3944 - Director of Safety & Operations for the Disused Tips Authority

Job summary

Build Wales’ New National Regulator. Protect Communities. Leave a Lasting Legacy

Everyone in Wales deserves to feel safe from the risks posed by unstable disused tips.

The Disused Tips Authority is being established under the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025 to provide national leadership for the safety, management and regulation of disused tips. As Wales' new national regulator, the Authority will deliver a consistent, evidence-led and risk-based approach to managing disused tip risk and helping to protect communities across Wales.

Within this context, the Director of Safety & Operations plays a pivotal executive leadership role in ensuring that the Authority delivers its core purpose — keeping people safe from disused tip risk — consistently, effectively and with confidence.

This role is fundamental to creating an organisation where:

• Risk is clearly understood, prioritised and actively managed
• Operational activity is coordinated, evidence-based and effective
• Safety is embedded in decision-making and organisational behaviour
• Delivery is consistent, resilient and able to respond to emerging risks

As a member of the Executive Team, the postholder has a critical leadership role in setting operational tone, shaping delivery culture and modelling behaviours that put safety, accountability and professionalism at the heart of the organisation.

Job description

The Disused Tips Authority (DTA) will become fully operational on 1 April 2027. We are recruiting now for a number of senior leadership roles to help shape the organisation, build its capability and culture, and prepare the Authority to assume its statutory responsibilities from day one.This is a unique opportunity to join the DTA during its formative stages and play a key role in establishing a new public body for Wales. Important: The Disused Tips Authority is a separate organisation from the Welsh Government. Please disregard any Welsh Government guidance, policies, or recruitment information linked within this advert and refer to the accompanying Candidate Information Pack for the information relevant to this vacancy.Employment ArrangementsAs the Disused Tip Authority will not formally exist until 1 April 2027, these roles will initially be hosted by the Welsh Government.Successful candidates will be employed by the Welsh Government until 31 March 2027 while working exclusively on the establishment of the Disused Tip Authority. From 1 April 2027, employees will transfer to the new Authority as it becomes operational.Throughout this transition, continuity of employment will be maintained. Successful candidates will initially be employed on Welsh Government terms and conditions. The DTA's proposed terms and conditions are included within the Candidate Pack, and employees will have the opportunity to move onto these arrangements following the Authority's establishment.

For further information about the organisation, please see: Help build a new public body for Wales: Disused Tips Authority for Wales

For full details of the role, the assessment process, and guidance on what to expect at each stage of selection, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack available at: Director of Safety & Operations Candidate Information Pack - 2026 Recruitment Campaign

Person specification

As Director of Safety & Operations, you will provide executive leadership for the Authority's operational delivery, ensuring Wales has a safe, consistent and effective approach to managing disused tip risk.

As one of the Authority's founding Executive Directors, you will play a leading role in establishing a new national regulator, shaping both the organisation and the services it delivers to protect Welsh communities

You will:

• Lead the design and delivery of a nationally consistent, risk-based operational model.
• Oversee assessment, categorisation, inspection, monitoring and intervention activity.
• Ensure risks are identified, prioritised and managed through evidence-led decision making.
• Provide strategic assurance to the Chief Executive, Board and Welsh Government on operational performance and public safety.
• Build strong partnerships across Wales to strengthen resilience and protect communities.

You will help create a trusted, resilient and high-performing public body that makes a lasting difference to the safety of communities across Wales.

What we're looking for

We're seeking an experienced executive leader who has successfully led complex operational services within a safety-critical, regulatory or infrastructure environment.

You will bring:

• A degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental science, infrastructure management or a related field), or can you demonstrate equivalent professional experience in a relevant technical field.
• A track record of building high-performing teams and improving organisational performance.
• The ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions in complex and high-profile environments.
• Experience of working with Boards, Ministers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong partnership, communication and influencing skills.
• A commitment to collaborative leadership, continuous improvement and public service.
• A relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience. Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body is desirable.

