Senior Equality and Inclusion Manager
Medr
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 21st November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
About Us
We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:
- further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
- higher education including research and innovation;
- adult education and adult community learning; and
- apprenticeships and training.
Operational since 1 August 2024, we work in close collaboration with our partners to enable a tertiary education and research system which is centred around the needs of learners; society; and economy with excellence, equality and engagement at its heart.
Our values really matter to us, they help shape the culture of our organisation:
- Dysgu (to learn; to teach; to educate) - learning is at the heart of everything we do. We believe curiosity fuels innovation and helps expand our horizons.
- Cydweithio (to work together; to collaborate; to co-operate) - we can achieve far more together than we ever could alone.
- Cynnwys Pawb (to include everyone; to involve everyone) - we are passionate about inclusion, seeking to create the right conditions for everyone to achieve their full potential.
- Rhagori (to exceed; to excel) - we have high aspirations for tertiary education and research in Wales and always set high standards for ourselves to be the best we can be.
Location
Our headquarters is a newly refurbished office in Capital Quarter, Cardiff, specifically designed to meet our needs. We expect this to be the place that most colleagues will use to collaborate, both with each other and with stakeholders.
As we operate across Wales, we also have collaboration and limited office space in Welsh Government offices in Llandudno Junction, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.
Main purpose of the job
Continuing and intensifying work on widening access and inclusion, is a vital tool in building a fairer, more equal, healthier Wales. As a Senior Manager, you will manage Medr’s efforts in promoting equality of opportunity and enhancing staff and student welfare. You will contribute to creating a more equitable tertiary education system for all who can benefit from it through developing and implementing tertiary education policy within the Widening Access and Inclusion Team, part of the Learner Experience Directorate at Medr. You will work across Medr and collaborate with partners to achieve these goals.
Job description
What you'll be doing
- Ensure policy development is evidence-informed and aligned to legislation and government expectations set out in strategies, plans and best practice by working with Welsh Government and other UK- and Wales-specific organisations.
- Improve sector performance by implementing, monitoring and funding widening access and inclusion policy covering the tertiary education sector. Policy areas include, but are not limited to, English/Welsh as a Second Language (E/WSOL), the Welsh Government Nation of Sanctuary Action Plan and the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan as well as other Medr regulatory and policy priorities.
- Provide assurance to, and seek advice from, Medr groups and committees on widening access and inclusion policy development, implementation, funding and outcomes.
- Maximise coherent policy development by contributing as required to the development and implementation of related policy areas under the responsibility of the Widening Access and Inclusion Team and across Medr.
- Contribute to Medr’s corporate functions as appropriate, including as they relate to Corporate and Strategic Equality Plan objectives, regulatory functions, funding and assurance activity.
- Maximise involvement and engagement with tertiary education providers and other partners, working across Wales, and across the UK where appropriate, both in person and online.
Key challenges you will face
- Operating in a new and complex tertiary education context, taking account of the diversity of the education system.
- Engaging and involving a wide range of education providers and external partners to address entrenched inequalities;
- Ensuring that widening access and inclusion policy delivers continuous enhancement and ensures a more equitable system for staff, students and learners.
- Managing competing priorities in a high-profile, challenging and evolving policy context.
About your team
The Widening Access and Inclusion Team promotes equality of opportunity and participation in tertiary education and contributes to the delivery of Medr's wider strategic duties. Our goal is to increase participation, improve retention, and enhance learner success, especially for those facing significant social, cultural, economic, and organisational barriers. We support the Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015) and contribute to the civic mission of tertiary education, supporting people to fulfil their potential regardless of their background or circumstance.
As a Senior Manager, within this team of seven, you will develop, implement, and monitor widening access and inclusion policies, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. Your responsibilities will include data analysis, publishing guidance, writing reports, drafting briefings, engaging with the tertiary sector and partners, and supporting Medr’s regulatory processes and broader initiatives.
Your line manager
Jane Johns is Head of Widening Access and Inclusion. Jane has worked in higher education policy for over 20 years. Jane has worked at higher education provider level as well as in funding and regulation roles within the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. Jane’s early work included coordinating graduate employability programmes, managing Access to Higher Education provision and wider adult and second chance education programmes.
Person specification
What you will bring
Attributes
- Agile - You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
- Drive - You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.
- Honest - You build trust through consistent and reliable behaviour.
- Reflective - You critically assess your decisions and actions, seeking to learn from both successes and failures.
Experience
- Experience and/or knowledge of widening access and inclusion in tertiary education in Wales
- Proven ability to understand and interpret policy priorities, working collaboratively to develop strategies and implementation options with maximum impact.
