British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser

ID 4142

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 details

British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser  

02/11/2026, 16:00 

Public Appointment
£76,715 to £88,023 per annum full time equivalent
2 years, with option of 2 further extensions of 2 years each, subject to reappointment, up to a maximum tenure of 6 years.
Not applicable

The BSL Adviser for Wales will be expected to provide independent, expert advice to Welsh Ministers on promoting and facilitating the use of BSL in Wales, and to support the effective implementation of duties under the BSL (Wales) Act 2026.  The BSL (Wales) Act 2026 (referred to in this document as ‘the Act’) is linked below:

British Sign Language (Wales) Act 2026

Information Pack for Applicants. Appointment of the British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser to Welsh Ministers (BSL version): https://youtu.be/PI7Rda3raRg

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:

  • Experience of providing advice, influencing decision-making, and working at a senior level, as well as a strong understanding of public policy.
  • Objectivity, including independence from Government and independence from specific interest groups (where there could be potential conflicts of interest).
  • Ability to communicate effectively and fluently in BSL and have appropriate personal understanding of the experiences and perspectives of BSL signers.
  • Ability to bring together and lead discussions with representative BSL signing communities to understand common issues and identify opportunities for Government and public bodies to improve.
  • Understanding of deaf culture, BSL as a language, and the social model of disability.

Key responsibilities

 The following responsibilities describe how the BSL Adviser for Wales is expected to operate in practice, including to support the delivery of the statutory functions set out in the BSL (Wales) Act 2026:

Strategic leadership and promotion of BSL

  • Demonstrate the Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
  • Embrace and promote equality, diversity and inclusion for BSL signing communities across Wales, reflecting and learning from own and the lived experiences of others.
  • Raise awareness of BSL as a language and supporting its status and use in Wales.
  • Promote the understanding of BSL as a language and deaf culture, taking an inclusion and rights-based approach.
  • Promote good practice and consistency in the use of BSL across Welsh Government and public services in Wales.
  • Act as a national leader for BSL by promoting interests of BSL signers in policy and public life.
  • Work collaboratively across government, public bodies and stakeholders to support a coherent, cross-government approach to implementation of the BSL (Wales) Act 2026.

 Advising and informing Welsh Ministers

  • Agree and deliver a plan for the duration of the term of appointment, setting out how statutory functions of the BSL Adviser, set out in the BSL (Wales) Act 2026 will be exercised.
  • Provide independent advice and constructive challenge to Welsh Ministers on BSL policy and implementation of the Act.
  • Constructively challenge and influence policy/practice across government and public services.
  • Provide advice to support monitoring of progress and inform ongoing implementation of the Act.
  • Use evidence, engagement and information available to inform advice and recommendations to Welsh Ministers on issues relating to the use and promotion of BSL.

 Working with the BSL community

  • Engage effectively and confidently in BSL with deaf BSL signing communities across Wales, ensuring engagement represents a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
  • Ensure that engagement activity is inclusive, accessible and proportionate, enabling effective involvement of deaf BSL signing communities.
  • Demonstrate inclusive and visible leadership, acting as a positive ambassador for BSL and supporting confidence, trust and engagement across BSL signing communities.
  • Establish and maintain relationships through networks and continuous engagement to ensure feedback mechanisms between the BSL signing communities across Wales and public services.
  • Draw on engagement with BSL signing communities to present views and ensure lived experience and perspectives inform advice to Ministers on implementation Act.
  • Build and maintain strong partnership relationships between the organisation’s partners and stakeholder groups that represent BSL signers in Wales, to promote and enable the effective implementation of the Act.

Helping public services improve

  • Work with listed public bodies to inform delivery of their duties under the Act, including the development and implementation of BSL plans.
  • Provide insight to Welsh Ministers on how public bodies are fulfilling duties under the Act, drawing on evidence, stakeholder engagement and information provided by listed public bodies.
  • Provide advice, with the agreement of Welsh Ministers, to public bodies and others on promoting and facilitating the use of BSL in Wales.

 Governance

  • Participate in meetings with Ministers, officials and external stakeholders as required.
  • Chair the BSL assisting panel;
    • Support the recruitment of the panel.
    • Consult the panel, as appropriate, when preparing information or advice for Welsh Ministers or others.
    • Draw on the expertise, knowledge and perspectives of panel members to inform advice and recommendations.
    • Determine the focus and priorities of panel discussions, in line with the Adviser’s work programme and statutory functions.
  • Attend and contribute to forums and governance structures that provide oversight of the delivery of the Act.
  • Support Welsh Ministers in building strong cross-governmental relationships across the four nations.

Information Pack for Applicants. Appointment of the British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser to Welsh Ministers (BSL version): https://youtu.be/PI7Rda3raRg

Privacy Notice – British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser Recruitment (BSL version): https://youtu.be/akTZ7KABzsw

Welsh Government Recruitment Portal – How to Guide – British Sign Language (BSL) Adviser Online Application (BSL version): https://youtu.be/1HOCH_VFpoM

WeTransfer – How to Guide – British Sign Language (BSL) adviser personal statement (BSL version): https://youtu.be/gRL3tVePXiM

Basic
1
BritishSignLanguagePolicy@gov.wales

Essential criteria to be evidenced in personal statement and tested at interview.

