Information for Candidates

Sport

Appointment of Chair 2016

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

Diversity Statement

The believes that public bodies should have board members who reflect Welsh society - people from all walks of life - to help them understand people's needs and make better decisions. This is why the Welsh Government is encouraging a wide and diverse range of individuals to apply for appointments to public bodies. Applications are particularly welcome from all under-represented groups including women, people under 30 years of age, members of ethnic minorities, disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.

Positive about Disability

The Welsh Government operates a Positive about Disabled People scheme and welcome applications from people with disabilities. The scheme guarantees an interview to disabled people if they meet the minimum criteria for the post. The application form also enables you to detail any specific needs or equipment that you may need if invited to attend an interview.

Vacancy Description

The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism is seeking to appoint a new Chair to – could you be the person we are looking for? This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who is passionate about sport and the benefits it can deliver for the individual and the wider community. The successful candidate will be able to build a strong team and have excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills.

Background

Responsible to the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Sport Wales is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body (WGSB), funded largely by grant-in-aid from the Welsh Government. It is also responsible for distributing funds from the National Lottery to . Sport Wales works in association with other key sport and active recreation providers and delivery agents, particularly local government, national governing bodies of sport and the voluntary sector. It is responsible for co- ordinating and helping to deliver the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government commitments to encourage sport and active recreation. http://gov.wales/about/programmeforgov/about?lang=en

Sport Wales’ operational priorities and performance targets are informed by:

- The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism’s Annual Remit Letter. - Wider policies and priorities of the Welsh Government, in particular the Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This requires Sport Wales to integrate all its work into supporting of all of the seven well being goals as well as the five governance elements of the Sustainable Development Principle. - The four objectives set down when the Sports Council for Wales (now trading as Sport Wales) was established by Royal Charter in 1972.

The four broad objectives are to:

 Increase participation in sport and active recreation;  Raise standards of performance and excellence;  Improve the provision of sporting facilities;  Provide technical information and advice about sport, recreation and active lifestyles.

Sport Wales operates two national centres; the Welsh Institute of Sport in and the Plas Menai National Watersports Centre in North Wales.

The Sport Wales Board currently consists of 10 members along with a Chair and Vice-Chair. The Board currently holds 6 meetings a year across Wales.

ROLE OF CHAIR

You will be accountable to the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism for Sport Wales’ performance and delivery of outputs. Developing and maintaining a close relationship with the Deputy Minister and key members of the Welsh Government is a crucial part of the Chair’s role.

Leadership  Provide effective leadership to Sport Wales and its Board, in particular defining and developing its strategic direction, participating in the corporate planning process and representing the views of the Board to the general public.  Work with other members to discharge the functions of the Board which will comprise: o Delivery of the Board’s corporate/business plan in response to the Deputy Minister for Culture Sport and Tourism annual Remit Letter; o Ensuring that governance arrangements are sound and that there is probity and propriety in the workings of the Sport Wales; o Putting into action the Welsh Government’s policies and priorities including equal opportunities and diversity issues, by working with key stakeholders to ensure an integrated approach for the delivery of sport in Wales; o Maximise the benefits from major high profile national and international sporting events (such as the 2014 Glasgow ), by providing a sustainable sports legacy; o Addressing the needs of sport both nationally and locally, taking responsibility for deciding how resources are deployed to meet Sport Wales’ strategic objectives. o Supporting the Welsh Government’s efforts to increase levels of active recreation throughout the population of Wales.

Relationship with the Chief Executive  Establish and build a strong, effective and a supportive working relationship with the Chief Executive, providing support and advice while respecting executive responsibility;  Conduct an annual appraisal to ensure the Chief Executive is held to account for achieving agreed strategic objectives. Provide relevant training and development opportunities.

Governance  Ensure that the governance arrangements are working in the most effective way.  Build an effective Board, initiating change and succession planning for Board appointments through the OCPA regulated process;  Annually consult with and appraise Board members on their roles and assess their performance;  Plan, preside over, and facilitate Board and committee meetings;  Ensure Sport Wales’ commitment to equality and diversity.

Communication and External Relations  Act as an ambassador for Sport Wales  Promote effective relationships between non-executive members, the executive team and staff within Sport Wales;  Develop, manage and maintain good relationships with interested parties both nationally and locally. Interest parties include:

o Welsh Government o Sport Governing Bodies o Sports Associations o local authorities o local communities o the business sector o the voluntary sector o elected community representatives o the media

PERSON SPECIFICATION

You will need to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

 Knowledge of the benefits of elite and grassroots sport and active recreation in Wales and a keen interest in their development throughout Wales.  Knowledge/experience in a related field such as health, community development, education or similar which will have given you an understanding of how sport and active recreation can improve the health and well being of people and communities across Wales;  A sophisticated understanding of financial management and the management of risk that will ensure that Sport Wales effectively manages risk in all of its activities.

