Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum

Appointment of five Trustees

Information for Candidates

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

INTRODUCTION

Would you like to help us to position Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (the Museum) as an organisation that inspires people and changes lives and enable us to mobilise our skills and our collections to enhance our public service and further broaden our range of users? The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, in consultation with the Museum, is seeking five new Board members for the Museum’s Board of Trustees – could you be the person we are looking for? Are you passionate about museums? Do you believe that museums have an important role in presenting the past? Do you believe that museums provide adults and children with a unique opportunity to learn and see things they couldn’t experience anywhere else, and help promote social inclusion? Can you contribute to the development of the Museum as a world class museum of learning? If the answer is yes then we want to hear from you.

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales is made-up of seven separate museums housing world class collections and research on a wide range of topics spanning the earth and natural sciences, fine and applied art, archaeology, and the industrial and social history of Wales.

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.

BACKGROUND Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales was established by Royal Charter in 1907 and was granted a supplemental Charter in 2006 (www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/35/). It derives its core funding from the Welsh Government as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body (WGSB). The Museum is also a registered charity subject to Charity Law.

The Museum consists of:  the National Museum ;  St Fagans: National History Museum;  the at ;  the at Dre-fach Felindre;  Big Pit: National Coal Museum at Blaenafon;  the National Roman Legion Museum at Caerleon;  the National Waterfront Museum ; and  the National Collections Centre at Nantgarw.

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Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

In addition, the Museum presents its renowned research work via its website and in its associated web presence, Rhagor. The museum is also a major partner in the People’s Collection Wales website (www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/)

The Museum employs some 550 staff across its sites and expends an annual budget of some £25 million.

As set out in the 1907 Charter, the Museum’s key purpose is to educate the public. This is to be achieved by caring for, enhancing, and giving access to the Museum’s collections, which cover aspects of earth and natural sciences, fine and applied art, archaeology, and the industrial and social history of Wales.

The Museum celebrated the Centenary of its foundation by Royal Charter in 2007. Its Vision is to be an organisation that inspires people and changes lives. This vision will guide its work over the next 10 -15 years. There are ambitious plans for the future development of the Museum and the display of its internationally renowned collections.

The Museum is currently taking forward the exciting redevelopment of St Fagans National History Museum, a major £25.5 million investment that will provide significant economic and social benefits for the whole of Wales.

The Museum is a key partner in the Fusion programme, aimed at increasing the contribution culture makes in helping people in our most disadvantaged communities.

The Museum has important partnership schemes with local museums and galleries throughout Wales which involve the development of exhibitions which draw from the national collections held by the Museum.

It is also an important part of the Museum’s aspirations to mainstream the into all of its activities.

THE APPOINTMENTS The Welsh Government is looking to appoint five trustees to the Museum’s Board.

Under the terms of the Museum’s Supplemental Royal Charter of 2006, the Board of Trustees consists of sixteen Trustees. Nine, including the President and Vice President, are appointed by the Welsh Government and seven, including the Treasurer, are appointed by the Board of Trustees. In the case of all appointments, the Welsh Government and the Museum act in consultation with each other. Appointments made by the Welsh Government are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and made in accordance with the Commisioner’s Code of Practice.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Board of Trustees holds the Museum’s collections in trust for the people of Wales and provides strategic direction for the work of the Museum. Collectively the Board has a wide range of expertise and experience relevant to the multi-disciplinary nature of the Museum

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Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales and the functions it carries out. The President of the Museum, who chairs the Board of Trustees, is Elisabeth Elias MA DL.

THE DIRECTOR GENERAL Under the terms of the Charter, the Trustees appoint a Chief Executive with title of Director General who is not a Trustee to have ‘general responsibility for the management and administration of the Museum on behalf of the Trustees’. The Director General is formally designated as the Accounting Officer for the Museum by the Welsh Government.

The Director General is David Anderson OBE who took up post at the beginning of October 2010. David Anderson was previously Director of Learning and Interpretation at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

TRUSTEE - ROLE DESCRIPTION Trustees are required to fulfil the duties of a trustee of a charity. The Charity Commission defines these as set out on the Charity Commission website at http://www.charity- commission.gov.uk/publications/cc3.aspx.

Trustees must also be aware of their obligations arising from the position of the Museum as a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. These are laid out in the Framework Document, which sets out the Terms and Conditions of Welsh Government funding to the Museum.

The key points to note are that Trustees must:  attend Board meetings regularly and prepare thoroughly for those meetings;  be prepared to serve on sub committees;  actively support the Museum’s management and staff in their work;  represent the Museum at public functions;  promote the profile of the Museum;  give the Museum the benefit of their experience and expertise;  facilitate contact with the Museum’s stakeholders; and  contribute to the determination of policy, strategies and priorities in the management of the Museum’s collections.