For full details of the role, the assessment process, and guidance on what to expect at each stage of selection, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack available at: Director of Safety & Operations Candidate Information Pack - 2026 Recruitment Campaign

Qualifications

a degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental science, infrastructure management or a related field), or can you demonstrate equivalent professional experience in a relevant technical field

Memberships

To hold, or be working towards, Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body relevant to the role

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Strategic Operational Leadership• Leading large-scale operational services or programmes within a complex,regulated or safety-critical environment.• Translating organisational strategy into effective operational delivery.
• Risk, Safety and Regulatory Management• Leading the identification, assessment and management of operational orenvironmental risks.• Applying proportionate, evidence-based judgement within regulatory or safetycritical contexts.
• Operational Delivery and Improvement• Designing and improving operational systems, standards and processes.• Driving organisational performance, resilience and continuous improvement.
• Executive Leadership• Providing strategic advice and assurance to Boards, Ministers or seniorstakeholders.• Working effectively within an Executive Team to deliver organisational objectives.
• Partnership and System Leadership• Building trusted relationships across multiple organisations.• Working collaboratively to influence partners and deliver shared outcomes.
• Communication and Decision Making• Communicating complex technical and operational issues clearly.• Making balanced, evidence-based decisions in situations involving uncertainty,risk or public scrutiny.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical 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.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage processStage 1Application FormStage 2Interview

Establishing the Disused Tips Authority

The Disused Tips Authority (DTA) will become fully operational on 1 April 2027. We are recruiting now for a number of senior leadership roles to help shape the organisation, build its capability and culture, and prepare the Authority to assume its statutory responsibilities from day one.This is a unique opportunity to join the DTA during its formative stages and play a key role in establishing a new public body for Wales. Important: The Disused Tips Authority is a separate organisation from the Welsh Government. Please disregard any Welsh Government guidance, policies, or recruitment information linked within this advert and refer to the accompanying Candidate Information Pack for the information relevant to this vacancy.Employment ArrangementsAs the Disused Tip Authority will not formally exist until 1 April 2027, these roles will initially be hosted by the Welsh Government.Successful candidates will be employed by the Welsh Government until 31 March 2027 while working exclusively on the establishment of the Disused Tip Authority. From 1 April 2027, employees will transfer to the new Authority as it becomes operational.Throughout this transition, continuity of employment will be maintained. Successful candidates will initially be employed on Welsh Government terms and conditions. The DTA's proposed terms and conditions are included within the Candidate Pack, and employees will have the opportunity to move onto these arrangements following the Authority's establishment.

Secondment Opportunities and Eligibility Requirements

Candidates should note that this post is also being offered as a Permanent Opportunity and a Secondment opportunity.

If you would like to apply via a Secondment the beloweligibility guidance, will apply.

Eligibility Verification:

All Secondment Applications will be assessed against the below stated criteria.

• You must obtain prior agreement from your employer to be released on secondment before applying. Please ensure you have line management approval.
• You must hold a substantive permanent post with your current employer.
• During the secondment, you will remain on the terms, conditions, and payroll of your home organisation.
• Inward secondees are not eligible for Disused Tips Authority pay awards or rewards.

LocationThe Authority's headquarters will be located at Rhydycar Business Park, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ. This will be the principal place of work and where most colleagues will come together to collaborate with one another and with stakeholders.The successful candidate will be expected to attend the office in Merthyr Tydfil regularly to support collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
AssessmentOur assessment process is designed to evaluate candidates against three core areas: technical capability, values and leadership.Stage 1 - Leadership and Technical capability to be tested via CV and Leadership StatementStage 2 - Leadership, Technical Capability and Our Values to be tested via interview (including a presentation, psychometric testing and an informal conversation with board member)Please refer to the candidate pack for further detail.In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Leadership Expectations. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.Reserve ListA reserve list may be held for these opportunities.Candidates offered reserve status will remain on the reserve list until the Disused Tips Authority is established in April 2027. Those placed on the reserve list will only be considered for opportunities within the Disused Tips Authority and will not be considered for Welsh Government vacancies.Desirable The following qualities are desirable and will only be considered if two or more candidates receive the same score at the application or interview stage:1. To hold, or be working towards, Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body relevant to the role2. Welsh Language -the Disused Tips Authority is committed to operating as a bilingual organisation and to providing services in both Welsh and English. We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve and to play an active role in promoting and normalising the use of Welsh in the workplace.We welcome applications from Welsh speakers and from individuals who are committed to developing their Welsh language skills. We will support colleagues at all levels to learn, use and increase their confidence in Welsh as part of their day-to-day work, helping to build a truly bilingual organisation.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

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

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Disused Tips Authority
• Email : DisusedTipsAuthorityJobs@gov.wales

Recruitment team

• Email : SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales

Further information

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's 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