About the job

Job summary

Deputy Director Landscapes, Nature and Forestry is a key role in delivering the Welsh Government’s ambitious agenda to protect and enhance nature and the environment. The role focuses on important policy areas which can make a difference to people, nature and communities across Wales.
This is a significant leadership role, leading a team of around 60 people, and working with stakeholders across the public and third sector in Wales, and with counterparts in other UK Governments. The work is a mix of policy, legislation, programme delivery and technical advice, inspection, licensing and enforcement.

The role covers the following main policy areas:
• Forestry – increasing tree planting rates, developing the National Forest for Wales and creating a timber strategy to increase the proportion of Welsh wood used in construction.
• National Park Authority sponsorship – responsible for sponsorship of Wales’ three National Parks maintaining the strategic relationship and supporting their alignment with broader goals on decarbonisation and biodiversity recovery, as well as work to establish a fourth National Park.
• Environmental Governance – lead on the delivery of the Environmental Governance and Biodiversity Bill, with policy responsibility for the environmental governance and environmental principles elements of the Bill. Oversee the arrangements for an interim assessor.
• Natural Resources Policy – development of a refreshed natural resource policy to set direction and strategy for the management of natural resources in Wales.
• Access to the environment and countryside – implementation of legislation and promotion of the Wales Coastal Path.
• Expanding and improving quality green spaces – overseeing several programmes to create Local Places for Nature; allotments and improving countryside access.
• Plant Health – working across the GB nations to ensure good biosecurity and tackling outbreaks of pests and diseases in plants and trees.
• Plant Protection regulations – overseeing implementation of a range of regulations relating to seeds, pesticides, biocides and biotechnology applications for plants.
• Soils and peatland restoration – programme delivery and policy advice. Advice on land use applications impacts on soils.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Wales regulations – providing advice and support to applicants and enforcement of these regulation.
• Policy and regulation linked to wildlife and wildlife and rural crime – supporting the implementation of our Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy with partners. Badger licensing scheme, Wildlife Incident Information Scheme for Wales and other advice and support.
• Working across Government and with other partners to support delivery of policy objectives including close working on future farm support.

Job description

Lead a team of around 70 people working flexibly across a broad spread of responsibilities and provide opportunities for everyone to contribute and be recognised for their contribution.
Build and maintain Ministers’ trust and confidence, ensuring key commitments in the Programme for Government and wider work programme are delivered, including implementing Senedd legislation.
Provide leadership for a range of priorities areas including:
• Environmental Governance – lead on the delivery of the Environmental Governance and Biodiversity Bill, with policy responsibility for the environmental governance and environmental principles elements of the Bill. Oversee the arrangements for an interim assessor.
• Forestry – drive work to increase tree planting to contribute towards the Net Zero plan targets, engaging widely to increase afforestation rates in Wales and develop a long-term strategy to increase sustainable timber production. Delivery of the National Forest.
• National Park Authority Sponsorship – lead the sponsorship of the NPAs, including appointing new members and working with the Park Authorities to maximise their delivery. Lead work to establish a fourth National Park in Wales.
• Soils and peatlands policy – delivering a major programme of peatlands restoration as part of our contribution to Net Zero targets and related advice and support.
• Regulation and enforcement – ensure that implementation of the post-Brexit regulatory framework works for Wales by representing Welsh interests at a UK level and influencing UK Government workstreams to account for Welsh priorities in areas including seeds, pesticide reduction, management of invasive species and genetically modified organisms. Effective implementation and enforcement of a range of Welsh specific regulatory and licensing regimes including the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Wales regulations and Badger Licensing scheme.
• Programme delivery – ensure the effective delivery of several flagship programmes to restore peatlands, create local places for nature and improve community green spaces.
Build and maintain excellent working relationships with senior officials in UK Government Departments, Natural Resources Wales, the Health and Safety Executive and counterparts in the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to ensure Welsh interests are taken into account, and where possible so that approaches are aligned in order to deliver coordinated action and economy-wide certainty on the range of environmental issues that are priorities for the Ministers for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.
Ensure effective arrangements are in place to manage a budget of around £80m per year (revenue + capital) to deliver policy priorities, including oversight of several large grant programmes on peatland restoration, Local Places for Nature and Woodland Creation. Ensure effective delivery of government business, including responses to Oral and Written Questions in the Senedd, correspondence and media queries, ensuring deadlines are met, outputs meet Ministers’ expectations and are of a consistently high quality.
Contribute to wider policy priorities across government including work to develop the new Sustainable Farming Scheme, an integrated One Health approach and arrangements for border checks.
Play an active role as part of the Senior Leadership Team in Environmental Sustainability Directorate and wider Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group.

Person specification

See attached candidate pack for details.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Welsh Government contributes £20,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The Recruitment Team via the Welsh Government system will acknowledge your application and when appropriate you will be advised about the outcome of the shortlist meeting which will be held on 20 December 2023.

Assessments for Shortlisted Candidates Only

The below activities will form part of the overall assessment required for this recruitment exercise:

• Online Psychometric Tests - these will include numerical and verbal reasoning and a discussion with a psychologist. You will receive a link to these on-line tests within 10 working days from the shortlisting meeting.

If you have completed the online psychometric test in the last two years, for a post at the same grade, it will not be necessary for you to take these tests again for this particular recruitment exercise.

• Staff Engagement Exercise – these will take place week commencing 08 January 2024. Further details will follow.

 

• Panel Interviews & Presentation – these are scheduled for week commencing 15 January 2024. These will also take place virtually via Microsoft Teams. Interviews will last around 45 minutes. The Panel will receive feedback on your psychometric tests and staff engagement exercise before you are interviewed.  Your interview will consider how your skills and experience as outlined in your CV and personal statement meet the requirements of the role. Candidates will be given at least one week’s notice of the presentation topic. Please note that presentations are to be delivered without the use of hand-outs or electronic devices unless as part of a reasonable adjustment, however, you are welcome to use prompt cards.

Recruitment adjustments

Please note, recruitment adjustments can be made at any part of the recruitment process for candidates with an impairment or health condition, who are neuro-divergent or who use British Sign Language.  Please get in touch with SCSRecruitment@gov.wales to discuss adjustments for any part of the process. 

The selection panel will include:

• Nicola Edwards, Deputy Director Equity in Education, Welsh Government
• Claire Bennett, Director Environmental Sustainability, Welsh Government
• Stephen Layne, Deputy Director for Fair Work, Welsh Government

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work 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.