Vacancy -- Appointment of Chair - National Infrastructure Commission for Wales

Vacancy details

National Infrastructure Commission for Wales
Meetings to be held pan-Wales
£400 per day plus travel and other reasonable expenses within reasonable limits.
5
month

Function of body

Purpose

 

The Welsh Government established the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) to support independent, better-informed advice on a longer-term strategy of infrastructure investment, which enshrines the principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

 

Governance and remit

 

The NICW has been established as non-statutory, advisory body to provide advice and recommendations to the Welsh Ministers on the economic and environmental infrastructure needs of Wales over 5-30 years.

 

The Commission is remitted to focus on economic and environmental needs, but should also consider the interactions of these needs with ‘social infrastructure’, such as schools, hospitals and housing. However, the NICW is not expected to consider and advise on social infrastructure needs in detail.

 

The Welsh Government will set out through an annual remit letter the areas on which it would like the NICfW to focus, as well as the available budget. This letter will be sent to the Chair of the Commission before the start of each financial year.

 

The advice provided by the NICfW will be strategic and forward looking in nature. Advice will not be provided on existing or upcoming infrastructure schemes that have already been agreed.

 

Within its advice, the NICfW must reflect the goals and principles of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This includes:

 

  • The Welsh Government’s Well-Being Objectives
  • The Five Ways of Working
  • The Sustainable Development Principle

 

The NICW must also consider the obligations of Welsh Minister’s in respect of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, and other legislative obligations, when providing advice.

 

The NICW is expected to produce and publish a ‘State of the Nation report’ every 3-5 years.  This report will take an impartial view at the current state of economic and environmental infrastructure across Wales.

 

The Commission will also be expected to produce an annual report on its activity for the previous year, and to produce any ad-hoc reports deemed necessary by the Welsh Government and / or the NICW

 

The Welsh Government is committed to supporting the independence of the NICW by:

  • Formally responding to the State of the Nation report, and tabling the report, and the response, in the National Assembly for Wales.
  • Tabling the reports of the NICW in the National Assembly.
  • Formally responding to recommendations of the NICW and tabling this response in the National Assembly, including rationale for why recommendations have been endorsed or otherwise not accepted.

 

Membership and Secretariat

 

Membership currently comprises 12 Commissioners, including the Chair.

 

The appointment will be made by the Welsh Ministers for a maximum term of 3 years.

 

The Chair will be appointed based on merit and expertise, and will be expected to demonstrate ability to consider the diverse nature of communities in Wales.

 

The Chair will be supported by a secretariat comprising of Welsh Government staff.

 

Accountability

 

The NICW is accountable to the Welsh Ministers for the quality and propriety of its advice and recommendations, and its use of public funding. The NICW may also have its work scrutinised and held to account by the National Assembly for Wales, and could be asked to participate in Assembly committee hearings.

 

The Welsh Government will be held to account by the National Assembly for Wales for the direction it provides to the NICW. It will also be scrutinised in respect of the recommendations it does or does not accept, and the rationale behind these decisions.

 

Review

 

The NICW will be subject to a comprehensive review of its status, remit and objectives before the end of the fifth term of the National Assembly for Wales (2016-2021).

 

Subsequent arrangements for reviewing the NICfW will be established after this initial review.

         


http://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2015/2/pdfs/anaw_20150002_en.pdf

Role description

The Chair will be a strategic thinker and an independent voice on infrastructure, working with a diverse group of Commissioners.  The Chair will have a prominent public profile, presenting NICW’s recommendations in public and to the National Assembly for Wales, and testing the delivery of NICW recommendations, which are accepted by the Welsh Government.  The Chair will finesse NICW’s role and build consensus with industry and other stakeholders.

 

Duties and responsibilities: for:

 

  • strategic leadership for NICW; setting priorities and ensuring the independence of its recommendations; overseeing delivery of NICW’s work, including monitoring delivery by the Welsh Government;

 

  • directing Commissioners’ input, harnessing their skills, experience and expertise;

 

  • providing expert, impartial advice to the Welsh Government on infrastructure, including advice on prioritisation and value for money on public and private investments;

 

  • building consensus around NICW recommendations;

 

  • engaging with stakeholders, including government, industry, academia, interest groups and the public;

 

  • building a working relationship with the UK National Infrastructure Commission;

 

  • representing NICW in public, including in the media



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

Person specification

Person Specification


Essential Criteria

  • a highly regarded leader, with the ability to lead boards and organisations effectively;
  • ability to provide robust, independent advice, under a high level of public interest and scrutiny, and use a public profile to build consensus;
  • credibility with government, industry and the public;
  • ability to process complex information, take a long-term view and weigh probabilities to reach clear conclusions; 
  • ability to clearly communicate complex topics;
  • understanding of the Welsh Government’s infrastructure objectives, its wider policy, delivery and finance framework, including the duties and commitments under the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and the devolution settlement.
  • ability to lead at a strategic level e.g. within government, academia or business;
  • track record of communicating and influencing at the highest levels;
  • ability to represent organisations in public, including in the media and with a range of stakeholders;
  • experience in one or more sectors of economic and/or environment infrastructure
  • ability to demonstrate a track record of commitment to and notable delivery against principles of equality and diversity
  • understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of public life

 

Welsh Language

  • Welsh language skills are desirable but not a pre-requisite for appointment.

Interview dates

6 January 2020
10 January 2020

Closing date

21/10/2019, 23:55

Additional information

Contacts:

For further information regarding the role of Chair of NICW, please contact:


Adrian Davies

Office of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales

Tel: 03000 257691

Email: Adrian.Davies2@gov.wales
 


If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact publicappointments@gov.wales. 


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

This vacancy is closed to applications.