Executive Officers (Fixed Term Between 6 Months And 1 Year)

Location

We currently operate informal hybrid working arrangements subject to business needs and agreement with your manager. Free car parking is available.

About The Job

Job summary

We’re looking for people to join our Central Services team as Executive Officers to fill a number of roles. As part of our Central Services team you’ll play a vital role in supporting delivery of our key objectives. Our Central Services team provide services including organising inspections, communications, events, finance, research, HR, IT and more.

Our Executive Officers help to run the critical business systems and processes that support our inspection and advice work as well as in specialist functions such as Secretariat, HR, Finance, IT and Research.

You will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of our key functions e.g. planning our inspection activity, supporting providers and inspection teams throughout the inspection process or supporting our important thematic work. This is an excellent opportunity to work with a wide range of people and in a supportive team environment.

If you’re a Welsh speaker, you will make use of both your Welsh and English language communication skills.

Your role will include a variety of different responsibilities using IT software packages and systems, for example:

• Drafting written correspondence to external stakeholders
• Problem solving to respond to queries from colleagues, education providers and inspection teams
• Communicating with people at all levels both within Estyn and externally
• Taking ownership of projects within your team and ensuring prompt and accurate delivery
• Undertaking any other duties as may reasonably be required, including cover for other Executive Officer roles
• Providing strong and effective administrative support and customer service
• Dealing with role-specific queries from internal and external stakeholders, taking necessary action where appropriate
• Developing and maintaining robust work processes and accurate records

In some roles, you will manage a small team.

You will:

• Be comfortable handling sensitive conversations
• Have excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Make use of your problem solving skills to respond to queries from colleagues, education providers and inspection teams
• Work collaboratively and flexibly
• Be able to work in a changing environment
• Be confident in the use of IT
• Enjoy the challenge of a varied workload
• Have a good track record of managing multiple tasks to meet deadlines

We’re recruiting to several roles across a range of services. You will be placed in a role within any of our business support functions and may work across functions according to business need.

Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds. You may be looking for a new challenge, have worked in a large or small organisation, in a Welsh or bilingualenvironment, in the public or the private sector. This is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to senior stakeholders in the education sector, such as head teachers, senior managers of providers, and inspectors across every sector in Wales. You will have access to learning and development opportunities that will help you to develop your skills and career.

Further vacancies may become available in the future. If more candidates meet the criteria that we need at the moment, we will create a reserve list. We may use any reserve list to fill similar roles in the future.

Person specification

It’s essential that you:

• Understand how to deliver good customer service
• Are able to diagnose and resolve problems quickly, following established processes
• Use evidence and knowledge to support your decisions and the advice you give
• Can work accurately and with attention to detail
• Are organised, with good time management skills, and able to prioritise work and complete tasks within agreed timescales
• Are approachable and able to form effective working relationships
• Are able to work independently and use your initiative, while also working collaboratively with team members and other people in the organisation
• Have excellent communication, literacy and numeracy skills
• Are confident in using IT systems, including Microsoft Office

For one post, it’s essential that you are able to work through the medium of Welsh (written and spoken). For all other roles Welsh language skills are highly desirable

Languages

We work in both Welsh and English and many of our stakeholders are bilingual. For these posts Welsh language skills (spoken and written) are mostly highly desirable, however for one Welsh language skills will be essential.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,900, ESTYN contributes £7,263 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Excellent Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 27.1%
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Support for your wellbeing and family life
• 31 days annual leave plus 10 public/privilege days a year
• Tax free savings – including a cycle to work scheme and a green car salary sacrifice scheme

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

Download and complete our application form here: www.estyn.gov.wales/working-us/current-vacancies

Send your application to: [email protected]

Alternative arrangements or accessible documents: If you’d like to apply or access this document in an alternative format, please contact Shuna Lovering to discuss your requirements.

As part of the selection process, you will be asked to complete an application form detailing your job history and qualifications and a statement of suitability (a maximum of 750 words). Your application will illustrate how you meet the essential skills, experience and behaviours for this role outlined in the person specification. These will also be explored at interview.

You can find more guidance on completing your application here: www.estyn.gov.wales/working-us/current-vacancies

All documents are available in Welsh and English.Applications can be submitted in Welsh, English or both languages.An application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English. Your application may be translated into Welsh or English if required (depending on the majority language of the panel).

The selection process includes:

• A sift of applications: The selection board will consider all complete applications. The information you give us in your application is important in deciding whether we will invite you to the next selection stage. If we receive a high volume of applications, your application may be “long-listed” before it is passed to the shortlisting panel for consideration. You should be aware that in this situation, your application might not be considered in full by all of the panel.
• Assessment and Interview: Candidates invited to assessment and interview will again be assessed on their skills, experience and behaviours in relation to the person specification. For Welsh essential posts, we will test your communication skills in both Welsh and English during the assessment and at interview.
• Assessment: You will be asked to complete a series of tasks as part of a work-based written exercise (or other details as required). Further details will be given in the invite to assessment / interview.
• Interview: We use a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profiles framework. During the panel interview, you will be asked about your experience and how you hit the criteria for the role (including behaviours).

Assessments and interviews may take place on the same day.

Interviews will be face to face at our office in Anchor Court, Keen Road, Cardiff CF24 5JW. We will confirm the arrangements when we invite you to interview.

All costs of attending the assessments and interviews are at your own expense. We will not pay any transport, accommodation or subsistence costs related to the recruitment.

You will receive an email confirming the outcome of your application at each selection stage. We appreciate it takes a lot of time and effort to apply for roles and that feedback is a valuable part of the process. We will provide verbal feedback on request for anyone reaching the assessment and interview stages once the selection process has finished.

Sift, assessment and interview dates to be confirmed. The indicative timetable we’re working to is summarised below.

We aim to provide you with as much notice as we can of the assessment and interview dates. If you’re unable to make the arranged interview date, we will try to re-arrange it but it might not be possible due to time constraints within the appointment timetable or selection panel availability. Applicants who are not available to attend for assessment and interview on the dates offered may not be considered for these roles.

• Dates may be subject to change
• Sift: Early to mid-July
• Assessments and Interviews: Mid to end of July
• Closing date: 10:00am Monday 10 July 2023

Future vacancies and reserve lists : If you are appointable, but there isn’t a suitable post immediately available, we will add you to a reserve list. The reserve list is valid for up to twelve months from the date we confirm the outcome of your application. The outcome email will confirm if you are on a reserve list. If a suitable vacancy occurs during that period, we may recommend you for appointment. We appoint from the reserve list in merit order.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : HR Team
• Telephone : 02920 446336
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

https://www.estyn.gov.wales/working-us/current-vacancies