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National Assembly for WalesHuman Resources

Senior Research OfficerInformation pack

AC-002-19

Job and person specification

Welcome from the Head of Research Service

Kathryn Potter

The word ‘research’ has many connotations, and the role of a parliamentary researcher is unique. If you’re interested in facts and analysis, using clear, engaging and impartial language to explain key issues and inform debate, if you’re interested in how policy and law are developed and affect people, then working as a parliamentary researcher could be for you.

I’m the Head of Research and Library, having begun my career at the Assembly 16 years ago as a senior researcher in health and children’s policy. I’d never worked in a parliament before, working previously as a research and policy officer at Save the Children and before that residential childcare and mental health nursing.

Our team here comes from a range of backgrounds, all with a passion for high quality factual analysis and working on diverse topics - from access to music education to allotments, Brexit to bus services and from climate change to constitutional change.

Working in the Research Service will give you the opportunity to engage directly with the Assembly Members and institutions that govern Wales, as well as stakeholders, service users, academics and many other interested parties. You will provide Members with the information they need to represent both their constituents and the interests of Wales as a whole. At the same time you’ll have the opportunity to develop yourself and your understanding of our political system in a supportive environment.

If that interests and excites you, we want to hear from you.

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Job and person specification

Post Reference No: AC-002-19

Job Title: Senior Research Officer (European and International Affairs)

Pay Band: £39,739 - £47,626 (Management Band 1 - SEO)

Duration: Permanent

Service: Research Service

Location: National Assembly for Wales Ty Hywel, Cardiff Bay

Pattern of Working: This is a full-time post although flexible working arrangements will be considered, subject to meeting the needs of the Assembly and its Members.

Security Clearance: This position has been assessed as requiring a ‘CTC’ level of security vetting. For candidates who do not currently possess this level of clearance, appointment would be subject to the successful completion of this level of security vetting.

Purpose of the post:The Research Service is based within the Assembly Business Directorate in the National Assembly for Wales. As a Service we provide independent specialist parliamentary research support and briefing to all Assembly Members to ensure they are able to support their constituents and participate in Assembly business. We are recruiting a Senior Research Officer within the European and Constitutional Affairs Team. This is a key post working across a range of policy areas to support Members and their staff. This is an exciting opportunity to develop a practical understanding of the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh institutions through direct involvement in Assembly business at a time when the constitutional landscape in the UK is facing significant change. You will be responsible for providing impartial,

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Job and person specification

independent and expert advice and information services to support Assembly Members and their staff in all they do as elected representatives and to enable scrutiny and legislation of the highest quality. You will be joining us at a pivotal time in Welsh politics as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. You will be a member of the research team helping to support Members and committees prepare for these key changes and assess what they might mean for the future of the Assembly and Wales. You will also play a key role in maintaining an overview of the Assembly’s activities relating to Brexit and developing public facing content on the work of the Assembly relating to European and international affairs. You may be required to travel to the Assembly’s EU Office in Brussels.

Robin Wilkinson, Senior Research Officer

“The role of Senior Research Officer is varied and rewarding. Through working with Assembly committees and individual Members I have been able to help generate ideas to improve public policy in Wales. Working closely with politicians has enabled me to improve my ability and confidence in communicating complex ideas both in writing and in person. Being a Senior Researcher is a hands-on job: using subject knowledge to suggest areas of work to politicians, then taking ownership of the need to make sure that they are well-informed whilst carrying out their work.

The Research Service provides a supportive environment that has encouraged me to develop the skills I need to do the job well – whether that be attending specialist conferences or taking the time to meet stakeholders so I can get to grips with complex new areas. This has involved working in Brussels to understand the interaction between the Assembly and the EU and working with academics to explore the impact of Brexit on the Welsh economy.

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Job and person specification

I’ve worked across a number of areas in my time in the Research Service, so I’ve had the chance to learn about lots of areas of public policy – from Brexit and trade policy to digital communications. The common factor has been an ability and willingness to learn about a new area quickly, and explain to politicians what they need to know in a clear and impartial manner.”

Core Responsibilities:

Key tasks: Taking individual responsibility for providing timely, high quality and impartial

briefings, advice and analysis on European, international and constitutional issues of relevance to the Assembly as a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Providing confident and effective research support and advice to Assembly committees to enable the scrutiny of Brexit-related policy and legislation, both working independently and as a team.

