sector finances; and

     

    • has a commitment to Nolan’s Seven Principles of Public Life.

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.
Not necessary to undertake the duties of this post

Person specification

Interview dates

23 May 2023
24 May 2023

Closing date

11/04/2023, 17:00

Additional information

Welsh Language

This role is being advertised concurrently with the role of Vice-Chair. One of the successful applicants for either of these posts will need to be a Welsh speaker or commit to developing their Welsh language skills on appointment. We will fully support them with a bespoke training package. As is the case in respect of other requirements, reasonable adjustments can be discussed.

The Museum is a bi-lingual organisation and is pro-active in supporting and promoting the use of the Welsh language. The Museum is also required to comply with the Welsh Language Standards, as set out by the Welsh Government under Section 44 of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.

It is the policy of the Museum’s principal sponsor, the Welsh Government, to support the Welsh language, and it’s Welsh Language Strategy (Cymraeg 2050 – A Million Welsh Speakers) promotes and facilitates the use of the Welsh language.

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.