Senior Policy Advisor
Cardiff
New Jobs
Permanent
£47,675 - £56,445 a year
- Lead policy initiatives for tax revenue in Wales, influencing public service funding through strategic decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
- Ideal candidates possess strong analytical skills, extensive policy experience, and demonstrate a commitment to public service and collaborative working.
- Flexible working options based in Cardiff; includes full-time, job share, and a comprehensive Civil Service Pension scheme.
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Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
We?re responsible for Land Transaction Tax, Landfill Disposals Tax and the introduction of the Visitor Levy in Wales. Our work raises revenue to support public services, like the NHS and schools, in communities across Wales. But that?s not all, we're also involved with and support future tax design for Wales.
Join a place with purpose
You?ll join a team of 100+ talented people from across 14 different professions.
Our culture is best described as innovative, collaborative and kind. By working together, we?ll deliver a fair tax system for Wales.
Our people
You?ll be working with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. From Operations, Policy, Digital and Data, HR, Communications to Finance ? there?s a place for you in our friendly team.
You?ll be our greatest asset
You?ll be joining an inclusive organisation and be part of a team where you can thrive, be rewarded and heard.
We?re recognised as one of the top organisations for people engagement in the Civil Service People Survey. Inclusion and fairness are one of our strongest areas, as well as pay and benefits ? our People Survey results say it all!
We?re also recognised for being innovative and a digital, ?cloud-based? organisation that supports hybrid and flexible working enabling a great work-life balance.
More about working for us, our roles and our Corporate Plan 2025 - 2028 .
Job description
Working directly to the Policy Lead for Current Taxes , the Senior Policy Advisor will play a key role in supporting the purpose of the WRA?s Strategy & Policy team. The team provides advice and support on complex tax cases, develops policy and guidance on operational and tax technical issues, and works in partnership with the Welsh Treasury to advise on strategic and administrative aspects of the system of devolved taxes in Wales. The team also establishes lawful and proportionate compliance, litigation and enforcement strategies based on WRA?s civil and criminal enforcement powers.
The Senior Policy Advisor will need to be a great team player, possess strong analytical skills and enjoy working with others to find innovative solutions to complex tax technical problems across the WRA-collected taxes.The postholder will also need to develop a detailed understanding of the tax landscape in Wales, working closely with partners across government to support policy management and development.
Your initial focus will be policy development supporting implementation of the visitor levy in Wales, together with national registration of visitor holiday accommodation. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new project for the WRA, advising on a completely new tax and establishing new ways of working with our partners and stakeholders.
To be successful in the role, they will need to enjoy engaging with a diverse network of stakeholders, tracking developments in taxation and wider policy areas. They will need to be confident in communicating both high-level strategy and detailed technical matters and advice clearly and simply to a range of audiences.
The work of the Tax Strategy & Policy team varies according to emerging issues and trends, delivery of WRA priorities and wider Welsh Government strategy for the devolved taxes in Wales. We are looking for an individual who can work flexibly and collaboratively to resolve uncertainty, and to develop robust solutions to challenging issues. To enjoy the role, they will appreciate that there is much to do, and that the role will change over time as we support Welsh Government with the implementation of its Programme for Government.
"This is an opportunity to join a small team with a wide reach. As the WRA is still a young organisation there is a genuine opportunity to influence and shape our direction across a range of policy areas. You will work collaboratively with all of our teams, and the breadth and variety of the role is exciting: you can provide advice to operational colleagues on the application of tax legislation one day and explore changes to tax policy with wider Welsh Government the next."
Dave Matthews Strategy and Capability Director
We recommend you review the job description (or candidate pack) under the 'attachments' section before completing your application.
Person specification
Main tasks
Policy Development ? National Registration and Visitor Levy
- Initially provide high-quality technical advice and guidance on the practical application of the visitor levy (VL) and national registration (NR) to resolve uncertainty, ensuring future WRA decisions are made and communicated in a way that is sound, clear and lawful.
- Lead development of evidence-based policy on VL and NR, using data and analysis to identify and address issues early, resolving complexity to ensure that they operate as intended.
- These responsibilities will extend across WRA functions once NR and VL are live. Where necessary, the postholder will also advise wider Welsh Government and Ministers on changes to tax legislation;
Technical advice on tax and operational policy
- Understand and resolve technical policy disagreements, solving issues and unblocking problems. Providing expert advice across WRA-collected taxes as they are implemented in line with legislation and policy intent.
- Review WRA decisions where challenged by taxpayers and support colleagues to build tax and technical capability.
- Support policy development on the design and delivery of new tax legislation, from developing proposals for change to supporting the legislative process.