Developing and sharing expertise in relation to emerging issues and post-Brexit arrangements, such as common frameworks, international agreements and inter-institutional arrangements, to enable the effective monitoring of these matters and to improve services and information available to committees, Assembly Members and the wider public.

Coordinating and producing proactive and public-facing outputs relating to Brexit, for example research briefings, podcasts and blog posts on relevant topics to help contribute to open and well informed debate, and helping to manage and encourage the use of the Brexit Academic Framework.

Developing relationships and identifying opportunities for joint working and for sharing information with counterparts in other UK legislatures and in Brussels, and building links with academics, external stakeholders and information providers.

Working with Assembly Members and their staff to win their trust and confidence, and working collaboratively with colleagues from different service areas across the National Assembly to support its wide-ranging Brexit-related work including formal business and internal preparations.

Sharing responsibility for, and contributing to, the leadership and development of the Research Service, particularly in relation to post-Brexit legislation and policy, and contributing to the coordination, governance and internal communication of Brexit related activity and business across the Assembly.

As with all posts in the Research Service, you are likely to have to cover subject areas outside your immediate field of expertise in response to the information priorities of Assembly Members and to work flexibly or move between teams as necessary. You are

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Job and person specification

likely to be asked to support other aspects of the work of the Business Directorate from time to time, giving you variety and understanding of the wider work of the Directorate.

Job Specific skills and Competencies:This section states which skills and experience are deemed to be essential for this role, and also which are considered desirable. You should refer to these in your application form.

It is expected that you will have relevant experience or a degree / professional qualification in a relevant subject.

Job specific criteria: essential1. Research and communication skills : Ability to communicate complex

information clearly, succinctly and accurately to different audiences, both orally and in writing.

2. Political awareness: Sound judgment and sensitivity to political issues including an understanding of the priorities of senior officers, high profile stakeholders or politicians.

3. Subject Knowledge: Excellent knowledge and understanding of at least one of the following areas from a Welsh perspective, and an ability to quickly develop knowledge of the others and work independently: constitutional affairs, European affairs, international affairs.

Job specific criteria: desirableThe following qualities are not essential for this particular post but have been deemed as desirable.

These will only be taken into account in the event of two (or more) candidates acquiring the same score at either application or interview stage.

1. Knowledge and understanding of legislation and legislative processes in a parliamentary context.

2. Experience of using digital skills to manage and draft content across social media platforms.

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Job and person specification

Welsh language criteria:The language skills for this post have been assessed as Courtesy Level Welsh.

Candidates should have the ability to:

To pronounce Welsh names, answer the telephone, greet people or make introductions bilingually

To understand and use proactively familiar, every day, expressions

To understand very short texts where people are giving basic information about themselves or others in correspondence, on forms or to interpret content using the technology available (such as Google Translate).

These skills will be assessed as part of the selection process. If the successful candidate does not possess these skills, they will be expected to commit to learn them during an agreed period.

Examples of what to expect for a courtesy level Welsh assessment are provided on our resources web page

Level Competency Areas and Behaviours: These are the specific competencies that you will be expected to demonstrate in this role. You should refer to these in your application form.

Leadership

Well-developed interpersonal skills including the ability to influence and proactively develop the ideas and approaches of others, with energy and commitment.

Working with and valuing others

Encourage and empower others to contribute to the delivery of the team’s objectives and make use of expertise from a wide range of networks inside and outside the organisation.

Learning and Improving

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Job and person specification

Work positively and in partnership with others to identify customer needs and deliver workable and innovative solutions in line with political and organisational priorities.

Delivering results to our customers

Ability to balance conflicting/competing customer requirements and shape your behaviour to deal confidently and objectively with senior people.

Important Information for Candidates What you will be assessed against and at what stage throughout the process:

Application

Assessment

Interview

Job Specifics

Research and communication skills : Ability to communicate complex information clearly, succinctly and accurately to different audiences, both orally and in writing.

√ √ √

Political awareness: Sound judgment and sensitivity to political issues including an understanding of the priorities of senior officers, high profile stakeholders or politicians.

