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Trustees - National Library of Wales

Announced
Body: Welsh Government
Appointing Department: Welsh Government
Sector: Culture, Media & Sport
Location: Aberystywth
Number of Vacancies: 3
Remuneration: Unpaid
Time Requirements: 12 day per year.

Announcement

An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.

Dafydd Elis Thomas, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, has announced four new appointments to the National Library of Wales.

Date: 29/08/2019

View Announcement

Campaign Timeline

  • Competition Launched

    11/02/2019

  • Closed for Applications

    12/03/2019 at 16:00

  • Panel Sift

    16/04/2019

  • Final Interview Date

    03/05/2019

  • Announcement

    29/08/2019

 

Assessment Panel

Vacancy Description

The Role of ALL Trustees

The Board of Trustees provides leadership and governance to The Library of Wales and performs the important role of scrutinising all Library investments and activities.

All Trustees share collective responsibility and accountability for the Board’s decisions. The role of the Board is to provide effective leadership, define and develop strategic direction and set challenging objectives.  The Board promotes high standards of public accountability and upholds the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money.  It ensures that the Library’s activities are conducted efficiently and effectively and monitors performance to ensure that the Library fully meets its aims, objectives and performance targets.

The Library is a registered charity and a Welsh Government Sponsored Body, and as such Trustees have individual and collective responsibility to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport.  

The board consists of up to 15 members, including the President, currently Rhodri Glyn Thomas. Eight are appointed by the Welsh Government and seven by the Library. The Trustees include three Officers of the Board – the President, Vice President and the Treasurer. The President and Vice President are appointed by the Welsh Government and the Treasurer is appointed by the Library itself.

Although the Board is ultimately responsible for everything the Library does, it is the Chief Executive and Librarian who is responsible to the Trustees for the day-to-day operational management of the institution.

The Role of Trustee

  • Have an understanding and actively promote the benefits of the cultural heritage sector to the diverse communities of Wales and further afield.
  • Have a clear vision as to how the Library can continue contribute as a main deliverer of Government cultural heritage policy
  • Review, scrutinise, challenge and support the executive to meet the Library’s aims, objectives and targets and ensure good governance.
  • Have a good understanding of corporate responsibility and risk management to ensure the Library’s activities are conducted effectively and efficiently.
  • Participate in the corporate planning process, including agreeing annual budget plans for operational programmes and corporate activities;
  • Have an understanding of how the public sector in Wales functions.
  • Ensure the Library achieves value for money within a framework of best practice, regularity and property.
  • Work as part of a Board that positively values difference and challenges unconscious behaviours and actively participate in Board Meetings and key activities.
  • Be actively engaged in encouraging board membership and the next generation of trustees
  • Act in a way that promotes highs standards of probity and public finance.
  • Be politically independent
  • Have a clear understanding and commitment to Nolan’s “Seven Principles of Public Life”.

Person Specification

  1. Excellent communication skills and a track record of working with others to achieve objectives.
  2. The ability to think logically and objectively and analyse complex information in order to identify key issues and make effective decisions.
  3. A demonstrable commitment to understanding of the Library’s dual role as a major charity and a Welsh Government Sponsored Body in line with an understanding of public life and the principles of good governance.
  • A commitment and enthusiasm for the Library’s work and an understanding of the cultural sector as a whole.
  • An understanding of the diverse communities of Wales and a commitment to actively promoting diversity and inclusivity.
  • Experience of at least one of the following:
  • Digital technology and innovation within the cultural heritage sector.
  • Those who understand the need to engage the disadvantaged and meet the needs of diverse groups within Wales.
  • Experience within the voluntary sector.
  • Professional skills in archive and information management/librarianship and, collections management, conservation and digital preservation
  • Audit and governance.
  • Welsh LanguageThe Trustees’ post is considered Welsh desireable, at the level specified below:Understanding – can understand basic conversations about everyday topics.Reading – can read simple material on everyday topics with understandingSpeaking – can converse in simple work related conversations.Writing – no skills.

How to Apply

To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button on the Welsh Government on-line recruitment system. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system.  You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form.  To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates.  This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4.  Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.  The second document is a full, up to date CV.  The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities.  We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years.

It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence.  You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go.  You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.

If you’d like to apply for this opportunity in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments Unit on 03000 256332 or PublicAppointments@gov.wales.

For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments

Attachments
National Library of Wales- Information for Candidates - Trustees - English
National Library of Wales- Information for Candidates - Trustees - Welsh
OCPA Regulated

This post is regulated by The Commissioner for Public Appointments

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