Vacancy -- Commissioners - Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is the unique, independent national archive and investigation service for Wales, dedicated to the authoritative recording and interpretation of our rich historic environment.  We operate at arm’s-length from the Welsh Government, with skilled staff providing professional advice and expert information to the public.  We are committed to delivering the best possible historic environment service for Wales, fostering greater understanding and care for our historic buildings and landscapes, and recognising the potential for heritage to help improve people’s lives.  The Commission is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body (WGSB) whose role and responsibilities are set out in a Royal Warrant of 2000. Our governance and accountability arrangements are set out in a Framework Document. The Royal Commission’s operational priorities and performance targets are informed by an annual remit letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Infrastructure.  This letter sets out strategic priorities, specific policies and action plans, and the wider policies and procedures of the Welsh Government.

The Royal Commission has a long history in Wales. It was established in 1908 by Royal Warrant, which was revised in 2000. The Warrant directs the Commission ‘to provide for the survey and recording of ancient and historical monuments and constructions from the earliest times (including the ancient and historical monuments in, on or under the sea bed) by compiling, maintaining and curating the National Monuments Record of Wales as the basic national record of the archaeological and historical environment’.

Building on its recent successes and achievements, the Commission is now looking to grow and develop for the future. We are seeking to appoint three new members.

The Board of Commissioners provides leadership and governance for the organisation, and provides scrutiny and constructive challenge to all of the Commission’s activities.  The Board also shapes the future of the organisation. The Commission is keen to appoint individuals who are committed to providing the best possible historic environment service for the benefit of all the people of Wales. As a Commissioner, you will:

• Review the Organisation’s Operational Plan, taking account of work in progress, the directions contained in the Remit Letter from the Welsh Government and initiatives that originate within the Organisation;

• Ensure that the governance of the Organisation complies with the requirements of the Framework document, and that the scope of the Organisation’s activities falls within the terms of the Royal Warrant;

• Ensure that the performance required of the Organisation by the Welsh Government is attained and that a report is published annually on the Organisation’s activities;

• Provide guidance and direction to the expert staff of the Organisation, and to monitor their work, in committee or individually;

• Be directly involved in and take responsibility for the content of the specialist publications of the Organisation;

• Represent the Royal Commission and its interests when called upon to do so.

Commissioners are also expected to:

• Have an understanding of the historic environment and its significance;

• Have a clear vision on how the Commission can continue to work with key partners to provide the best possible historic environment service for Wales;

• Work as part of a high performing Board of Commissioners that carries out strong performance management, displays core team behaviours and values, constructively challenges and supports one another, and that continuously measures the achievements of the team against the Commission’s goals;

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

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.

The Royal Commission is committed to strengthening and diversifying our board, and so are looking for three new Commissioners who will have direct experience and expertise at a senior and/or strategic level in one or more of the following areas:

• Development of IT strategies;

• Working with communities, particularly hard-to-reach groups;

• Archaeology, particularly industrial archaeology.

Individuals will also need to demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Have strong intellectual and analytical skills;

• Excellent communication skills;

• The ability to work well in a dispersed team;

• The ability to help the Board advise and monitor the work of expert staff;

• An understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a charity trustee;

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

• Have a clear understanding of public life and the principles of good governance.

• The ability to communicate in Welsh is highly desirable for at least one of the posts.  All candidates are expected to display an awareness of the linguistic profile of Wales and support compliance with the Welsh Language Standards due to be implemented by January 2017.

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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 full CV and the second a personal statement (this document should be no more than 2 sides of A4), detailing your experience, how you meet the role description and person specification and how you could contribute to the work of the Royal Commission. The two documents should be uploaded to the “Attach Supplementary Document(s)” 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 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