TRUSTEE - PERSON SPECIFICATION To be effective, the Board needs Trustees with a broad range of expertise and experience. As a Trustee you will help determine policy, strategies and priorities in the Museum’s core activities. You should be able to draw on your own knowledge, skills and experience to provide evidence of your abilities in a range of the following areas:

 a commitment and enthusiasm for the Museum’s work including a broad appreciation of the subjects covered by the Museums collections;  an understanding and interest in the cultural sector as a whole and a sensitivity to discern public opinion on cultural issues;  contributing effectively in discussion, decision making and debate;  working in a collegiate manner with fellow Trustees;

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Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

 management experience in a business, institutional, administrative or other context, with an appreciation of the distinction between the executive and non- executive functions;  an understanding of the relationship between the Museum and the Welsh Government  a commitment to equality issues and challenging discriminatory practices when appropriate;  a commitment to Nolan’s ‘Seven Principles of Public Life’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life) and  expertise in one or more of the following areas:  learning and participation;  digital media;  the law;  higher education;  business;  the built environment;  science;  the different communities of Wales, particularly North Wales;  income generation;  social, government and third-sector agendas;  health and well-being.

WELSH LANGUAGE SKILLS An ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for all posts however an ability to work in a bilingual environment and have a strong commitment to, and respect and understanding of, bilingualism and the Welsh language in the cultural sphere and communities of Wales is essential. Trustees may participate in Board Meetings in either Welsh or English with bilingual translation provided

DURATION OF APPOINTMENTS The term of office for all Trustee posts is initially for 4 years and you may be reappointed for a further 4 years by mutual agreement, and, where the appointment is made by the Welsh Ministers, approval from the Minister.

TIME COMMITMENT AND LOCATION OF MEETINGS Board meetings are held, 4 times a year, in public and generally last 3 to 4 hours. Most are held in Cardiff, either at or at St Fagans: National History Museum. One meeting per year usually takes place outside Cardiff.

Some Trustees will also be invited to serve on the Performance Review Committee (4 meetings a year), the Audit Committee (4 meetings a year), or the Board of the Museum’s Enterprises Company (4 meetings a year) as well as on other internal groups which include visiting the 7 museums and the National Collections Centre.

In order to prepare for meetings, including reading extensive reports and briefings on the full range of Museum activities, the time commitment for the post of Trustee is a minimum of 12 days per year.

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Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

ELIGIBILITY FOR APPOINTMENT 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 that would be an embarrassment to themselves or to the Welsh Government or the Museum if it became known in the event of appointment.

Under the terms of the Museum's Royal Charter, a person is not eligible to serve as a Trustee for more than eight consecutive years unless they serve as an officer when they can serve for twelve years, so long as they do not serve in one office for more than eight years. Former Trustees may be appointed provided that they last served as a Trustee more than four years previously.

The National Assembly for Wales (Disqualification) Order 2010 disqualifies persons serving on the Museum Board from being members of the National Assembly for Wales.

REMUNERATION Trustees are not remunerated. Travel and subsistence expenses and other reasonable expenses incurred whilst carrying out work for the Board are reimbursed at the standard rates set by the Museum. You may also be eligible to claim reimbursement for costs in relation to child care/ care of the elderly/ or other caring responsibilities, whilst carrying out work on behalf of the Board.

ASSISTANCE FOR DISABLED TRUSTEES Every effort will be made to provide whatever reasonable support members need to help them carry out their duties.

INDUCTION TRAINING Successful candidates will be expected to undertake a programme of induction training and will discuss with the President each year any particular training requirements which are felt necessary to discharge their responsibilities.

New to being a Trustee? A mentoring service is available where you would have the opportunity to work alongside an existing trustee whilst you learn the ropes.

SELECTION PROCESS Appointments to the Museum by the Welsh Government are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and made in accordance with the Code of Practice on Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies. It is the policy of the Welsh Government and the Museum to promote and integrate equality of opportunity into all aspects of their business including appointments to public bodies. Both organisations welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups and 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.

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Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

STARTING DATES The Trustee posts will commence on 1 November 2015.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND QUERIES For further information on the application process and to apply, please visit www.wales.gov.uk/publicappointments or for queries contact the Welsh Government, Shared Service Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 / [email protected].

For further information about the Museum you may wish to visit their web site: www.museumwales.ac.uk, or contact Elaine Cabuts, Museum Secretary on 029 2057 3204 / [email protected].

OPEN AFTERNOONS To gain a better understanding of the role we would invite potential applicants to meet an existing officer of the Museum on either Wednesday 01 July at National Slate Museum, Llanberis and on Friday 03 July at Amgueddfa Cymru, Park, Cardiff, from 2pm - 6pm. No need to book – just turn up. Attendance at one of these events is not a requirement of the application process.

APPLICATIONS Applications should be made by completing the on-line application form. The Applicants Guidance Notes provide detailed guidance on completing the application form.

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.

Important Information about using the on-line application system When using the on-line application system you should read the “Help and Instructions” which appears as an option on the first page of the application form after the log-in page. The instructions make the important point that use should use the “Save and Proceed” button at the bottom of the page in order to save any information you have inputted.

This is particularly important when you are completing the section on “Evidence of Suitability for Appointment”. It is a good idea to click “Save and Proceed” after completing each of the separate questions in this section to ensure no information is lost. You can navigate back to the “Evidence of Suitability for Appointment” section after clicking “Save and Proceed” by using the menu on the left hand side of the page.

A note of caution – if you click on the “Reset Page“ button you will lose all the information you have inputted since you last clicked “Save and Proceed”.

The closing date for applications for all posts is 16 July 2015 Application forms received after this date will not be considered. You will be informed whether or not you are being invited to interview at least two weeks before the interviews which are expected to take place in early September 2015 in Cardiff.

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