  • Ability to gather and represent insight from BSL signing communities to gain a broader understanding and inform advice, priorities and decision‑making for the benefit of the BSL signers.
  • Experience of providing independent challenge and scrutiny whilst maintaining constructive relationships.
  • Experience of bringing together and maintain a network of diverse range of stakeholders with often conflicting views and priorities, working collaboratively to achieve shared outcomes.

 For those candidates who the panel determine meet the essential criteria and are invited to interview, in addition to the essential criteria, the following criteria will need to be evidenced at interview.

  • Commitment to adhering to the Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles) and the values of the organisation.
  • Experience of promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, with ability to welcome and respond to views and challenges from others, despite any conflicting pressures to ignore or give in to them

The selection panel will assess candidates’ written CV and personal statement (submitted either in written format of BSL video) to determine who it believes best meet the essential criteria for the role, and who will be invited to interview. The essential criteria are described below. The panel will rely only on the information you provide in your CV and personal statement to assess whether you have the skills and experience required.  Please ensure that you provide evidence to support how you meet all of the essential criteria.

The selection panel will be chaired by Tracey Breheny, Local Government and Planning and Social Justice - Welsh Government and will also include Andrew Charles, Deputy Director, Cohesive Communities - Welsh Government, and Rebecca Mansell, CEO British Deaf Association and Craig Crowley, CEO Action Deafness as Independent Panel Members. A member of the BSL Policy team at Welsh Government will also act as an observer.

We anticipate that during December 2026, the panel will have decided who will be invited for interview in January 2027. The panel will select for interview only the strongest applicants who it feels have demonstrated that they best meet the essential criteria set out in the job description.  However, if you have applied under the guaranteed interview scheme and you meet the essential minimum criteria for the post, you will also be invited to attend an interview. Interview questions will be provided in advance.

If you are invited for interview by the selection panel, you will also be expected to take part in a lived experience engagement session with members of the deaf BSL signing community. The session will last for approximately 45 minutes. At this session, you will be asked to lead a discussion in BSL with members of the deaf BSL signing community. The lived experience panel will differ from the interview panel and will comprise of representatives from deaf BSL communities across Wales.

If you are invited to interview, we will provide you with as much notice as possible of the interview date. If you are unable to make the arranged date, we will endeavour to re-arrange it, but it may not be possible due to time constraints within the appointment timetable or selection panel availability.  The lived experience engagement session will take place online. Candidates invited to interview will have the option of attending their interview either online or in person at Welsh Government offices in Cathays Park, Cardiff. Further information about arrangements for both the engagement session and interview will be provided in advance.

You will receive email communication from Welsh Government’s application centre to let you know if you have been invited to interview.

If you attend an interview, the panel will question you about your skills and experience, asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the essential criteria set out for the post.

Candidates who the panel believe are ‘appointable’ will be recommended to Ministers, who will make the final decision.  The Minister may choose to meet with appointable candidates before making their decision.  If they do, they will meet all candidates in the presence of the panel chair, or their nominated representative.  There will be a time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made.  Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

As part of the appointment process, following interviews, the preferred candidate will be required to attend a pre‑appointment hearing with the Senedd’s Equality, Human Rights and Social Justice Committee. Further information will be provided at the appropriate stage.

If you are successful, you will receive a letter appointing you as the BSL Adviser, which will confirm the terms on which the appointment is offered.

If you are unsuccessful at interview, you will be notified through the Welsh Government’s application centre.  We appreciate it takes a lot of time and effort to apply for roles and that feedback is a valuable part of the process.  As a result, the letter will provide the details of who you may approach for feedback on your application and interview, should you so wish.

 

 

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.
0 - No skills
0 - No skills
0 - No skills
0 - No skills

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 1Application Form
Stage 2Interview

Experience

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

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.

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.
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 applications for this vacancy must be made using our online application system.

Unless stated otherwise in the 'Other vacancy-related information for advert', the Welsh Government cannot offer Visa sponsorship. Welsh Government holds a Visa sponsorship licence, but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Applications are welcomed from people with a diverse range of lived and professional experiences. We are actively committed to becoming an increasingly diverse organisation which represents the diverse communities we serve. There are a number of Diversity networks that staff can participate in, which include the Disability Awareness and Support Staff Network; Minority Ethnic Staff Network; Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (LGBTI+), Women Together and the Neurodivergence Network.

If you have an impairment which prevents you from applying online, please email our recruitment team. You can:

  • request an application pack in an alternative format
  • request a recruitment adjustment to help you submit your application

Use the 'Apply' button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you don't have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.

You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application.  Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there. 

Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.

If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page.  We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.

Please see the candidate guidance/pack for more information on the recruitment process.

For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role