√ √ √

Subject Knowledge: Excellent knowledge and understanding of at least one of the following areas from a Welsh perspective, and an ability to quickly develop knowledge of the others and work independently: constitutional affairs, European affairs, international affairs.

√ √

Desirable

Knowledge and understanding of legislation and legislative processes in a parliamentary context.

√

Experience of using digital skills to manage and draft content across social media platforms.

√

Competencies

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Job and person specification

Leadership

Well-developed interpersonal skills including the ability to influence and proactively develop the ideas and approaches of others, with energy and commitment.

√ √ √

Working with and valuing others

Encourage and empower others to contribute to the delivery of the team’s objectives and make use of expertise from a wide range of networks inside and outside the organisation.

√ √

Learning and Improving

Work positively and in partnership with others to identify customer needs and deliver workable and innovative solutions in line with political and organisational priorities.

√

Delivering results to our customers

Ability to balance conflicting/competing customer requirements and shape your behaviour to deal confidently and objectively with senior people.

√

Applying expertise

Use sound judgment and expertise to add value to the work of others and contribute to the development of the organisation.

√

Development Opportunities Offered by the Post:You will be joining the Research Service as the UK prepares to leave the EU. You will be involved in directly supporting Assembly Members as they scrutinise and influence the process of leaving the EU and future post-Brexit arrangements. The post offers you the opportunity to work at the heart of the Welsh political system at this critical time.You will be working with Assembly Members, their staff and with Assembly committees. You will be part of a team contributing to the strategic purpose of the National Assembly for Wales which is to represent the interests of Wales and its people, make laws for Wales and hold the Welsh Government to account.

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Job and person specification

The Assembly is an exciting place to work with progressive policies and a commitment to training and development. During your time with us you will have access to a wide range of training and development opportunities offered by the Assembly. You will have opportunities to develop your research skills through a professional development programme and you will be encouraged to develop networks with the research community and with your counterparts in other legislatures in the British Isles. You will be expected to keep up to date with your subject area by building links with academics and stakeholders and by attending relevant conferences and events.

For further information about this position and the opportunities it presents, please contact: Sian Thomas (Team Leader) on 0300 200 6291 – from 29 May until 3 JuneManon George (Team Leader) on 0300 200 6219 – from 3 June until 12 June

Our official languages (Welsh and English)We are fully committed to continuously enhancing and improving our exemplary bilingual services and to being a truly bilingual organisation so that Assembly Members, the public and staff can choose to work or communicate naturally in either or both of our official languages, with the use of both languages proactively encouraged and facilitated.

Though we do not require all our staff to be fluent in both our official languages, our expectation is that they are all committed to the delivery of services in both our official languages. To that extent, we expect all Assembly appointees to have, or to acquire during an agreed period, courtesy-level skills in Welsh. All posts are assessed in the context of the service area’s ability to deliver bilingual services to our customers and some posts, therefore, require a higher level of Welsh to facilitate that, such requirements are expressed above.

Diversity and Inclusion: We want to foster an inclusive organisational culture, attracting and retaining the widest range of talent and ensures that all our employees realise their full potential, irrespective of their background. We want our workforce to be more representative of all sections of society at all levels in the organisation.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of people, from all backgrounds and with many different skills, experience and perspectives. We particularly encourage applications from disabled people and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. Find out more about our approach to diversity and inclusion on our website.

All appointments will be made on merit.

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Job and person specification

Benefits:

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Job and person specification

Our Values:  Our values are part of everything we do. Together, we’ve created a set of values that celebrate the way we work together, and remind us of who we are and what we stand for.    

RESPECT

We are inclusive, kind, and value each other’s contributions

in delivering excellent services

PASSION

We are purposeful in our support of

democracy and pull together to make a difference for the people of Wales

PRIDE

We embrace innovation and celebrate our achievements

together as a team

WE ARE ONE TEAM

We look forward to seeing how your values align with ours, so you can help nurture a positive and inclusive culture with us.  

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Job and person specification

Details of the Selection Process:

Candidates are required to complete an application form addressing the job specific criteria and key competencies. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment and interview on 28 June 2019.

Closing Date for applications: 12 June 2019.

Completed application forms must be sent to Jobs@assembly.wales by the closing date.

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