We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
About the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (OSSW):
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is the face of the UK Government in Wales and the voice of Wales in Westminster. We support the Secretary of State (SoS) for Wales and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales (PUSS) in representing Wales at the heart of Government. The department plays a central role in shaping key Government priorities such as levelling up, the Union and net zero. We work in partnership with other UK Government departments and stakeholders to deliver a stronger Wales within a strong United Kingdom.
Our departmental values are Commitment, Collaboration and Quality. These shape how we operate in a challenging, demanding and fast paced environment which requires flexibility, transparency and professionalism.
As a member of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales, the successful candidate would be an employee of the Ministry of Justice, as parent department.
The Office is based over two sites, in Cardiff and Whitehall. The expectation is that the postholder will travel extensively around Wales engaging and working with stakeholders. This is subject to UK and Welsh Government Covid-19 guidance on travel.
About the team:
The role is within the Policy Team in OSSW, which currently consists of approximately 12 people. The Policy Team operates across a wide range of reserved and devolved policy areas, working to identify opportunities to benefit Wales within emerging UK Government policy, and acting to identify and resolve issues that affect Wales. The day to day work of the team involves engagement with senior stakeholders inside and outside of Government as well as advising ministers, officials and regional partners responsible for City and Growth deals, on a broad range of topics.
Description:
We are looking for a Senior Advisor and Stakeholder Manager for Innovation and Research - someone who has experience of working within the field of innovation and research and can navigate this complex landscape in Wales, identifying priorities and developing plans for delivering them.
The post-holder will have experience of building and managing relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders including with the higher education sector. The post-holder will be able to identify opportunities and challenges for innovation to drive jobs and growth in Wales.
The exposure to Ministers and senior stakeholders is second to none and the post would suit someone who is a self-starter, a confident communicator, adept at building effective relationships and able to develop strategies to deliver tangible outcomes. The senior advisor and Stakeholder Manager will provide expert advice and intelligence to support Ministers and the Department in delivering the Government’s Plan for Wales.
Key responsibilities:
This is a high-profile, exciting and fast-paced role which will require engagement with a wide- range of stakeholders including with ministers. You will play a role in shaping the Department’s work on Transport in Wales and in delivering the Government’s Plan for Wales, its levelling- up agenda and the net zero transition in Wales, while strengthening Wales’ place in the United Kingdom.
The role will involve:
Building trusted relationships with external stakeholders in order to understand challenges and opportunities in
Gathering evidence and intelligence and using it to inform the development of strategies and plans to deliver OSSW
Forging partnerships with stakeholders to help shape and deliver priorities and representing stakeholder views convincingly with ministers and Whitehall
Widening stakeholder engagement to enhance the team’s knowledge of key policy areas and of developments on the ground in
Providing expert advice to Ministers and regional partners responsible for the City and Growth Deals and local growth funds in Wales to ensure decisions are in line with Government policy and funding is directed to the projects most likely to bring jobs, growth and prosperity to
Identifying opportunities to influence policy and using political antenna to detect emerging opportunities and challenges to policy making for
The postholder will be supported by one other team member in providing advice and briefing for ministers and parliamentary debates.
Note for applicants: The Wales Office operates a flexible working policy. For this role, you will need to be able to travel across Wales (and other parts of the UK as required).
Person Specification:
You should have a stakeholder engagement or policy background and excellent written and oral skills.
Please evidence in your Statement of Suitability, how closely you match the following
abilities, technical, and desirable experience elements:
Essential:
Strong communication skills to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.
Experience and knowledge of the Innovation and Research
Ability to analyse and interpret data for the purposes of producing evidence for policy advice
Desirable:
Recruitment Process
This campaign will be undertaken using the Civil Service Success Profile framework. You will need to provide evidence in your application to cover the following behaviours:
Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour) (Application & Interview)
Seeing the Bigger Picture (Application & Interview)
Delivering at Pace (Application & Interview)
Making Effective Decisions (Application & Interview) Additional Information
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Staff recruited to work at the OSSW will be employees of the Ministry of Justice who provide employment services on our behalf.