Chief of Staff (Interim)

At the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA), we’re responsible for collecting and managing two devolved Welsh taxes; Land Transaction Tax and Landfill Disposals Tax, on behalf of the Welsh Government. The revenue we raise funds public services, like the NHS and schools, in communities across Wales.

We’re committed to helping deliver a fair tax system for Wales through what we call ‘Our Approach’ - a Welsh way of doing tax. By working collaboratively with representatives, partner organisations, taxpayers, and the public, we make sure taxes are collected efficiently and effectively.

We base everything we do on our Corporate Plan 2019 to 2022. This sets out our purpose, strategic objectives, and longer-term ambitions. We report on our work annually - see our latest annual report and accounts.

We’re a small and multi-skilled organisation of more than 70 staff, with talents, skills and experience spanning 14 different professions. We champion innovation, collaboration and shared decision-making. And we empower and entrust our people with high levels of responsibility and autonomy.

Find out more about what it’s like to work with us in our latest People Survey.

For further information, please visit gov.wales/wra

Working directly to the Chief Executive, the Chief of Staff will play a central role in coordinating and driving the WRA’s key strategic objectives and purpose. They will enjoy creating and maintaining working relationships, collaborating with others to progress shared goals, while considering the wider factors and long-term implications of decisions.

The Chief of Staff will need to be a focused and motivated, managing many – sometimes conflicting – views and priorities, facilitating constructive conversations to drive collaborative delivery across the organisation. You will be able to influence effectively, both internally as a member of Tîm Arwain (Executive Committee) and an ymgynghorwr (advisor) to the Board, and externally as a main link to Welsh Government and Ministerial offices.

To be successful in the role, you will need to enjoy cultivating productive relationships, bringing people together, finding common ground and explaining complexities to achieve collective performance.

The Private Office function will often reprioritise to support the changing needs of the WRA. We are looking for someone who can lead and develop a team through periods of uncertainty and change. The team is working flexibly and from home at the moment, including this post. To enjoy the role, you will appreciate working with patience and kindness, while delivering a challenging portfolio through others.

This is a great opportunity to have a central role in the WRA, one at a strategic level with the scope to get involved in a wide range of topics. I’m excited for somebody else to be able to sample what this role has to offer; leading a great team, being part of a new and innovative leadership team and a high performing organisation.

Jo Ryder, Chief of Staff

Supporting the Chief Executive Officer

• Proactively support the Chief Executive (and Accounting Officer) to help them meet their objectives; this could include overseeing a variety of projects on behalf of the CEO. 
• Maintain an understanding of all areas of the organisation to act as a sounding board and trusted advisor to the CEO; comfortable to challenge and offer different views.
• Represent the CEO during discussions and meetings, and give views and approvals on their behalf. 
• Remain aware of emerging issues (inside and outside of the organisation) and share with relevant parts of the organisation.
• Draft papers, documentation and communication on behalf of the CEO.

Corporate Leadership

• Be an active member of the Executive Team, Tîm Arwain; responsible for the leadership of the WRA; setting corporate objectives and ensuring successful delivery and performance, taking strategic decisions.
• Be an advisor (Ymgynghorwyr) to the WRA Board, attending Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and People Committee as required.
• Be a sounding board across the organisation; trouble shooting, developing options to resolve issues.
• Shape delivery of strategy across WRA – creating structures to prioritise and coordinate activity.

Supporting the WRA’s relationship with Welsh Government and the Welsh Parliament

• Act as the main link to Welsh Government WRA Partnership team.
• Support the Chief Executive in their relationships (and maintain an overview of the WRA’s relationships) with Ministers, Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary and senior officials, and external stakeholders.
• Clear all ministerial business and coordinate all ministerial meetings with WRA.
• Seek opportunities to engage with external stakeholders.

Leading the CEOs Private Office

Lead and develop, including line management responsibility, the Private Office team of four, covering a wide range of responsibilities, including: WRA Board and its Committees, Tim Arwain and Committee Secretariats, Audit and Risk; and the CEO’s diary and administrative support.

We will be holding a virtual information session for candidates on 28 June 2022 at 12 noon on Microsoft Teams. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the role.

If you would like to attend register here: https://tocyn.cymru/event/b5930fcc-24f6-4d70-bd00-f2102fdcfca6/s

We recruit using success profiles. Our success profiles guidance will help you in completing your application.

In brief, this approach means:

• we look for evidence of what you have done and what you can do. This means we look for the behaviours, strengths and ability needed to do the job
• where necessary or relevant, we also consider experience and technical knowledge
• this approach starts at application stage and continues throughout the recruitment process
• we may only look for some things at certain stages. We’ll always be clear what we’re looking for and when

You should highlight evidence from the table below during the recruitment process. You may also wish to refer to the main tasks mentioned above.

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this post:

Welsh skills are desirable means that having Welsh language skills would be useful in this role, but it is not an assessment criteria so it won’t put you at any disadvantage during recruitment if you aren’t a Welsh speaker. We support all staff to learn or improve their Welsh language skills once they join us.

As a civil service department, all our people have access to government assets. Different roles require different levels of national security vetting.

Our assessment process includes a blended interview, where we test you against the criteria above. Depending on the role, we may:

• test for strengths relevant to the behaviours
• ask you to complete an exercise, test, or presentation at interview stage
• ask if you have any requirements you would like us to be aware of

To apply for this role, please send us:

1. Your CV (no more than 2 pages of A4).
2. A personal statement (800 to 1,200 words) on how you meet the criteria.
3. Your Details form. This allows us to make sure our recruitment process remains fair. It will not be shared further than our HR team.

Send all 3 documents to recruitment@wra.gov.wales

To be fair to all, we do not accept:

• late applications
• incomplete or missing documents
• personal statements over 1,200 words

We're unable to discuss opportunities with recruitment agencies, please apply directly.

We offer a wide range of benefits when you join the WRA, such as:

• a generous pension
• progression related pay
• 31 days holiday

Find out more about the benefits of working for us.

Find out more about our work by visiting our website. Or follow and engage with us on our Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts.