Deputy Director Sustainable Futures

• Vacancy details
• Vacancy title
• Deputy Director Sustainable Futures
• Closing date
• 21/09/2026, 16:00
• Advertising basis
• Permanent
• Actual starting salary

Circa £ 86,000 although some flexibility may be available for an exceptional candidate.

Payband

SCS1

• 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)
• Group
• First Minister’s Group
• Directorate
• Welsh Government Strategy Directorate
• Location (s)
• Pan Wales

‘Pan Wales’ means the post holder can be based in any Welsh Government office, subject to business needs. Roles based outside Wales, including London, are not available unless explicitly stated in the advert.

A list of the Welsh Government’s offices can be found on

www.gov.wales/welsh-government-offices

. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location.

The post holder’s travel from their home to their assigned Welsh Government office is considered their ‘ordinary commute’ and must be done in their own time and at their own cost.

Purpose of post

The post is part of the new Welsh Government Strategy Directorate, within the First Minister and Cabinet Office Group.

The post holder will lead an effective, integrated team which works flexibly across at high pace across a range of complex and novel issues, rapidly adapting to emerging requirements.

The postholder will lead on continuing to mainstream the Well-being of Future Generations Act within Welsh Government, advising Ministers and senior officials on the Welsh Government’s own responsibilities under the Act, and promoting integrated policy making across government.

They will also be responsible for the Equality Impact Improvement team who lead and manage the delivery of a cross organisational ‘Section 23 Action Plan’ to bring about organisational reform and culture change in the way that equality impacts are considered from the start of our policy making, ensuring that equality impact assessments have been properly undertaken and that statutory equality duties have been met.

Key tasks

The postholder will work across Government and with partners to further develop and deliver approaches to mainstream the Wellbeing of Future Generations within Welsh Government policy making, boost policy capability and act as lead advisor on ensuring the Welsh Government fulfils its own responsibilities under the Act.

The postholder will liaise closely with the office of the Future Generations Commissioner and strengthen cross-Wales and international networks on wellbeing policy.

The postholder will:

Lead through influence across Welsh Government and the public sector to embed sustainable development across all public bodies covered by the Well-being of Future Generation Act.

• Provide leadership, direction and support for Sustainable Futures Division staff and across Welsh Government.
• Promote and embed the Well-being of Future Generations as an operating system for the Welsh Government, including refreshing guidance, delivering training, and leading staff engagement sessions.
• Build capacity and understanding across Welsh Government through champions, networks, and knowledge sharing.
• Act as the lead advisor on ensuring the Welsh Government fulfils its own responsibilities under the WFG Act, advising ExCo and the WG Board as necessary.
• Work closely with senior officials, special advisors and Ministers to deliver the Welsh Government’s Well-being and Future Generations objectives.
• Lead on the delivery of grants to Public Services Boards (PSBs), the Future Generations Commissioner, and Sustainable Futures Divisional funding.
• Lead on benchmarking policy skills and applying future trends within policy development.
• Deliver enhancements to the practice and process of assessing impact, especially where there are statutory obligations.
• Provide leadership, management and oversight for the effective delivery of the Equality Impact Improvement action plan and provide timely progress updates on s23 to ExCo and the Welsh Government Board.

Other vacancy related information

Location

You may be contractually based at any of the main Welsh Government offices in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Llandudno Junction or Aberystwyth. We support hybrid working and tailoring patterns to suit individual circumstances. The role requires occasional travel to Cardiff.

Salary

The role is at Director level (SCS1) and the starting salary is circa £86,000 although some flexibility may be available for an exceptional candidate.

For existing Civil Servants – if you are a substantive Deputy Director applying on a lateral transfer basis to the Welsh Government you will retain your existing salary. If you are an existing civil servant applying on promotion, the starting pay on promotion will usually attract a 10% increase in base pay or be at the pay band minimum, whichever is greater.

Secondment – if you are applying for this role on a secondment basis, you will retain your existing terms and conditions including salary (subject to approvals).

Please contact SCSRecruitment@gov.wales if you would like to discuss terms and conditions and salary level.

