Vacancy -- Snowdonia National Park Authority: Appointment of a Member (Welsh Highly Desirable)

Vacancy details

Snowdonia National Park Authority
Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd
£3,735 per annum
44
year

Function of body

National Parks are landscapes of international importance. Although predominantly rural in nature they are close to urban communities and have significant potential to enrich the lives of the people of, and visitors to, Wales and to contribute positively to the Welsh economy. A key task of National Park Authorities is to help ensure that these special areas will in the future, be places with a richer and more diverse landscape, wildlife and heritage than today, enjoyed and cherished by a full cross section of society.

 The National Park Authorities have two statutory purposes under the Environment Act 1995:

 to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks;

 to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities [of the Park] by the public.

 As well as seeking to fulfil their two statutory purposes the National Park Authorities have a duty to foster the economic and social well-being of their local communities.

 If it appears that there is a conflict between these purposes, greater weight shall be attached to the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area within the National Park.

Each Authority is required to prepare a National Park Management Plan. The Plan sets out policies for the management of the Park and for the organisation and provision of services and facilities by the National Park Authority to achieve National Park purposes. It includes policies for the management of the land in the National Park and forms the basis for collaboration, not only with statutory and voluntary conservation organisations, but also with other public and private landowners. Consultation during the preparation of the Plan allows people to contribute to achieving workable policies and is essential for sympathetic co-operation with residents and other interests in the Park.

The National Park Authority will involve key stakeholders such as Natural Resources Wales, the Welsh Local Government Association and Town and Community Councils in the preparation of National Park Management Plans and will play a key role in the development of the Local Development Plan. The National Park Authorities are also the planning authority for their area and are responsible for producing development plans and for development control.

 Under the Environment Act 1995 and the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 the three Welsh National Park Authorities are special purpose Local Authorities. They are corporate bodies with executive powers. The purposes of the Parks are the same in England and Wales but the membership of the National Park Authorities in each country differs.

 

Role description

National Park Authority members are responsible, individually and collectively, to the Welsh Government for providing effective leadership for the National Park Authority, for setting its policy and for ensuring that it meets its objectives within the statutory, policy and financial framework laid down for it. Members have a duty to act at all times within the law, in good faith and in the best interests of the National Park, and to be scrupulous in ensuring that their public position is at no time compromised in favour of private interests, or gives rise to suspicion that this has been done.

 Members Role

Members of National Park Authorities are required to understand and demonstrate a commitment to National Park purposes and be prepared to commit the time necessary for regular attendance at full Authority and committee meetings, as well as member development events, working groups, events, and representing the Authority on outside bodies.

 Key tasks include:

 Leading the National Park Authority, in particular in defining and developing its strategic direction and in setting challenging objectives;

 Ensuring that the National Park Authority’s activities are conducted and promoted in as efficient and effective a manner as possible;

Ensuring that strategies are developed for meeting the National Park Authority’s overall purposes and duties, in accordance with the policies and priorities established by the Welsh Government; 

Monitoring the National Park Authority’s performance to ensure that it fully meets its aims, objectives and performance targets; 

Ensuring that the National Park Authority’s control, regulation and monitoring of its activities, as well as those of any other bodies which it may sponsor or support, ensure value for money within a framework of best practice, regularity and propriety and to participate in the corporate planning process; 

Promoting the Welsh Government’s sustainable development, equality and social inclusion objectives.

 

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.
Desirable
No skills
No skills
No skills
No skills

Person specification

To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment. We welcome applications from individuals who have no previous experience of working on public sector board. Individuals are selected on the essential criteria and not as representatives of particular organisations or groups.

To succeed in this role it is important you are able to apply your skills and experience in ways which help deliver the statutory purposes for which the National Parks were designated.  

The National Park Authority will benefit from being able to draw on a wide range of skills and knowledge in its membership and you will need to be able to bring a national perspective to the work of the Park Authority that acknowledges its role and contribution to Welsh aspirations (particularly for the well-being of future generations) whilst recognising the Park’s contribution to everyday environmental, economic, social and cultural life. 

It may help if you have experience of public administration at a senior level, running a business, being a trustee or working for a charity or other knowledge in an area of direct relevance to the diverse work of the National Park Authority. 

In this current selection round we are particularly interested in individuals who have experience in local government finance or auditing of public bodies but experience in one or more of the following areas will also be advantageous: 

conservation of the natural, historic, built and/or cultural environment;

communications and marketing (in particular digital technology);

regulation and governance;

tourism, the arts, recreation and sport;

working with children and young people;

sustainable development;

income generation;

land use planning and development management;

land management and agriculture; and

working with communities and community groups.

 Essential Criteria

 The ability to make a strong contribution to the leadership of the National Park Authority or programmes utilising appropriate performance information to drive improvement and delivery;

The ability to operate effectively in a strategic or national role which influences and translates policy into practice and provides a direction of travel for the Authority’s executive team;

The ability to listen, build and contribute to effective teams and communicate clearly to a range of audiences;

The ability to effectively operate in and contribute to a Welsh/bilingual Authority Board and its associated business and organisational environment;

An appreciation of the current policy and practice and the business of National Park Authorities;

A clear understanding and commitment to the ten principles in The Conduct of Members (Principles) (Wales) Order 2001.

The Authority conducts all its business electronically and members are expected to be sufficiently proficient in IT to manage calendars, email and all agendas and papers via an electronic committee management system;

Bring lived experiences reflecting the diversity that is Wales.

Welsh Language

Snowdonia National Park Authority is located in a predominantly Welsh speaking area of Wales. The majority of its internal business and contact with external stakeholders is conducted through the medium of Welsh. It is therefore essential that the successful candidate has a positive attitude towards the Welsh language and an understanding of the importance of the language to the area, and its prominent role in the cultural heritage of the National Park. The ability to speak Welsh is highly desirable.

 


Interview dates

10 February 2020
14 February 2020

Closing date

02/01/2020, 16:00

Additional information

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact:

 The Corporate Shared Service Centre

Tel: 0300 025 5454

E-mail:

 For further information regarding the role of the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the role of Members please contact:

 Geraint Evans, Land, Nature and Forestry Division, Welsh Government

Tel: 0300 062 2097

E-mail:

 Or

 Judith Orritt (Assistant to the Chair, Chief Executive and Management Team)

Snowdonia National Park Authority

National Park Office,

Penrhyndeudraeth,

Gwynedd

LL48 6LF

Tel: 01766 772202

E-mail:

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Corporate Shared Service Centre Helpdesk on 0300 025 5454 or sharedservicehelpdesk@gov.wales.

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

 

How to apply

To apply for this role, click on https://gov.wales/publicappointments  and then click on the Appointment of a Member to Snowdonia National Park Authority. When the appointment is displayed, click on ‘Apply’ at the bottom left hand corner. 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 upload a personal statement and a CV to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is your opportunity to demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria set out in the person specification. How you choose to present the information is up to you. However, you should aim to provide detailed examples that demonstrate how your knowledge and experience matches each of the criteria, and which describe what your role was in achieving a specific result. It will also benefit the selection panel if you can be clear which particular evidence you provide relates to which criteria. Providing separate paragraphs in relation to each criterion is common practice.

Please limit your personal statement to two pages. Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.

Commissioner for Public Appointments logo

This vacancy is closed to applications.