 An understanding of the Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and how Sport Wales can contribute to its goals.  Strong communication skills with the ability to build strategic working relationships with all stakeholders including Ministers and Government, Board Members, and the press and media.  The ability to respond creatively and strategically to changing political and operational environments. Desirable  Skills. The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh is desirable. All candidates are expected to display an awareness of the linguistic profile of Wales and support compliance with the forthcoming Welsh Language Standards.

Eligibility Applicants should be persons who conduct themselves at all times in a manner which will maintain public confidence. In particular, applicants are required to declare whether they are aware of anything in their private or professional life, including potential conflicts of interest, which would be an embarrassment to themselves, Sport Wales or to the Welsh Government if it became known in the event of appointment.

Terms of Appointment The appointments will be made by the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates AM and the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport on behalf of the Welsh Government, following the recommendations of the Panel.

Duration of Appointment The appointment is for a period of 3 years.

Time Commitment The Chair will be expected to be available to work around 2 days per week.

Remuneration A salary of £35,184 per annum is payable.

You will also receive reimbursement for all directly related travel and subsistence costs in carrying out the duties of the appointment.

Conduct You will hold office subject to compliance with the Public Standards Committee Seven Principles of Public Life and the guidance issued by Sport Wales.

Assistance for Disabled Members Where appropriate all reasonable adjustments will be made to enable members to effectively carry out their duties.

Induction Training Successful candidates will be required to attend induction sessions that will take place following appointment.

Secretariat The secretariat at Board meetings is provided by staff of Sport Wales.

Selection Process This appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code for Ministerial Appointments. It is the policy of the Welsh Government and Sport Wales to promote and integrate equality of opportunity into all aspects of their business, which includes appointments to public bodies. Applications are welcomed and encouraged from all groups and we ensure that no eligible candidate for public office receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, or pregnancy and maternity. The principles of fair and open competition will apply and appointments will be made on merit.

Starting Date 1 February 2016.

Further Information and Queries For further information on the application process and for queries contact: Jon Westlake, Head of Sports Division, Culture, Sport and Tourism Directorate, Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ. Telephone: 029 2082 5879. Email: [email protected];

For further information about the application process and how to apply, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments or contact the Welsh Government’s Shared Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 or [email protected].

We hope you will find the on-line process simple to follow but we recognise that not everyone will be able to use it because of their own individual accessibility requirements. If you are unable to apply online please contact the Shared Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 who will be able to provide a copy of the application pack in an alternative format.

Application Process

Creating a new user account Once you have selected ‘Apply’ you will be taken to the candidate log in screen. If you do not have an existing candidate account, you will need to select ‘Create New Account’ which can be found underneath the log in details. Once you have done this, enter your details and read the terms and conditions. If you agree to the terms and conditions, confirm this and select ‘Submit Registration’.

Navigating the Application form The fields marked with an asterisk ‘*’ are mandatory, therefore you must provide a response or you will not be able to submit your application. Fields without a ‘*’ are not mandatory, as they may not be relevant to all candidates. If you do have information you could include in response to a question, providing as much information as possible against each field will help to ensure that the sifting panel have a complete picture of your skills, experience and knowledge.

Select ‘Continue’ once you have completed all the questions on a page to proceed (this will save what you have completed on that page). You can also select ‘back’ at any point to return to the previous page. Alternatively, you can select a specific page you want to return to by clicking on a link to the page in the Progress Tracker on the left hand side

Progress Tracker A green tick by a section shows that you have responded to all the questions in that section. An orange tick shows that you have completed all the mandatory questions in that section. A cross indicates that you have left some mandatory questions unanswered; therefore the application cannot be submitted.

You don’t have to complete the whole application form in one go. Once you have completed a section, ensure you click the ‘Continue’ button to save all you have done in that section. You can then log out of your account and return to your unfinished application at any point up to the closing date for the vacancy. To return to the application form, simply log in to your account, select ‘My applications’ and click on the relevant vacancy title, which should be in your applications history.

Declaration Please ensure you read the declaration statement. If you agree to the statements regarding Data Protection, Equal Opportunities and how your application will be processed, select the tick box to confirm your agreement.

Select ‘Submit’ ONLY if you are content that your application is complete and you do not wish to make any changes.

Application Updates Once you have applied for a vacancy, you will be kept updated on the progress of your application via your registered e-mail address. You can also check on the progress of your application by logging in to your account and viewing the ’My Applications’ section of your account which is at the top of the page when you are logged in.

To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first a full CV and the second a personal statement (no more than two sides of A4), detailing your experience, how you meet the role description and person specification and how you could contribute to the role of Chair of Sport Wales. The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Attach Supplementary Document(s)’ section of the online application form.

Closing Date Please note that the closing date for applications is 9 October 2015. Applications will not be accepted after this point. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the Welsh Government’s Shared Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 or [email protected].