Deputy Director – School Leadership
Welsh Government
Apply before 4:00 pm on Wednesday 20th November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Further to the findings of the Strategic Review of Education Partners in Wales, the Welsh Government has announced the establishment of a new body responsible for national professional learning in Wales, working closely with local authorities and schools to deliver high priority national programmes. This new organisation will be designed with our partners over the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 and further roles including the leader of the new organisation are yet to be confirmed. The organisation will be a fully bilingual organisation and also expert in areas of professional learning and leadership and will recruit accordingly. This first role within the organisation is required to deliver statutory functions; other roles will be recruited to over the course of the coming months.
The purpose of the role is to provide the strategic direction to all professional learning and support programmes that support school leaders at various levels of the system. The successful candidate will set the vision and direction for leadership professional learning and school improvement support, ensuring that all programmes are responsive to the sector needs and that they deliver to time, cost and quality requirements.
Initially, the main focus of the post will be to develop, implement and lead the revised National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) programme. The individual will be responsible for delivering a national programme that is relevant, fit for purpose and ensures future leaders in Wales are suitably supported and prepared for the role of headship. The role will then expand from April 2025 to include responsibility for all leadership programmes and professional learning for school improvement advisers.
The successful candidate will also be required to build relationships with other parts of the United Kingdom to share practice and collaborate where applicable, in addition to sharing practice on an international level.
Job description
Effective school leadership is essential for the delivery of our key education reforms. The Deputy Director will lead this work, driving the future of the profession in Wales, transforming the leadership of schools in Wales, shaping the professional learning programmes and support available to them and working with a wide range of stakeholders. This will require strategic leadership, resilience, and direction in innovative and collaborative delivery to develop our school leadership workforce to deliver for all our learners.
The Deputy Director will have experience of headship or school improvement in Wales and/or beyond and will be the public face of all education leadership provision, responsible for delivering a programme to develop future school leaders in Wales. This will involve:
- Being accountable for the oversight and strategic direction of all leadership provision for school leaders in Wales. The Deputy Director will work with a high level of autonomy, demonstrating an ability to make decisions whilst balancing the impact/risk associated with those decisions.
- Acting as a champion for school leaders in Wales and their interests and involve them in developing professional learning and support programmes.
- Building effective relationships with a range of partners and experts in Wales and internationally to deliver high quality provision.
- Developing and leading a programme that supports participants to build expertise and confidence though active engagement to become future headteachers in Wales. The programme will need to ensure that participants acquire and develop leadership capabilities to ensure a positive impact on learners.
- Ensuring all participants are suitably supported throughout the programme, the Deputy Director will be responsible for ensuring that the programme is coordinated in such a way to offer a coherent and robust experience for each participant, in line with the expectations and aims of the programme.
- Management of a team of leadership coaches to ensure they are fully supported to undertake their role to support our future school leaders.
- Working with local authorities to develop a strategic planning mechanism to ensure that there are a sufficient number of qualified headteachers for schools in Wales.
- Working with Welsh Government and local authorities to develop and deliver a programme of professional learning and accreditation for school improvement advisers.
Person specification
Experience
The role is diverse and involves working with a range of stakeholders within Welsh Government and across Wales, and beyond. This requires a very specific set of high-level skills to enable co-development and engagement at a strategic level.
Applicants must either hold qualified teacher status and the National Professional Qualification for Headship or have academic qualifications to Masters or Doctorate level in education.
Applicants will be required to demonstrate the following:
- A breadth of school leadership experience that demonstrates effective planning, management and prioritisation skills.
- Recent successful experience of working with Estyn or other middle tier organisations to implement or inform Welsh Government policy. Roles undertaken must have been at a senior level and have involved influencing, negotiating, and collaboration skills to successfully drive forward significant and high-profile education policy work.
- Track record of developing effective working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders such as practitioners, leaders in schools and settings, including headteachers, and organisations across the middle tier e.g. regional consortia and partnerships, local authorities, Estyn, the National Academy for Educational Leadership and universities.
- Understanding of Welsh Government education policies, such as Additional Learning Needs, Curriculum for Wales, the Schools as Learning Organisation model, school improvement will be required to provide advice on any key considerations for the Welsh-medium sector emerging from these policies.
Behaviours
Seeing the big picture
- Create joined up strategies that put into practice and support the Government’s vision for the future.
Changing and improving
- Challenge the way things have always been done and suggest improvements, learning from experience. Seek, encourage and recognise initiative and imaginative ideas from a wide range of people.
Leadership
- Display passion and enthusiasm for the work, helping to inspire colleagues and stakeholders to fully engage with the aims and long-term vision.
Communicating and influencing
- Respect and consider the diversity of the audience when giving messages and deliver these appropriately.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
| 3 stage process | |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Application Form |
| Stage 2 | Other Assessment |
| Stage 3 | Interview |
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Team
- Email : SCSRecruitment@gov.wales
Recruitment team
- Email : SCSRecruitment@gov.wales
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.