- Work with Welsh Treasury and other Welsh Government teams to develop policy relating to possible new WRA functions and/or services, with a particular view of doing so in line with WRA strategies.
- Identify and address issues arising from implementation of tax policy, leading on changes to our existing approach where necessary.
Building Relationships
- Develop and maintain relationships with other relevant bodies involved in tax administration (HMRC, Revenue Scotland, Natural Resources Wales) and key stakeholders (Welsh Treasury, other government departments, Law Society, representative bodies).
- Work across organisations to shape the future of the National Register and Visitor Levy, including working with the sector, Local Authorities and Welsh Government as the services are implemented and beyond
Policy development ? WRA-collected Taxes
- Lead development of operational policies and technical advice to shape our approach, working closely with Welsh Treasury to offer expert operational policy insights into tax developments.
- Identify and lead on development of strategies to support the effective delivery of WRA-collected taxes, working across the organisation to enable delivery of corporate plan objectives ;
- Play a leading role in ensuring WRA-collected taxes are delivered in line with ?Our Approach? ? a Welsh Way of doing tax.
- Undertake policy maintenance to ensure that governance frameworks remain fit for purpose;
You will also contribute to the continuous development of the organisation, supporting corporate projects where appropriate.
Candidate information session
If this seems like a role you?d be interested in, join us for our virtual Candidate Information Sessions. You?ll meet the Line Manager, get an overview of the role as well a feeling for what it?s like to work at the WRA. We?ll also talk through our benefits and provide helpful tips for your application with us. Please register for one of the sessions below:
Register here for 26th August at 11.45am: https://UwchGynghoryddPolisiSeniorPolicyAdvisor.eventbrite.co.uk
Languages
Welsh Language skills - Welsh skills are not essential. This means that you do not need Welsh language skills to undertake this role and these skills won?t be assessed during the recruitment process. However, we actively encourage all staff to learn, or improve their Welsh language skills and offer a range of opportunities to suit everyone.
Benefits
What we offer
- 31 days annual leave + Bank holidays, and 2 Privilege days
- Flexible and hybrid working
- Generous employer pension schemes with a contribution of upto 28.97%
- Tusker car scheme
- Vivup Cycle2Work and advances of salary for season Travel Tickets
- Lifestyle Benefits offering discounts on shopping, restaurants and entertainment
- Wellbeing hour each week
- Access to subsidised sports groups
- Generous family-friendly leave policies
- Free Welsh language courses and time off to learn
- Access to a range of staff diversity networks
- Free counselling and support service via our Vivup Employee Assistance Programme and Your Care Health platform
- A thriving culture that?s described as innovative, collaborative and kind.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
We?ll always be clear about how we assess your application, at each stage of the process. This will usually include:
- Assessment of your Application Form and CV against the relevant Success Criteria
- A panel interview (if you?re successful at the initial sift stage) Interviews will take place in person.
- If any additional assessments are needed for this role, such as a test or presentation at interview, we?ll let you know in advance.
- Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted using the lead behaviour, Making effective decisions.
We?re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader so we?ll ask you if you need any adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. So that we can support you in a way that works for you, we?ll offer a pre-interview accessibility chat to anyone that declares a disability or needs any adjustments. This will take place with someone who is independent of the recruitment process and you won?t be placed at any disadvantage as a result of needing adjustments.
A reserve list may be held for this role for applicants that have scored above the appointable threshold at interview. This means that if a similar vacancy becomes available in the next 12 months we may contact you to offer you the role.
Success criteria
Behaviours
Criteria
Assessed in personal statement and CV
Assessed during interview or assessment
Working together
Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders.
No
Yes
Delivering at Pace
Regularly monitor your own and team?s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks
Yes
Yes
Making effective decisions
Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions. Display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular.
Yes
Yes
Strengths
Criteria
Assessed in personal statement and CV
Assessed during interview or assessment
Learner
You are inquisitive, you seek out new information and look for new ways to develop yourself.
No
Yes
Adaptable
You can adapt to variations in work or environment. Your effectiveness is not affected by change. You are flexible and versatile. You act as an advocate for change.
No
Yes
Experience
Criteria
Assessed in personal statement and CV
Assessed during interview or assessment
Experience of developing or working with tax legislation
Yes
Yes
We recommend you review the job description (or candidate pack) under the 'attachments' section before completing your application.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : WRA Recruitment Team
- Email : Recruitment@wra.gov.wales
- Telephone : 03000254000
Recruitment team
- Email : Recruitment@wra.gov.wales
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in line with the recruitment principles, and you wish to complain, you should contact the Head of HR.
Email: hr@wra.gov.wales
If you?re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
Cardiff
New Jobs
Permanent
£47,675 - £56,445 a year