Vacancy -- Chief Operating Officer, Welsh Government

Recruitment Principles

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Vacancy Details

Permanent Secretary's Group
Senior Civil Service 3
Circa £120,000
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Pan Wales
The successful candidate will be expected to work from a Welsh base. The Welsh Government has four main offices located in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Llandudno Junction and Aberystwyth, although the nature of the post means that you will need to spend some time in Cardiff. We are committed to smart working and there will be opportunities to work remotely for at least part of the week in this role. There will be an expectation that you will be required to travel across Wales to meet with stakeholders and directorate staff. (In the short term the majority of staff will be based at home/working remotely). location expenses of up to £8,000 may be payable.

Closing Date

13/02/2022, 23:55

Purpose of Post

The key purpose of this role is to ensure the civil service is equipped and supported to deliver the increasingly complex and wide-ranging responsibilities of the Welsh Government within an exceptionally challenging economic and social  context. You will help shape the future of the organisation, ensuring we have the capability and working practices that will be needed for a post-Covid, post-EU future. You will lead the delivery of our future workforce, workplace and digital strategies, helping to create an integrated organisational operating model which can deliver for Ministers and people in Wales with effectiveness and efficiency. You will provide critical day-to-day support to the Permanent Secretary,  nusuring the successful running of the organisation, enabling him to focus on overseeing the delivery of the programme for government on behalf of Ministers. You will help create a culture of distributed, inclusive leadership at all levels that can enable and motivate a capable and flexible workforce that is significantly more representative of the people we serve than the organisation we have today. Building on the huge progress we have made in equipping our staff to work successfully from wherever they are, our Director General, Chief Operating Officer will lead the next phase of our estate transformation – supporting our people to work from communities across Wales and sharing spaces with our Public service partners. You will have a key role in ensuring that the resources of the organisation can be prioritised and aligned to the First Minister and Cabinet’s delivery commitments and that the organisation has a sustainable funding model that allows us to live within our budgets; maintaining high standards of financial management, ethics, propriety, assurance and management of risk. You will also have what it takes to transform our corporate systems, creating proportionate and efficient services, processes and governance that enable rather than get in the way of delivery and are digital first. As a member of the Executive Committee – the Welsh Government’s top  civil service leadership team – you will work flexibly and holistically with other members of the team to ensure that human and financial resources are deployed in a way which best meets Ministers’ priorities and that efficiency and innovation  re enabled and encouraged. It also means managing risks and contingency planning and using data, evidence and analytics to inform decisions.

Equality and Diversity

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.

Disability Confident

Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).

We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people.

If you have an impairment or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

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

Welsh Language Requirements

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.

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

Social Partnership

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.

Assessment Process

Shortlisted candidates will undergo online psychometric tests that will include numerical and verbal reasoning and a discussion with a psychologist.

Staff/Stakeholder Engagement Exercises

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to take part in engagement exercises with Staff/ Stakeholders. Further details will follow.

Fireside Chat

Shortlisted candidates will take part in a Ministerial ‘fireside chat’. The above activities will form part of the overall assessment required for this recruitment exercise in addition to the selection panel interview.

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled for the 25th and 28th of April

All of the above assessments will be held remotely.

How to apply

Completed application form, an up to date CV, together with a personal statement of suitability for the post should be submitted by the closing date.  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 SCSrecruitment@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format or if you need 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 Senior Civil Service recruitment process within the Welsh Government, please see the SCS Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link). Further guidance on Preparing Your Personal Statement (link) is also available.

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

Other information about the vacancy

Any candidates wishing to apply for the vacancy in a part time capacity, will need to apply as part of a job-share basis.
25th and 28th of April
SCSrecruitment@gov.wales

This vacancy is closed to applications.