Deputy Director, Place Division

The Welsh Government operates name-free recruitment. The recruiting panel will not see personal information such as a candidate’s name and address during the sifting process. This policy is in line with our commitment to end bias and promote equality and diversity.

Vacancy title

Deputy Director, Place Division

16/10/2026, 16:00

Advertising basis Permanent

Starting salary is circa £86,000 although some flexibility may be available for an exceptional candidate up to £105,000.

Payband SCS1

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 Local Government, Housing, Rural Resilience & Sustainability Group

Directorate Housing and Regeneration 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 . 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

Place Division is part of the Housing and Regeneration Directorate within the Local Government, Housing, Rural Resilience and Sustainability Group.

This post plays a key part in ensuring that everyone in Wales has a safe, affordable place to call home in the community they would like to live in.

The work of the directorate is varied, fast paced and keenly focused on delivery for ministers and the people of Wales. Our work spans land acquisition and use, supporting home building, regeneration of our towns, cities and villages, supporting those who live in our homes and communities and acting as system steward to ensure the quality of what we build, the quality of places we build in and of landlord and resident services.

The division’s purpose, and therefore the purpose of the post, is to work in partnership across the directorate and wider Welsh Government and with other governments and partners to:

• Lead the establishment of Unnos, a land development body for Wales which enables the delivery of more homes across the country through unblocking barriers, securing private finance and bringing land forward for build.
• Lead and manage the land portfolio to support the government’s target of delivering 20,000 affordable homes over four years. The portfolio consists of c27 sites owned by Welsh Ministers with a current book value of c£43m.
• Ensure there are effective delivery systems in place which direct investment toward building the right homes in the right places to meet the nation’s needs and improving the vibrancy and viability of town centres.
• Lead on the current Transforming Towns Programme and on the outcome of the Town Centre Taskforce to drive successful regeneration of town centres across Wales, which seeks to unlock more strategic sites/opportunities, tackle empty properties on the High Street, maximise community and cultural assets, take forward more public realm projects and support business infrastructure, and increase the appeal and viability of town centre living for all.
• Lead on the delivery and implementation of Community Right to Buy legislation to improve community rights to buy local assets of community value.

Key tasks

• The post holder will lead a team of c40 staff with four direct reports and be responsible for an annual capital funding programme currently at £65m and revenue budget of circa £4m.
• Managing the resources, financial and people, of Place Division in the delivery of its functions maintaining a focus on professional standards, good financial management and have proper regard to governance matters.
• Lead on delivery of Programme for Government commitments which include establishing Unnos, Town Centre regeneration and Community Right to Buy legislation.
• Build, and then maintain, the Ministers’ trust and confidence. The role will require regular engagement with Ministers on both the delivery of the Programme for Government and the development of the land portfolio.
• Lead on the land development programme including a grant programme (£25m pa) and develop long delivery frameworks and partnerships.
• Advise Ministers and senior officials on the development of a strategy for the development of brownfield regenerations sites in Wales, following the findings and recommendations of the Audit Wales report.
• Lead a team that will consistently be resolving legal, financial and subsidy issues concerning property and site management and disposals. This will also include the potential of overseeing complex building/site acquisitions using Compulsory Purchase powers to help unlock strategic opportunities.
• Influence, provide strategic leadership and work collaboratively with key stakeholders, including local authority Chief Executives and senior Directors across the Welsh public sector on the regeneration and residential development land sectors and agendas, including fostering strategic relationships within Wales and beyond its borders.
• To be a positive influence on the Welsh Government property network as Joint head of Welsh Government Property profession in helping to build professional capability and set standards.
• Promoting an open and inclusive working environment, encouraging equality, diversity and anti-racism.

Other vacancy related information

In the event of two or more candidates having the same total score at interview the panel will consider : highest score on behaviour seeing the bigger picture, if still tied then revert to Welsh Language skills.

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

Candidate pack / supporting information (Welsh) Deputy Director Place - Candidate Pack Final (Cymraeg).pdf – 590KB Opens in a new window

Civil Service success profiles relevant to this role are set out below (click here to view more information on Civil Service Success profiles).

Your application (personal statement and CV) should set out your evidence in relation to the person specification below (i.e. success profile behaviours and experience listed).

Experience

Must have proven experience in the property market and built environment sector, including land development and be qualified to MRICS.

Experience of understanding how government operates, gained through working within, alongside, or engaging with government organisations.

Seeing the big picture

• Create joined up strategies that put into practice and support the government’s vision for the future.
• Make sense of a wide range of political and national pressures and influences to develop strategies which meet organisational goals

Delivering at pace

• Establish an inclusive culture which allows people space and authority to deliver their objectives whilst ensuring appropriate support is in place when needed

Communicating and influencing

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

The Welsh Government aims to be a bilingual organisation, whilst Welsh language skills are not essential for this post they are welcomed and you would have the opportunity to use those skills through the course of business.

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 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 1,250. Please explain how your professional qualifications, skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria included in the person specification. These are the key behaviours listed above: Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing and the two experience criteria.

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

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

Online Psychometric Tests:

These include a discussion with a psychologist via Microsoft Teams. You will receive a link to the online tests within 10 working days after the shortlisting meeting. You do not need to take these tests again if you have completed these tests 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 engagement exercise.

You will be given a presentation topic before your interview and will be asked to give a 5-minute verbal presentation.

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 will be held in person at the Welsh Government’s office in Cathays Park in Cardiff.

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

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

Seeing the Big Picture

Create joined up strategies that put into practice and support the government’s vision for the future

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Behaviour 2

Making Effective Decisions

Make sense of a wide range of political and national pressures and influences to develop strategies which meet organisational goals.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Behaviour 3

Delivering at Pace

Establish an inclusive culture which allows people space and authority to deliver their objectives whilst ensuring appropriate support is in place when needed.

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

Must have proven experience in the property market and built environment sector, including land development and be qualified to MRICS.

This will be tested at Stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Experience 2

Experience of understanding how government operates, gained through working within, alongside, or engaging with government organisations.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

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.

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.

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

• Between 25 and 30days 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.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email . 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:

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