Overview
Vacancy title: Community Focused School and Education Improvement Professional Advisor
Closing date: 13/04/2026, 16:00
Advertising basis: Secondment
Actual starting salary: This opportunity will be a secondment to Welsh Government, and the successful candidate will remain on their employer’s terms and conditions of service and current basic salary.
Salary range or pay band: Grade 7 £61,098 to £73,057
Allowances: No
Work pattern: Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Duration: 2 years
Group: Education, Culture and Welsh Language
Directorate: Education
Branch: Engagement and Enrichment
Location (s): Pan Wales
Purpose of post
We are currently recruiting a secondee to work closely with Local Authorities (LAs), schools, multi-agency partners, families and wider communities to build and maintain a better understanding of local challenges and experiences to inform national policy and to facilitate connection and join-up working across Wales to support the holistic delivery of Community Focused Schools (CFS) approaches within the context of Education Improvement (EI).
The Welsh Government leads regular strategic engagement with LAs on national priority areas to support EI, develop cross-sector understanding and provide national support as appropriate. In this context, the Welsh Government wants all schools to be CFS, building a strong partnership with families and responding to the needs of their community, alongside collaborating effectively with other services.
Working across the CFS Team within the Welsh Government Equity in Education Division and new Education Improvement Team (EIT), the CFS & EIT Professional Advisor (Professional Advisor) will ensure that the CFS ethos and equity policies more generally are reflected within Education Improvement and that Education Improvement considers community and equity when trying to determine what barriers and challenges need to be removed to allow schools to thrive and improve. The Professional Advisor will also represent Welsh Government education priorities in an integrated way and will need to remain agile and responsive to the needs of the sector.
The Professional Advisor will be required to support the work of the Welsh Government in the continued development and embedding of regulations, guidance and policy. This, is in addition to working with external stakeholders to ensure the views and opinions of the sector are captured and reflected in the emerging policy on CFS.
The Professional Advisor will provide professional and practical advice to the CFS policy team, bridging the gap between stakeholder requirements and policy development. The Professional Advisor will work closely with education providers as well as with families and the wider community, to ensure that policy development is both deliverable and impactful.
The Professional Advisor will support policy development and embedding of CFS structures including: the development of the Community Focused Schools Manager (CFSM) and Family Engagement Officer (FEO) roles; support to Whole School Approaches to supporting the child and have opportunities to contribute to the development of a range of policies and programmes across the Equity space.
The Professional Advisor will liaise with Dysgu, the new national professional learning and leadership body, in order to ensure the development of a suite of professional learning approaches at a range of levels to support the embedding of CFS approaches.
As a member of the EIT, the Professional Advisor will be expected to contribute to discussions around the wider school improvement agenda. The EIT is a developing function that will build up over time and will largely consist of individuals seconded from the sector who bring a range of skills, specialism and experience.
The Professional Advisor will need to demonstrate proven ability to engage with credibility at high levels across a range of education partners. They will be expected to proactively manage and prioritise activities, taking responsibility for delivering outcomes on time and to the highest standard.
Key tasks
* Provide advice and guidance on the response to the recommendations of an independent review of CFS.
* Provide advice and support in further development consistent national guidance for monitoring and evaluation, whilst recognising local flexibility.
* Provide advice and guidance in the further development of a national framework for the FEO role description.
* Support officials with the embedding of guidance and best practice for LAs and practitioners on CFS - Community Focused Schools | GOV.WALES
* Provide professional advice - working with officials and engaging with wider stakeholders on embedding the policy framework for CFS (regulations, guidance and other support).
* Facilitate policy development and embedding of CFS structures including the development of the CFSM and FEO roles.
* Consider the training and development requirements of education practitioners and other stakeholders and lead on establishing an approach to support a professional learning offer to support the embedding of CFS approaches.
* Consider the funding and governance arrangements underpinning the national CFS approach.
* Facilitate and drive the continuation of international collaboration to support the CFS agenda.
* Lead on stakeholder engagement throughout the education system and wider, to support integration of services, including but not limited to, social work and health.
* Chair external stakeholder groups to secure buy in and input into policy development work, using their professional experience to overcome potential challenges in policy delivery.
* Work with the EIT and play a key role in embedding inclusive and equitable approaches across the education improvement programme.
* Through strategic discussion with LAs and school leaders, ensure a consistent focus on national priorities with support for inclusion and more equitable attainment and outcomes for learners, with a particular focus on CFS.
* Support the work of the EIT more widely, in engaging with LAs and schools on school improvement through collaborative work and working with Welsh Government policy teams to support greater integration of policy and system intelligence.
