About the job

Job summary

This important role sits within Health and Social Group (HSSG) Equality team, which is central part of the Office of the Director General for Health & Social Care in Welsh Government.  The DG Office is a Deputy Director led team within the Stronger Centre in HSSG and has responsibility for the A Healthier Wales Transformation Programme, Health & Social Care Strategy and Welsh Language Policy.

Job description

The HSSG Equality Team was formed in August 2022.  Its aim is to provide oversight and strategic coordination of EDI related activity across HSSG by leading a collaborative approach to develop and deliver National cross-cutting EDI strategies, facilitating progress with key stakeholders and equality specialists from across WG, NHS Wales and the social care sector to coproduce, embed and implement HSSG actions that drive organisational cultural change at a National level. 

The role has a substantial outward facing dimension, both across Welsh Government and with external stakeholders.  The post holder will need to develop and maintain strong networks of stakeholders, helping to ensure constructive partnerships for delivery and implementation of EDI related policy. They will also need to maintain strong networks of internal colleagues, including with ministerial offices, comms, legal and other teams.

Successful candidates will have a proactive approach to planning and delivery against ambition, identifying issues and problem solving.  They must be adept at building positive working relationships, networking and  bringing people together to deliver collectively.  The post holder must be comfortable with dealing with sometimes conflicting views and priorities of stakeholders.

We are actively committed to becoming an increasingly diverse organisation with a workforce that reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds with a range of lived and professional social work experiences. This is supported by our dynamic approach to learning and development and there are several Diversity networks which staff can participate in, which include The Minority Ethnic Staff Network, PRISM LGBTI+ Network, and the Women Together Network.

What the organisation will expect

• You will have the ability to work under pressure, be flexible, proactive and self-motivated to successfully deliver within a challenging, pressured and fast-paced environment.
• You will be able to look for opportunities to do things differently and develop new options as things change.
• You will understand the political landscape and the role that Ministers play in setting the agenda for your business area; You will be able to clearly communicate at all levels, including with senior stakeholders and Ministers. 

What your team will expect

• You will value diversity and inclusion, creating an environment where individuals feel safe to challenge, share ideas and express concerns.
• You will support the development of others, demonstrating an understanding of the importance of learning, providing encouragement for individuals to develop, as well as investing time for your own development. 

What key stakeholders will expect

• You will be able to use sound judgement, evidence and knowledge to provide credible advice and guidance to both internal and external stakeholders.
• You will understand the importance of building and maintaining constructive relationships, both within and outside Welsh Government. You will have the ability to build collaborative relationships that both challenge with support, and build trust and mutual respect across organisational boundaries.
• You will be able to use creative thoughts to develop recommendations, and take advantage of opportunities to work collaboratively across boundaries.

Person specification

The post holders will be responsible for the following:

• Reporting to the HSSG Head of Equality Strategy the post holder will work to develop, and embed the delivery of professional Equality Diversity and Inclusion approach for Health and Social Care in Wales.
• The post holder will work collaboratively on cross-cutting EDI strategies, facilitating progress with key stakeholders and equality specialists from across WG, NHS Wales and the social care sector to coproduce and successfully implement cultural change; they will have an initial lead responsibility for;
  • The development and implementation of the revised All Wales Accessible Communications Standards for Health and Social Care.
  • The development and implementation of revised EDI planning and reporting mechanisms for the NHS.
  • The coordination and development of the Health and Social care actions within the Disability action plan
• The role will involve working across government to effectively support Ministers understanding, delivery and development of EDI policy both for the NHS workforce and for those accessing the Health services within NHS organisation
• The post holder will represent Welsh Government as a member of NHS Equality Leadership Group.
• The post holder will provide the Secretariat to the Internal HSSG EDI Implementation and Challenge Board, working with the Head of Equality Strategy to develop agenda’s which challenge the groups EDI approach and focus on driving improvement and efficiency wherever possible.
• The post holder will coordinate the HSSG response to complex briefing requests, FMQs/WAQs and other corporate commissions and Government Business relating to equalities, seeking input and expertise from outside of WG to support Ministers where necessary.
• The post holder will Line manage responsibility for 1 x HEO.
  

Oversight of planning & delivery

• Work with colleagues to support the design of programmes which will support coherent, targeted, and effective delivery of EDI Actions across HSSG.
• Ensure spending and delivery commitments for support designed to meet commitments in policy documents including the Anti-Racist Action Plan for Wales, the LGBTQ+ Action plan and the Disability Action Plan (when published ) are delivered on time and to a high quality.

Benefits

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme
• 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
• training and development opportunities
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Smart Working flexible working arrangement
• Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:	2 stage process
Stage 1	Application Form
Stage 2	Interview

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:

• 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.