Vacancy -- Information Professional (IP) / Librarian x2

'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.

To assist the Senior Information Professional/Librarian in the delivery of the following main information and library projects (matrix working):

• Literature searches – in line with agreed objectives and our SLA’s (40% of time)
  • Develop and undertake high quality systematic literature searches and identify data under the guidance of senior IM project manager;
  • Negotiate, explain and discuss the feasibility of searches within a project team context to ensure the search strategies answer the research questions and are appropriate to the project budget and the project methodology;
  • Communicate technical information around searching issues to non-specialists;
  • Write up the search results for reports according to best practice standards for search reporting;
  • Client liaison within a project, with the support and guidance of senior colleagues;
  • Assist with the development of internal procedures to ensure consistency across the information/library team;
  • Keep professional knowledge and expertise up to date by maintaining awareness of relevant information, retrieval research and information resources;
  • Where applicable, provide internal guidance and support to colleagues on search related issues;
  • Work you project manager might allocate to you.
• Organising our Information Sources (Cataloguing) & LMS management - in line with agreed objectives (targets) and our SLA’s (40% of time)
  • Accurate and timely cataloguing in accordance with recognised metadata standards enabling discovery of resources by users and underpinning collection management;
  • Maintain all newly digitised Welsh Government (WG) publications, ensuring their capture for cataloguing, classification and addition to our LMS;
  • Maintain the Welsh Government, Welsh Assembly Government and former Welsh Office hard copy publications Archive;
  • Cataloguing and classification of all new WG publications, including circulars and electronic-only documents;
  • Undertake retrospective cataloguing, classification and archiving of appropriate collections / materials;
  • Adhere to cataloguing and classification standards and ensure that these are applied consistently;
  • Maintenance of thesauri within the Library Management Systems (LMS) to help ensure that these work effectively and are up to date;
  • Maintenance of our LMS;
  • Work your project manager might allocate to you.

Other duties (20% of time) will include:

• Enquiry desk duties, including handling queries, issues and complaints about our products and services by listening to our customers and improving our products and processes as a result;
• Training activities (information literacy), the use of the internet & electronic resources (online database) training;
• Advice & guidance on information management matters;
• Marketing & promotion and of our products and services;
• Provide guidance and support to WG colleagues on adopting or improving knowledge and information management practices and behaviours.

• Answer a wide range of research enquiries (literature searches) from Legal & Policy staff, WG divisions and other government departments using open source information.
• Cataloguing & Resource management including collection development, cataloguing, LMS management and re-use (publication scheme & PSI).
• Enquiry desk duties, including handling queries, issues and complaints about our products and services by listening to our customers and improving our products and processes as a result.
• Training activities (information literacy), the use of the internet & electronic resources (online database) training.
• Advice & guidance on information management matters.
• Marketing & promotion and of our products and services.
• Provide guidance and support to WG colleagues on adopting or improving knowledge and information management practices and behaviours.

The post provides an opportunity to work with a wide range of information resources and gain an understanding the information needs of policy colleagues and law making in a government setting. The post will enable individuals to develop their research and collection management skills. There is the opportunity to forge strong working relationships with the KIM profession across the UK government as well as on-site training for specific projects.  CPD is actively encouraged to develop skills and help support the KIM profession in the Welsh Government.

31/03/2020, 16:00

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

• UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

• Nationality rules – GOV.UK

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

• Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
• For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have an impairment which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to an impairment in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy 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.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.