Welsh language Requirements
We have undertaken an evaluation of the Welsh language requirements of this post to ensure we are living our values in relation to our Welsh Language.
For this post the Welsh language requirements are: Desirable
Welsh desirable means that whilst having Welsh language skills is useful for the role, it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t disadvantage you during recruitment if you don’t currently possess these skills.
Desirable levels:
- Reading: Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
- Spoken: Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
- Understanding: Can understand parts of a basic conversation
- Written: No skills.
Benefits
Your Perks & Benefits
We recognise the importance of looking after ourselves in work and in life. Your wellbeing is fundamental to you being your best self so in recognition of this we provide:
- 33 days annual leave a year (pro rata) to give you time to reboot; top up your energy banks and spend time doing the activities you love.
- An environment that embraces work life balance.
- A culture that celebrates diversity and welcomes everyone.
- Dedicated wellbeing time to all our people each week.
- A Cycle to Work Scheme to make owning a bicycle more affordable.
Additional Support when you need it
We know that sometimes you may face challenges or life events that mean you need additional support.
- We provide a comprehensive employee assistance programme with remote access to resources and in person support whenever required.
- We have a special leave policy ensuring everyone in the organisation receives the support they need during difficult times.
More than just a workplace
- We have an active sport, social and wellbeing committee who offer a range of activities for our people to come together outside the work setting. You can participate as much or as little as you want.
- You will be entitled to take 5 days paid leave per year to undertake voluntary work to support the communities we serve.
- We know that the bonds we make in work sometimes go beyond the working day and lead to networks that last for life. We will encourage you to grow your networks across Wales, the UK and internationally.
Personal and professional development
- Once you’re offered a post, we will get to know you and work with you to develop a personalised onboarding plan which considers your experience, skills, learning style and knowledge.
- We’ll help you shape your development plans with personalised career conversations and objectives, taking account of delivery goals alongside your career aspirations and helping you own your career.
- We support all our staff to learn or improve their Welsh language skills.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
We are really interested in you as an individual and what you will bring to our organisation.
Our blended assessment process is designed to help us get to know you better enabling us to appoint someone who will thrive in the role and who shares our organisational values.
If you are interested in working with us, please send us your application through Civil Service Jobs.
You will need to include a personal statement demonstrating how you meet the essential requirements for the post.
To be fair to everyone who applies, we won’t accept:
- Late applications
- Applications with missing or incomplete information
- Personal statements over 1,250 words.
The deadline for application submission is 21 November 2024.
There will be two assessment stages for this recruitment campaign. A sift, followed by a presentation and an interview.
The following will be assessed at sift and interview stage:
Attributes
- Reflective - You critically assess your decisions and actions, seeking to learn from both successes and failures.
- Agile - You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
- Drive - You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.
Experience
- Experience and/or knowledge of widening access and inclusion in tertiary education in Wales.
The initial sift will take place on 2 December 2024.
Candidates who successfully navigate the sift stage will be required to complete an online exercise to enable us to determine their behavioural and personality preferences. Immediately on completion you will be given a report which highlights your strengths plus some development tips to help you prepare for interview. Candidates should note that the online exercise is not intended to eliminate anyone from consideration. Instead, it serves as a tool to aid in the decision-making process.
Following this, you will be invited to participate in an interview and a presentation, both of which will be conducted on 16 December 2024.
The presentation will be used to assess knowledge of the policy area.
The following criteria will also be assessed at interview:
Attribute
- Honest - You build trust through consistent and reliable behaviour.
Experience
- Proven ability to understand and interpret policy priorities, working collaboratively to develop strategies and implementation options with maximum impact.
We strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments required to the recruitment process. Please contact pobl@medr.cymru
We're looking forward to meeting everyone invited to interview at our new headquarters in Capital Quarter, Cardiff. We don’t usually pay travel expenses, but if this presents a real barrier to your attendance in person or if you require a reasonable adjustment, please let us know in advance by emailing pobl@medr.cymru so we can discuss and agree arrangements prior to your interview.
Following interview we are committed to offering constructive and actionable feedback to support you on your future career journey.
Next Steps
Interested…? Want to find out more?
We know how important it is for you to find out more about us so we will be holding a virtual information session for candidates on 11 November 2024 at 14:30 on Microsoft Teams.
This will be an opportunity for you to hear more about our organisation; the role and how we invest in our people.
If you would like to attend, register by emailing pobl@medr.cymru.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : People and Culture team
- Email : pobl@medr.cymru
Recruitment team
- Email : pobl@medr.cymru
