Senior Equality and Inclusion Manager

at  Medr

ABOUT US

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training.

Operational since 1 August 2024, we work in close collaboration with our partners to enable a tertiary education and research system which is centred around the needs of learners; society; and economy with excellence, equality and engagement at its heart.

Our values really matter to us, they help shape the culture of our organisation:

• Dysgu (to learn; to teach; to educate) - learning is at the heart of everything we do. We believe curiosity fuels innovation and helps expand our horizons.
• Cydweithio (to work together; to collaborate; to co-operate) - we can achieve far more together than we ever could alone.
• Cynnwys Pawb (to include everyone; to involve everyone) - we are passionate about inclusion, seeking to create the right conditions for everyone to achieve their full potential.
• Rhagori (to exceed; to excel) - we have high aspirations for tertiary education and research in Wales and always set high standards for ourselves to be the best we can be.

ATTRIBUTES

• Agile - You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
• Drive - You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.
• Honest - You build trust through consistent and reliable behaviour.
• Reflective - You critically assess your decisions and actions, seeking to learn from both successes and failures.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience and/or knowledge of widening access and inclusion in tertiary education in Wales
• Proven ability to understand and interpret policy priorities, working collaboratively to develop strategies and implementation options with maximum impact.

WELSH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

We have undertaken an evaluation of the Welsh language requirements of this post to ensure we are living our values in relation to our Welsh Language.
For this post the Welsh language requirements are: Desirable
Welsh desirable means that whilst having Welsh language skills is useful for the role, it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t disadvantage you during recruitment if you don’t currently possess these skills.

Desirable levels:

• Reading: Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
• Spoken: Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
• Understanding: Can understand parts of a basic conversation
• Written: No skills.

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £45,256, Medr contributes £13,110 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

ATTRIBUTES

• Reflective - You critically assess your decisions and actions, seeking to learn from both successes and failures.
• Agile - You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
• Drive - You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience and/or knowledge of widening access and inclusion in tertiary education in Wales.
  The initial sift will take place on 2 December 2024.
  Candidates who successfully navigate the sift stage will be required to complete an online exercise to enable us to determine their behavioural and personality preferences. Immediately on completion you will be given a report which highlights your strengths plus some development tips to help you prepare for interview. Candidates should note that the online exercise is not intended to eliminate anyone from consideration. Instead, it serves as a tool to aid in the decision-making process.
  Following this, you will be invited to participate in an interview and a presentation, both of which will be conducted on 16 December 2024.
  The presentation will be used to assess knowledge of the policy area.
  The following criteria will also be assessed at interview:

ATTRIBUTE

• Honest - You build trust through consistent and reliable behaviour.

Experience

• Proven ability to understand and interpret policy priorities, working collaboratively to develop strategies and implementation options with maximum impact.

We strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments required to the recruitment process. Please contact pobl@medr.cymru
We’re looking forward to meeting everyone invited to interview at our new headquarters in Capital Quarter, Cardiff. We don’t usually pay travel expenses, but if this presents a real barrier to your attendance in person or if you require a reasonable adjustment, please let us know in advance by emailing pobl@medr.cymru so we can discuss and agree arrangements prior to your interview.
Following interview we are committed to offering constructive and actionable feedback to support you on your future career journey.

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)

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Continuing and intensifying work on widening access and inclusion, is a vital tool in building a fairer, more equal, healthier Wales. As a Senior Manager, you will manage Medr’s efforts in promoting equality of opportunity and enhancing staff and student welfare. You will contribute to creating a more equitable tertiary education system for all who can benefit from it through developing and implementing tertiary education policy within the Widening Access and Inclusion Team, part of the Learner Experience Directorate at Medr. You will work across Medr and collaborate with partners to achieve these goals.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Ensure policy development is evidence-informed and aligned to legislation and government expectations set out in strategies, plans and best practice by working with Welsh Government and other UK- and Wales-specific organisations.
• Improve sector performance by implementing, monitoring and funding widening access and inclusion policy covering the tertiary education sector. Policy areas include, but are not limited to, English/Welsh as a Second Language (E/WSOL), the Welsh Government Nation of Sanctuary Action Plan and the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan as well as other Medr regulatory and policy priorities.
• Provide assurance to, and seek advice from, Medr groups and committees on widening access and inclusion policy development, implementation, funding and outcomes.
• Maximise coherent policy development by contributing as required to the development and implementation of related policy areas under the responsibility of the Widening Access and Inclusion Team and across Medr.
• Contribute to Medr’s corporate functions as appropriate, including as they relate to Corporate and Strategic Equality Plan objectives, regulatory functions, funding and assurance activity.
• Maximise involvement and engagement with tertiary education providers and other partners, working across Wales, and across the UK where appropriate, both in person and online.

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training