Swyddog Yr Iaith Gymraeg

Job summary

Swyddog Yr Iaith Gymraeg

We are seeking a proactive and enthusiastic Welsh Language Scheme Officer to lead and coordinate Welsh language activity across the organisation. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in strengthening our commitment to the Welsh language and shaping how it is embedded in our culture, services and ways of working.

The postholder will act as a champion for the Welsh language, promoting its use across the organisation and providing advice and guidance to colleagues at all levels. You will work closely with senior leaders and key stakeholders to ensure responsibilities under the Welsh Language Scheme are understood and delivered, while also leading activity to review, update and modernise the Scheme to reflect current organisational priorities and wider developments.

You will continue to develop and further implement a clear action plan to monitor delivery and impact, support Welsh language learning opportunities, and help build engagement through initiatives such as the Welsh Language Interest Group.

This role offers the opportunity to influence senior stakeholders, drive meaningful cultural change, and increase visibility and use of Welsh across the organisation. It would suit someone with strong communication and influencing skills, who is passionate about promoting the Welsh language and able to work collaboratively across a wide range of stakeholders.

Working Style

This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport Office .

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Job description

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:

As Welsh Language Officer, you will act as a key ambassador for the Welsh language, providing advice and support to colleagues and driving improvements in Welsh language provision across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as a point of contact for Welsh language queries and promoting its use across the organisation
• Promoting the Welsh Language Scheme and ensuring stakeholders understand their responsibilities
• Implementing an action plan that monitors delivery and effectiveness of our Welsh Language Scheme
• Coordinating Welsh language learning opportunities and increasing engagement
• Organising and supporting the Welsh Language Interest Group
• Proactive stakeholder engagement, planning and communication of stakeholder meetings
• Management of Welsh language translation process and Welsh language training courses
• Working closely with senior leaders, the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Office, and colleagues across the organisation to embed the Welsh language into day-to-day activity
• Manage our translation contract for the Welsh language and undertake translation work when needed as well as quality assuring translated content
• Conduct an annual audit of Welsh language capability within the IPO

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in both Welsh and English
• Strong influencing skills
• Ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Experience of maintaining performance and focus when faced with challenges, setbacks, or competing priorities
• Excellent organisational skills, including the ability to coordinate workstreams, monitor progress, and provide updates on delivery.

How to Apply

Click the 'Apply now' button and complete the application form by providing the following:

500-word Personal Statement

• Use this to explain why you're suitable for the role .
• Structure your statement around the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
• Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.

Behaviours

Provide one 250-word example for each of the following Behaviour headings;

Communicating and Influencing

• Build effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Influence outcomes where you may not have direct authority

Working Together

• Play an active role in team discussions and decisions
• Resolve issues to keep work moving forward

For further information on the sift and interview stages of this recruitment campaign, please head to our 'Things you need to know' section below.

Please visit our Civil Service Careers page - IPO – Recruitment Support , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

If you require job-specific information, please contact John Chick.

E-mail: john.chick@ipo.gov.uk

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,736, Intellectual Property Office contributes

£10,642 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
• Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities
• A variety of support functions; Staff Counselling Service, Peer to Peer Support Group
• Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
• The opportunity to form part of our many inclusive network groups, find out more by looking at Intellectual Property Office (IPO) (diversityjobsgroup.com)
• A range of wellbeing initiatives; Onsite Gym (Newport office), Eye Care Scheme, Volunteering Programme, Cycling facilities
• Free car parking is available on site at our Newport office
• On-site shop, restaurant and coffee shop at our Newport office

For more information about what’s on offer at the Intellectual Property Office please review our IPO benefit pack attached to the bottom of this advert.

Please note that benefits may be subject to change.

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 and Experience.

The assessment process will comprise of the following:

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:

Experience

Your 500 word Personal statement will demonstrate your Experience against the listed person specification/essential criteria

Behaviours

Provide one 250-word example for each of the following Behaviour headings;

Communicating and Influencing

• Build effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Influence outcomes where you may not have direct authority

Working Together

• Play an active role in team discussions and decisions
• Resolve issues to keep work moving forward

Stage 2 – Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours and Experience based questioning will be used.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Interviews for this role will be carried out in person at our Newport Office.

This recruitment campaign will keep a reserve list for 12 months. If you meet the requirements for this role but aren't offered after passing the interview, you'll be placed on the reserve list. If a suitable position opens up during this time, we will reach out to individuals in merit order.

The successful candidate would be expected to remain in the role for a minimum of 12 months before applying for another role.

The Recruitment team operational hours are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays.

CVs sent direct to the IPO will not be accepted.

This post is being advertised to Internal, External and across Government candidates at the same time.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered.

Should you have any queries or require any assistance please contact the IPO Recruitment team at Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk prior to the closing of the post.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, then please let the recruitment team know via ; recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

In the event of a high volume of applications, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) reserves the right to raise the minimum qualifying score at sift to manage volumes and ensure a proportionate and fair assessment process.

Please be aware that only one application per candidate is permitted for each recruitment campaign. Multiple applications, including those made using different accounts, may result in your application being withdrawn or rejected at any stage of the process.

For more information on the IPO’s terms and conditions, please review the attached IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions document attached at the bottom of this advert.

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 crit