Vacancy -- Members (Welsh Desirable)- Arts Council of Wales

Vacancy details

Arts Council Wales
Meetings are held on-line, at ACW’s Offices in Cardiff Bay and at various locations throughout Wales. The Council’s response to Covid-19 means that on-line meetings are more likely in the short to medium term.
Unpaid, but Members are entitled to travel and other reasonable expenses within agreed limits. 
1
month

Function of body

Background

The Arts Council of Wales was established by Royal Charter in 1994. The Arts Council funded largely by grant in aid from the Welsh Government. It is also a registered charity subject to Charity Law and is one of the four Lottery Distributors in Wales.

 

The Council’s aims as set out in its Royal Charter are:

 

a)       to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts;

b)       to increase the accessibility of the arts to the public in Wales;

c)       to advise and co-operate with the Welsh Government and relevant bodies; and

d)       to carry out the objects through the medium of both the English and Welsh languages.

 

As part of the terms and conditions of funding, Council Members have individual and corporate responsibility to the Welsh Government.

 

About the Arts Council of Wales

 

As the country’s funding and development agency for the arts, the Arts Council:

 

  • supports and develops high quality arts activity – it invests public funding, provided by the taxpayer, and allocated by the Welsh Government, helping the arts to thrive in Wales

 

  • develops and delivers the Welsh Government’s strategic priorities for the arts – it ensures appropriate mechanisms, process and procedures are in place to deliver on the strategic agenda set by the Welsh Government, as set out in the prevailing strategy document (currently the Programme for Government) and the Annual Remit letter

 

  • distributes Lottery funds – through applications to its funding programmes it invests in projects that develop new arts activity, supporting individuals and organisations

 

  • provides advice about the arts – through its staff and its advisers, the Arts Council has the largest concentration of arts expertise and knowledge in Wales

 

  • shares information – the Arts Council is the national centre of a network of information and intelligence about the arts in Wales. It also has strong international links in the UK and beyond

 

  • raises the profile of the arts in Wales – the Arts Council is the national voice for the arts in Wales, making sure that people are aware of the quality, value and importance of the country’s arts

 

  • generates more money for the arts economy – through initiatives such as Collectorplan – the Council’s scheme to encourage more people to buy art - and its work to secure European funding; these bring more money into the arts economy

 

  • influences planners and decision-makers – the arts take place in many different settings. They can have a dramatic impact on the quality of people’s lives, and the places in which they live and work. The arts are also frequently at the heart of initiatives for economic and social regeneration, from transforming learning in schools and for promoting health and wellbeing.  The Arts Council plays a key role in ensuring that the contribution that the arts can make is recognised, valued and celebrated.

 

Role description

The Role of a Council Member

 

The Arts Council of Wales is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body, and as such, the Welsh Government sets the strategic agenda for the arts in Wales.  It wishes to encourage active participation in the arts, and to ensure that high-quality cultural experiences are available to all people in Wales, irrespective of where they live or of their social background.

 

Members of the Council are expected to:

 

  • Participate and contribute effectively to the Council’s activities, particularly in terms of defining and developing its strategic direction, setting and achieving challenging objectives, and supporting Welsh Government policy;

 

  • Offer review, scrutiny, challenge and support to the Executive;

 

  • Promote high standards of propriety in managing public money, and ensure that the Council’s activities are conducted efficiently and effectively, achieving value for money within a framework of best practice, regularity and propriety;

 

  • Participate in the corporate planning process, including agreeing annual budget plans for operational programmes and corporate activity;

 

  • Work as part of a Council that positively values difference and challenges unconscious behaviours, and

 

  • Appoint, with the Welsh Government’s approval, a Chief Executive, should the necessity arise.

 

  • Actively participate in work to widen access and create an inclusive Arts sector and organisation in line with the Art’s Council of Wales’ Widening Engagement Action Plan and the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan, Action on Disability Framework and the LGBTQ+ Action Plan.

 

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
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can write basic messages on everyday topics
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh

Person specification

In your application, you will be expected to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

 

Essential Criteria:

 

  • Knowledge and /or understanding of the arts sector and a strong commitment to developing the role of the Arts throughout Wales. An appreciation of the cultural, economic and socio-political contexts in which the Arts Council of Wales operates; and its obligations under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015;

 

  • A commitment to increasing diversity and promoting inclusion and equality, as well as widening access and engagement with the arts throughout Wales.

 

  • An understanding of the current challenges facing arts organisations, ACW and those working in the arts, with an ability to think creatively on how these challenges can be addressed;

 

  • Ability to scrutinise and analyse complex information in order to support and challenge in a constructive manner and hold the organisation to account for its achievement against its aim and objectives

 

  • Sound decision making, underpinned by robust analysis and strategic vision.

 

  • Experience of communicating effectively at all levels; in particular the ability to act as an ambassador for the arts and able to demonstrate tact and diplomacy in dealings with stakeholders.

 

  • An understanding of the principles of good governance.

 

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

 

·       Experience in one or more of the following art forms/fields:  

 

  • Experience within the creative industries: in particular, digital arts, dance or literature;
  • Experience of promoting and developing the arts in local authorities, in education or in health institutions;
  • Experience of how the arts impact on the well-being of diverse communities across Wales including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Experience of communications and/or media relations with an understanding of how to build and apply communications strategies effectively.
  • Experience of financial systems and financial management and/or risk and assurance in complex organisations
  • Experience or understanding of commercial and income-generating activities, including fundraising, and the ability to apply this to arts organisations.
  • Experience of HR ideally gained in the public sector with an understanding of transformation and change management

     

    We particularly welcome applications from women, disabled people and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people.

     

Interview dates

17 February 2023
18 February 2023

Closing date

03/01/2023, 16:00

Additional information

To learn about current members of the Arts Council experiences of being a Council Member and how this may be the role for you, please visit:

Arts Council of Wales member Ruth Fabby - member recruitment 2022-23 - YouTube

Arts Council of Wales member Tafsila Khan - member recruitment 2022-23 - YouTube

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact publicappointments@gov.wales.
 
For further information regarding the role of the Arts Council of Wales and the role of Members please contact:
 
Dr Nicky Guy, Deputy Director, Culture Division, Welsh Government 
E-mail: Nicola.Guy@gov.wales
Phone: 03000 251899 

or Katy Brown (Arts Council of Wales) at 
Katy.Brown@arts.wales

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Public Appointments Unit - publicappointments@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 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.