Development opportunities: The post will offer the opportunity to develop a working knowledge of Welsh Government’s approach to policy development, providing the post holder with an opportunity to develop working relationships with a range of internal stakeholders from across Welsh Government divisions and departments. The post will also offer an opportunity to build cross government relationships with other government counterparts and external stakeholders. The post offers the opportunity to strengthen multi-agency stakeholder relationships, with the post holder needing to work collaboratively as the bridge between Welsh Government and Local Authorities, schools and other educational settings, alongside families and communities.
Other vacancy related information
* A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.
* For this recruitment a minimum score of 4 across all behaviours and experiences at application and interview.
* This opportunity will be a secondment to Welsh Government, and the successful candidate will remain on their employer’s terms and conditions of service and current basic salary.
* You must obtain prior agreement from your employer to be released on secondment before applying. Please ensure you have line management approval.
* During the secondment, you will remain on the terms, conditions, and payroll of your home organisation.
* Inward secondees are not eligible for Welsh Government pay awards or rewards.
* A presentation on Experience Criteria One will be required at interview stage. More information regarding the presentation, will be provided in the invitations to that stage if successful.
* The successful applicant will need to attend Cathays Park at least once a week.
Vetting level: Basic
Number of posts: 1
Contact point for further information regarding the post: Martyn Gunter: Schools.EnrichmentAndEngagement@gov.wales
Welsh language requirements
3 - Welsh language skills are not essential for this post, they are however desirable and will be considered if two or more candidates receive the same score at the application or interview stage.
Understanding by reading / Speaking and being understood / Understanding by listening / Writing and being understood
Understanding by reading: 0 - No skills
Speaking and being understood: 0 - No skills
Understanding by listening: 0 - No skills
Writing and being understood: 0 - No skills
Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
Behaviour
* Behaviour 1
* Seeing the Big Picture: Bring together views, perspectives and diverse needs of stakeholders to gain a broader understanding of the issues surrounding policies and activities.
* Behaviour 2
* Communicating and Influencing: Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.
* Behaviour 3
* Working Together: Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives.
Evidence to provide: Experience questions
Experience
Experience 1: Experience at a senior strategic level linked to the management and delivery of education services, with a focus on Community Focused Schools and school improvement approaches within a Welsh local authority.
Experience 2: Experience of developing and delivering strategic policy and practice within a local authority.
You will be asked about your nationality and if you are legally allowed to work in the United Kingdom. This is to find out if you are eligible to apply for this vacancy. This is a requirement for working within the Civil Service. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria your application will not progress. If it becomes clear at a later stage in the process that you are not eligible to apply, your application may be withdrawn, or the offer retracted.
Nationality Requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Secondments
Secondments are fixed term options for no more than two years, open to individuals not employed as a Civil Servant (this includes those employed by Non-Departmental Government Bodies). Sometimes posts are advertised as a secondment opportunity. If this is the case it will state it above. Secondees have different terms and conditions, please refer to the guidance pack before applying. Secondees are not entitled to the benefits listed below including those relating to Social Partnership.
* Civil Service Pension Scheme
* 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
* training and development opportunities
* Cycle2Work Scheme
* Smart Working flexible working arrangement
* Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)
If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commissions recruitment principles on the Commissions website.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.
How To Apply
All applications for this vacancy must be made using our online application system.
Unless stated otherwise in the Other vacancy-related information for advert, the Welsh Government cannot offer Visa sponsorship. Welsh Government holds a Visa sponsorship licence, but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
Applications are welcomed from people with a diverse range of lived and professional experiences. We are actively committed to becoming an increasingly diverse organisation which represents the diverse communities we serve. There are a number of Diversity networks that staff can participate in, which include the Disability Awareness and Support Staff Network; Minority Ethnic Staff Network; Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (LGBTI+), Women Together and the Neurodivergence Network.
If you have an impairment which prevents you from applying online, please email our recruitment team. You can:
* request an application pack in an alternative format
* request a recruitment adjustment to help you submit your application
Use the Apply button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you dont have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.
You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application. Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there.
Once youve registered for an account and logged in, youll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.
If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page. We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.
Please see the candidate guidance for more information on the recruitment process.
For information on Civil Service Success Profiles please click here.
For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.
Use the Apply button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you dont have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.
You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application. Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there.
Once youve registered for an account and logged in, youll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.
If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page. We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.
Please see the candidate guidance for more information on the recruitment process.
For information on Civil Service Success Profiles please click here.
For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.
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