ID 2742
The Welsh Government operates name-free recruitment. The recruiting panel will not see personal information such as a candidate’s name and address during the sifting process. This policy is in line with our commitment to end bias and promote equality and diversity.
Vacancy details
Vacancy title
Professional Advisor – Literacy - Welsh Essential
Closing date
17/06/2025, 16:00
Advertising basis
Secondment
Actual starting salary
Secondees will remain on the pay, terms and conditions of their home organisation
Salary range or pay band
Grade 7 £58,918 to £70,450
Allowances
No
Work pattern
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Duration
2 years
Group
Education, Culture and Welsh Language
Directorate
Education
Branch
Curriculum and Assessmnet
Location (s)
Pan Wales
Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. A list of the Welsh Government's offices can be found on www.gov.wales/welsh-government-offices. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location.
Purpose of post
The purpose of the posts is to provide transitional capacity to establish, expand and embed national support in the area of literacy as a critical priority for the Cabinet Secretary.
Literacy is central to raising standards, ensuring that all learners are supported to be able to access the breadth of the curriculum. The postholders will have a central role in delivering the Cabinet Secretary’s commitments on improving clarity and support to schools and settings in this area.
The postholders will have an important role in shaping the work of the new Professional Learning body from its inception and it is expected that the postholders will pass over to the Professional Learning body potentially within 6 months of starting the post.
The postholders will provide Welsh Government and the Professional Learning Body with:
- Deep knowledge and understanding of literacy, supported by understanding of curriculum concepts including: purpose driven curricula; process-orientated progression and assessment approaches.
- Professional Expertise as a teaching practitioner/school leader/support, combining this with research/ evidence and policy considerations to develop national approaches
- Understanding and development of professional learning approaches coherent with national policy expectations – postholders should have experience with contributing to the development of professional learning / support.
Key tasks
- Oversee the development and delivery of nationally available support in the Cabinet Secretary’s priority area of Literacy. The postholders will support the development and delivery of national professional learning through a national support programme. The postholders will ensure this provides a range of support to assist schools and settings and where appropriate supporting partners. The postholders will need to work closely with both colleagues in the new Professional Learning body and policy leads in Welsh Government to ensure a coherent package of support. They will also work with suppliers and deliverers of professional learning to ensure coherent, high-quality support in line with national priorities and principles. Where appropriate, postholders will plan, lead and deliver specific elements of support themselves.
- Support the establishment of Literacy as key priorities within the new Professional Learning body. The postholders will have the opportunity to form and scope out the body’s approach to this priority, contributing to the establishment and early running of the body. The postholders will be responsible for ensuring close joint working between the Welsh Government Curriculum and Assessment team and the body and at the appropriate point, the transition of workstreams from Welsh Government to the body.
- Establish close working relationships with local authorities and partnerships to co-ordinate coherent offers of support across the education sector and the cascading of national expectations to local networks. Postholders will co-ordinate national support, developing strong working relationships to ensure support is offered at the appropriate level. They will build close relationships with regional and local networks, brokering an agreed way of working between networks at different tiers.
- Act as a source of expert advice to policy officials on the development of high-quality policy. While within Welsh Government, the postholders will provide input into the development and refinement of guidance and support and provide policy solutions to address these, developing detailed technical input. They will keep on top of and synthesise emerging expertise, research and evidence working with critical experts to develop support. They will also provide technical advice to policy leads to develop wider approach to grants, policy and procurement, being involved in these processes where appropriate. They will also provide expert advice to the Cabinet Secretary as required.
- Offer expert input into on the future ongoing cycle of review and refinement of the Curriculum for Wales. The postholders will contribute to the planning and development of the ongoing cycle of review as well as providing input into the review itself and the refinement of guidance.
Development opportunities
Postholders will have a unique opportunity to be involved in the development of a new national organisation
This is an excellent opportunity for a practitioner to combine their practice and experience with research and policy in the development of national approaches.
Other vacancy related information
- A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.
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In the case of more than one candidate scoring the same, the panel has agreed the following criteria will determine merit order:
Technical criteria; Working together; Leadership; experience criteria - For this recruitment a minimum score of 4 across all behaviours and experiences at application and interview
- At stage 2, there will be a presentation on Experience of curriculum design, working with purpose-driven process-oriented curriculum approaches. More information will be provided in advance of that stage.
- In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Experience of curriculum design, working with purpose-driven, process-oriented curriculum approaches. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
- This is a Welsh Essential post
- As Welsh language skills are essential for this role, candidates are required to present evidence for at least two questions in Welsh. For example, if the application is being submitted in English, at least two of the examples should be written in Welsh
Vetting level
Basic
Number of posts
1
Contact point for further information regarding the post
Report job