Contract Type

Permanent or a secondment/loan for up to 2 years initially.

Applications are welcome from people who work full -time, part-time or as part of a job share. If you do not have a job-share partnership in place and would welcome a discussion with the aim of forming one for this post, please contact SCSRecruitment@gov.wales. We cannot guarantee a partner can be found.

Welsh Language Requirements

Welsh language skills are not essential for this post, but they would be an asset. We expect the successful candidate to develop their Welsh language skills on appointment and we will fully support them to do this, with training available. As is the case in respect of other requirements, reasonable adjustments can be discussed on appointment.

Vetting level

SC - Candidates applying for a role that requires SC clearance must have normally resided in the UK for a minimum of the last 5 years

• Number of posts
• 1
• Contact point for further information regarding the post
• SCSRecruitment@gov.wales
• Candidate pack / supporting information (English)
• Final Candidate pack English.pdf – 657KB
• Opens in a new window
• Candidate pack / supporting information (Welsh)
• Final candidate pack - Welsh.pdf – 643KB
• Opens in a new window

Person specification

The successful candidate will need to have a range of experience, skills and experience, including:

• Behaviours
• (assessed at application and interview)
• Leadership - work to influence the strategy, direction and culture to increase effectiveness

Working Together - proactively create, maintain and promote a strong network of contacts across the organisation and externally

Seeing the Big Picture - identify and shape how your work area fits within and supports the priorities of the organisation

Communicating and Influencing - influence external partners, stakeholders and customers successfully securing mutually beneficial outcomes

Experience

(assessed at application and interview)

1. Experience of championing and nurturing best practice relating to the Well-being of Future Generations Act in particular the five ways of working, including futures thinking.

2. Experience of working on equalities issues, including stakeholder engagement, organisational improvement and impact assessments.

In the event of a large number of applications the sift will be undertaken on the lead Behaviour of ‘Leadership’ and lead Experience point 1 of ‘championing and nurturing best practice relating to the Well-being of Future Generations Act, in particular the five ways of working, including futures thinking’.

Assessment process

Stage 1 – Application

To apply for this role, you will be asked to submit:

Application Form

We welcome applications in Welsh and English. Applications in either language will be treated equally. If you have an impairment that would prevent you from applying online, please contact SCSRecruitment@gov.wales to request an alternative format or a reasonable adjustment to submit your application.

CV

We operate name-free recruitment. The selection panel will not see personal information while shortlisting in line with our commitment to end bias and promote equality and diversity. Please remove your name from your CV and personal statement.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement will be input into the application system and has a maximum word count of 1,000. Please explain how your professional qualifications, skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria included in the person specification and how you meet the key behaviours necessary experience criteria listed above.

Diversity Information

The Welsh Government is committed to achieving a workforce that reflects the society it serves – at all levels. You will be asked to confirm some diversity information on your application form. Collecting this information enables us to identify whether we are recruiting from the widest possible pool of talent and check that all groups are being treated fairly throughout the process; this form will not be disclosed to anyone involved in assessing your application. If you do not wish to provide a response to a particular question, you select ‘prefer not to say.’ You will not be able to submit your application if you leave any of the questions unanswered.

Stage 2 - Assessments

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to the Panel Chair - Peter McDonald prior to the interview. This is an informal discussion to allow you to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process and will not be scored.

If shortlisted, you will take part in the following assessments:

Online Psychometric Tests

A discussion with a psychologist via Microsoft Teams. You will receive a link to the online test within 10 working days after the shortlisting meeting. You do not need to take this test again if you have completed it in the last two years for a role at the same grade.

Staff / Stakeholder Engagement Exercise

This exercise gives you the opportunity to present your experience, ideas and views on effective leadership for this role. You will meet with a group of staff via Microsoft Teams who may be future team members, peers, colleagues or stakeholders.

Interview & Scenario Exercise

Before your interview, the selection panel will receive feedback on your psychometric tests and staff & stakeholder engagement exercise. You will be given a scenario before your interview and will be asked to give a 5-minute verbal briefing. Interviews will be around 45 minutes and will consider how the skills and experience in your CV and personal statement meet the requirements of the role. The interview is expected to be held in person at Cathays Park, Cardiff.

