Welsh Speaking Executive Assistant

Job summary

We are looking for an organised and proactive Welsh Speaking Executive Assistant to join our secretariat team, providing high-quality support to senior managers and key governance groups across the organisation. The postholder will provide direct support to designated Directors and His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (HMCI), coordinating diaries, correspondence, travel and meeting arrangements, and ensuring meetings are effectively planned, serviced and followed up.

Responsibilities may be rotated periodically across the team, and the role also includes supporting corporate documentation, project activity, safeguarding administration, and wider organisational priorities. By joining us, you’ll become part of a forward-thinking and evolving organisation, one that’s committed to learning, improvement, and the development of its people. You’ll also gain access to opportunities across the wider Civil Service, giving you room to grow and shape your career.

Job description

You will be responsible for providing executive and secretariat support to designated Directors and His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (HMCI). You will manage diaries, correspondence and meetings, including papers, minutes and actions. You will also support wider corporate and safeguarding administration.

Key tasks include:

• Providing direct support to designated Directors and His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (HMCI)

• Providing secretarial support for meetings - including the programming of meeting times and dates in discussion with the Planning team, the collation and dissemination of papers, taking of minutes and management of actions

• Management and co-ordination of designated Directors’ / HMCI’s calendars, emails and hardcopy correspondence, and travel arrangements and subsistence claims

• Managing domestic arrangements for meetings and committees

• Updating documentation relating to non-executive directors’ expenses and payments

• Coordinating information and papers for consideration and presentation by management

• Supporting the administration of Child Protection log and related tasks, including ensuring safeguarding alerts are directed to the safeguarding lead officers

• Supporting the management of team update meetings in relation to safeguarding

• Supporting management in the collation and proofing of corporate documents

• Administration of statutory proposals on school re-organisation

• Supporting project management, including servicing of advisory group meetings, project team meetings and Away Days

• Providing cover for other members of the secretariat during periods of absence

• To undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required by managers

Person specification

It’s essential that you:

• Are able to work through the medium of Welsh

• Have good communication, literacy, numeracy and IT skills (Microsoft Office)

• Are organised with good time management skills and able to manage competing priorities to ensure that tasks are completed within agreed timescales

• Can work accurately and with attention to detail

• Have good interpersonal skills and are able to form effective working relationships with people across Estyn, including senior managers and externally and have good interpersonal skills to ensure the timely delivery of information and meeting of deadlines

• Can work flexibly and respond to urgent requests at short notice

• Are proactive and collaborative, solution focused, with a hands-on, can-do attitude

• Can maintain high levels of trust and confidentiality

It’s desirable that you have:

• Experience of providing effective secretarial support practice for senior managers

• Experience of managing complex co-ordination of calendar requirements and meetings

Languages

Welsh Essential

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,769, ESTYN contributes £8,913 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Competitive salary and incremental points meaning that you will normally reach the maximum of the pay scale within two/three years of joining us.

• Generous holiday entitlement – 41 days away from work each year (made up of 32 days of annual leave, plus 9 public/privilege holidays (pro-rated for those who work part-time).

• Flexible working - We operate a flexi-time system, giving you the freedom to shape your working day in a way that suits you and meets business needs.

• Support for your wellbeing – We provide an hour of wellbeing time per week (pro-rated) for staff. We also provide an employee assistance programme, free annual health checks, seasonal flu jabs, a free eye care scheme and access to Health Insurance Plans through Civil Service Healthcare.

• Support for your family life – generous family friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption leave.

• Tax-free savings – Access to a cycle to work scheme.

• Special offers and discounts – Access to a range of discounts and exclusive offers through the Civil Service Social Club – Sports and Leisure, the Civil Service Motoring Association, the Civil Service Insurance Society and the Charity for Civil Servants.

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 Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

The selection process includes:

• A sift of applications: The panel will consider all complete applications. The information you give us in your application is important in deciding whether we will invite you to the next selection stage. Candidates will be assessed at sift on all essential criteria as per the person specification. Desirable criteria will be assessed at sift where there is a strong field of candidates as a second stage after essential criteria have been considered.

• Assessment and Interview: Candidates invited to assessment and interview will again be assessed on their skills, experience and behaviours in relation to the person specification. The assessment will consist of an English and Welsh exercise, including taking notes from a recorded meeting and drafting a letter. The interview will consist of a panel interview. This will take place on Monday 9 March 2026 at our Office in Cardiff.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 : Cheryl Davies
• Email : Cheryl.Davies@estyn.gov.wales
• Telephone : 02920 446336

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@estyn.gov.wales

Further information

https://www.estyn.gov.wales/working-us/current-vacancies

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