Vacancy -- Chief Executive for the National Academy for Educational Leadership

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

Education and Public Services
Senior Civil Service 2
The salary for this role will be circa £110,000 per annum
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Fixed term
The appointment is initially for a three year period with the potential to extend
South East Wales, South West Wales
The post holder may work from any of the South Wales Welsh Government Offices. However, weekly travel to Cardiff will be essential to liaise with Ministers and Senior Officials.

Closing Date

21/01/2018, 23:55

Purpose of Post

The appointment of Chief Executive will initially be a Civil Service appointment before moving into the substantive post within the National Academy for Educational Leadership. The appointment is initially for a three year period with the potential to extend

Background

International research demonstrates that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning.   Evidence indicates that Wales needs to build leadership capacity if it is to enable learners to reach their potential. The OECD review (Improving Schools in Wales: An OECD Perspective 2014) suggested that there was a need to further develop leadership capital within Wales and strengthen leadership in schools and across the system to foster student performance.  

The OECD went on to identify that the development of leadership capacity at all levels of the system had been weak, under-resourced and seemingly an afterthought to Welsh Government larger reform efforts. In response to this, the Cabinet Secretary for Education refocused attention on the issue of leadership within the Welsh education system.

In July 2016,the Cabinet Secretary announced that a National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL) would be established as an arm’s length organisation separate from Welsh Government (WG) and that it would not be a deliverer of learning but would broker and quality assure a range of approved provision for the Welsh education system.  

Through a Task and Finish Group led by Ann Keane the early development work including stakeholder engagement, has led to the development of the vision, values and governance structures of the NAEL. This Task and Finish Group is made up of education experts and relevant stakeholders, The Task and Finish group has made a number of recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary, including that the NAEL should take the form of a Company limited by Guarantee.

The NAEL will be responsible for the strategic oversight and direction of leadership provision to meet the needs of the education system within Wales.  It will have a key role to ensure equity of access to high-quality leadership development by endorsing a range of leadership-development provision for all levels of educational leadership and commissioning provision where gaps are identified.  The NAEL will also be charged with developing system leadership across education, feeding into strategic workforce planning for leadership and acting as a conduit and focus for policy thinking, evidence gathering and research dissemination in regard to educational leadership.


Role of the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will have a key role in taking and forward the vision for the National Academy and will provide a strategic leadership role in establishing the NAEL and in developing an aspirational, inspirational and enabling culture for the Academy itself and among its stakeholders, the current and aspiring leaders of education in Wales.

The CEO will ensure that appropriate governance, leadership, systems and people are put in place to meet the stated aims and objectives of the new organisation.

The CEO will work with the Task and Finish Group, sub groups and subsequently the Chair of NAEL (once appointed) to lead the process of establishing the new body. The post holder will lead the development of a new model of quality assurance for educational leadership provision in Wales.   Success will result in making available to leaders and aspiring leaders in Wales the highest quality of leadership provision. This will help to achieve the Welsh Government’s aspiration that Wales is regarded – nationally and internationally – as being a great place to be an educational leader. 

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

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

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 a disability 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 a disability 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

The appointment of Chief Executive will initially be a Civil Service appointment before moving into the substantive post within the National Academy for Educational Leadership. 

The post holder may work from any of the South Wales Welsh Government Offices.  However, weekly travel to Cardiff will be essential to liaise with Ministers and Senior Officials.

Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity for informal conversations prior to the final selection panel interview to learn more about the role and the organisation.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to undertake a leadership assessment and staff engagement exercise.

More details will be provided after the shortlisted meeting.

Interviews will be held at Welsh Government Offices, Cathays Park, Cardiff on 12 February 2018.

If you would like to discuss this role further, please contact Tanya Wigfall on 03000 251101.

This vacancy is closed to applications.