virtual school head jobs

440756

£58,918 - £70,450

Please note, the starting salary will be offered at the minimum of the pay band.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Permanent

Policy

Full-time

1

Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Llandudno Junction, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea

About Us

We are an arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education
• higher education including research and innovation;
• apprenticeships
• adult community learning; and local authority maintained school sixth forms.

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.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and accredited as a Living Wage employer.

Location

Our headquarters is in Cardiff. This is where most colleagues will meet to collaborate, both with each other and with stakeholders.

As we operate across Wales, we also have limited office and collaboration space in Welsh Government offices in Llandudno Junction, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.

Main Purpose of the Role

As the lead on Medr’s regulatory system, you will build relationships with leadership and key stakeholders to enable the delivery and operation of the new system for the tertiary education sector in Wales.

Leading a small team of regulatory specialists, you will use your skills and experience to manage entry to the regulated system by providers and to monitor ongoing compliance. You will provide assurance to Medr’s Board that any issues arising will be identified and managed through intervention at an appropriately early stage.

You will lead on registration and regulatory compliance matters for Medr, including the operation of the current regulatory processes until they are superseded by new arrangements.

As a strategic leader and a key member of our leadership team you will embrace and lead change; live our values and develop others to be their best selves.

What You'll Be Doing

• Providing oversight and strategic leadership to your team to ensure they deliver; managing the team’s focus to enable effective delivery of their activities.
• Leading on the implementation and ongoing management of the new Register of higher education providers.
• Leading on the finalisation and implementation of the conditions of registration, for registered higher education providers, and the conditions of funding for other non-registered tertiary education and training providers, working with colleagues from across Medr to develop and operationalise requirements .
• Leading the implementation and ongoing use of Medr’s intervention powers, including supporting processes, to address issues of non-compliance by registered and funded providers.
• Contributing to Medr’s wider processes, including providing input on provider risk and compliance.

Key Challenges

• Developing and implementing the new regulatory framework for the tertiary education sector, drawing on expertise from across Medr, whilst ensuring ongoing compliance with current regulatory requirements until they are superseded.
• Establishing and implementing appropriate reporting mechanisms in respect of compliance with Conditions of Registration and Funding that manage the risks posed to providers and learners and alert Medr’s leadership and Government to areas where intervention is required.
• Implementation of interventions as required to address issues of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Developing and supporting the team to reach their potential.
• Securing credibility and trust with a range of partners including our senior leadership team, key stakeholders and contacts within the tertiary education sector.

About Your Team

You will lead a small team in the Regulation Directorate. The Directorate is responsible for the regulatory oversight of all tertiary education providers in Wales. Your team is responsible for the development and operation of the new regulatory system, including entry by providers to the system, the management of the register of higher education providers. You will also lead on Medr’s intervention functions, working with colleagues from across Medr to address non-compliance with registration and funding conditions.

About Your Line Manager

Ewen Brierley is the Director of Regulation of Medr.

Ewen leads on the development and operation of Medr’s regulatory system. Before joining Medr, Ewen worked as Director of Regulation and Analysis for the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and, prior to that, as HEFCW’s Head of Sustainability and Assurance.

What You'll Bring

Attributes

• Role model our values - You embody the organisation's values, setting the standard for ethical behaviour and integrity across the organisation.
• Motivating - You inspire and empower others to achieve their full potential. Cultivating a culture of collaboration and excellence through effective communication, recognition of achievements, and providing opportunities for development.
• Drive - You drive strategic direction for the organisation and rally teams behind ambitious goals.
• Act with integrity - You role-model ethical behaviours, setting the tone for integrity throughout the organisation.
• Agile - You challenge the status quo and champion change initiatives, creating a culture where innovation and adaptation are valued and encouraged.

Experience

• Experience in a regulatory role in public sector or tertiary education.
• Experience of preparing and presenting regulatory information and reports to senior colleagues, committees/boards and key stakeholders.

Welsh Language

We have evaluated that the Welsh language requirements for this post are:

Desirable

Welsh desirable means that while 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.

• Reading
• Spoken
• Understanding
• Written

Alongside your salary of £58,918, Medr contributes £17,068 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Your Perks and Benefits

We recognise the importance of looking after ourselves in work and in life, so in recognition of this we provide:

• 33 days annual leave a year (pro rata)
• An environment that embraces work life balance.
• A culture that celebrates diversity and welcomes everyone.
• Dedicated well-being 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

• You will be entitled to take 5 days paid leave per year to undertake voluntary work to support the communities we serve.
• We will encourage you to grow your networks across Wales, the UK and internationally.
• We have an active social 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.

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.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Job contact :

• Name : People and Culture Team
• Email : swyddi@medr.cymru

Recruitment team

• Email : swyddi@medr.cymru