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Job Title
Visits and Events Officer
Pay Grade
HEO (National Scale)
Salary
£30,451 – £34,105
Location
Cardiff
Contract
Permanent
Clearance
CTC (See Additional Information)
About the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is the face of the UK Government in Wales and the voice of Wales in Westminster. We support the Secretary of State (SoS) for Wales and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales (PUSS) in representing Wales at the heart of Government. We work in partnership with other UK Government Departments and stakeholders to deliver a stronger Wales within a strong United Kingdom.
Why work at the Wales Office? The exposure to Ministers is second to none in Whitehall, this role will suit an individual who wants to hone their comms experience and skills and who is not daunted by working with senior officials or Ministers. Being the smallest UK Government department, we pride ourselves on our ability to punch above our weight and cover multiple and wide-ranging policy portfolios.
Our departmental values are Commitment, Collaboration and Quality. These shape how we operate in a challenging, demanding and fast paced environment which requires flexibility, transparency and professionalism.
The Office is based over two sites, with one base in Cardiff and another in London. This post will be based in the Cardiff Office. As an accredited smarter working organisation, we offer considerable flexibility around ‘the way we work’. We have a great technology and an attractive employee benefits package which includes a commitment to investing in the learning & development of our staff.
About the Team
The successful candidate will be joining the Communications Team in OSSW which currently consists of around 8 other experienced Comms professionals. The team is open to new ideas and has an excellent reputation for delivering quality results. You will work closely with other communications teams across Whitehall and beyond, and with policy colleagues across the Department.
Key Responsibilities
This post would suit someone who is a self-starter, a confident communicator, and is adept at building effective relationships. The successful candidate will use their excellent interpersonal skills to build trusted relationships with Ministers and senior stakeholders across Wales and beyond.
This role will involve:
Building and maintaining excellent relationships with external stakeholders to identify opportunities or develop programs for visits and events.Taking a flexible approach and be able to deliver high-quality work at a fast pace when required.Taking ownership for developing and delivering visit programs and events in Wales and London.Using excellent oral and written communications skills with strong attention to detail, including skills (or the confidence to gain them) in creating social media content.Resilience to act as lead officer for visits, advising Ministers face to face and calmly adapting to circumstances.Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with other government departments (particularly their Wales based teams).Responding to requests for suggestions or advice from other departments and assisting them in the delivery of their visits and events.Representing the Wales Office at external business meetings and events.Being prepared to travel regularly as required by the post, for Ministerial visits and programmes and to meet with stakeholders. Each member of the team takes part in an on-call system, for which there is allowance, to take calls out-of-hours from the media. This is done on a rotational basis and full training will be given.Person Specification
You will be a highly motivated self-starter and great teammate who can spot opportunities and generate ideas for visits. You will be highly organised, able to work to deadlines and deliver quality outcomes at pace, fully supported by your line manager.
Your experience of communications and its impact means you can turn your attention to daily delivery while also thinking about the wider picture. You are adaptable and resourceful and keen to take hold of all the opportunities this role offers to further build your career.
Please evidence in your Statement of Suitability how closely you match the essential criteria:
Essential
Proven experience of working in a busy events or relationship management role, demonstrating ability to be well organised, and to respond to competing priorities, adapting skills and resources to changing circumstances.Excellent people skills, adapting quickly to fit skills and resources to ensure the delivery of timely and high-quality outputs.Resilience to see projects through to completion, to adapt plans as necessary. Creativity that enables you to connect issues and search out opportunities in a diverse range of circumstances and situations.Demonstrated personal ability to thrive in a high profile and demanding environment of fast paced change, involving senior stakeholders and officials.Desirable
Written and verbal Welsh language skills are highly desirable, but not essential.Recruitment Process
This campaign will be undertaken using the Civil Service Success Profile framework. You will need to provide evidence in your application to cover the following behaviours:
Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour) (Application & Interview)Making Effective Decisions (Application & Interview)Managing a Quality Service (Application & Interview)Delivering at Pace (Application & Interview)Additional Information
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Staff recruited to work at the OSSW will be employees of the Ministry of Justice who provide employment services on our behalf.
This role requires CTC level clearance. Applicants for National Security Clearance (CTC) must be resident in the UK for 3 years immediately prior to their application for Security Clearance.