Expected Timeline

We will try to offer flexibility but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments. These dates may be subject to change:

Closing Date:

Monday 21st September 2026

Shortlisting:

Tuesday 29th September 2026

Online Psychometric Test:

Monday 5th October 2026

Staff & Stakeholder Engagement Exercise:

F

riday 16th October 2026 / Monday 19th October 2026

Interview & Scenario Exercise:

• Tuesday 3rd November 2026
• Welsh language requirements
• Welsh language requirements

3 - Welsh language skills are not essential for this opportunity; you do not need Welsh language skills to apply. However, as the Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation, Welsh language skills are desirable and will be considered if two or more candidates receive the same score at the application or interview stage.

• Understanding by reading
• 1 - Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
• Speaking and being understood
• 1 - Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
• Understanding by listening
• 1 - Can understand parts of a basic conversation
• Writing and being understood
• 1 - Can write basic messages on everyday topics
• Working for the Civil Service
• The
• Civil Service Code

sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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

AI candidate guidance

for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process and Stages

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 process
• Stage 1
• Application Form
• Stage 2
• Interview
• Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these Behaviour criteria during the selection process.

Behaviour 1:

Leadership

Work to influence the strategy, direction and culture to increase effectiveness.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Behaviour 2:

Working Together

Proactively create, maintain and promote a strong network of contacts across the organisation and externally.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Behaviour 3:

Seeing the Big Picture

Identify and shape how your work area fits within and supports the priorities of the organisation.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Behaviour 4:

Communicating and Influencing

Influence external partners, stakeholders and customers successfully securing mutually beneficial outcomes.

• This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form
• This will be tested at stage 2: Interview
• Experience

We'll assess you against the following Experience criteria during the assessment process.

Evidence to provide

CV, Experience questions

Experience 1:

Experience of championing and nurturing best practice relating to the Well-being of Future Generations Act, in particular the five ways of working, including futures thinking.

This will be tested at Stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Experience 2:

Experience of working on equalities issues, including stakeholder engagement, organisational improvement and impact assessments.

• This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form
• This will be tested at stage 2: Interview
• Eligibility

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

Social Model of Disability

Welsh Government has adopted the social model of disability, which recognises that barriers in society

act to disable people who have impairments, or health conditions, who are neurodivergent or who use British Sign Language.

We are committed to removing barriers in the recruitment process so that all (or potential new) staff can perform at their best.

Recruitment adjustments can be made at any part of the recruitment process for candidates with an impairment or health condition, who are neurodivergent or who use British Sign Language.

Please get in touch with

DiversityInRecruitment@gov.wales

to discuss adjustments for any part of the process.

• Inclusive Interview Schemes
• We are committed to inclusive recruitment and offer interviews to eligible candidates who meet the
• minimum criteria

for the role through the following schemes:

Disability Confident

The Welsh Government is a Disability Confident Leader. As part of our commitment to this scheme we interview any candidate with an impairment, health condition, who is neurodivergent or who uses British Sign Language if they meet the

minimum criteria

for the post.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The Welsh Government operates the Great Place to Work for Veterans Initiative. As part of our commitment to this scheme we interview any eligible candidates who meet the

minimum criteria

for the post.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service employers can offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of civil servants who are at risk of redundancy and who meet the

• minimum criteria
• for the post
• By ‘
• minimum criteria

’ we mean that candidates must provide us with evidence in their application (and/or test) that they meet the minimum level of competence for the role - usually defined as

a minimum score of 4 per criterion.

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:

• PCS
• Prospect
• FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:

• Pay
• Terms and conditions
• HR Strategy, policies and procedures
• Health, safety and well-being
• Organisational change

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. We encourage you to learn more about our trade unions, partnership working and to get involved in their work.

Benefits

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

Civil Service Pension Scheme

Between 25 and 30 days annual leave based on your period of continuous employment in the Civil Service (pro-rated for part time)

• training and development opportunities`
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Smart Working flexible working arrangement

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

• Recruitment principles and complaints
• 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.