About Senedd Cymru
What is Senedd Cymru?
Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Parliament, is the democratically elected parliament of Wales, with powers under the Government of Wales Act 2006 to make laws and hold the Welsh Government to account. Jobs advertised here sit with the Senedd Commission, the corporate body made up of "the property, staff and services that support the functioning of the Welsh Parliament" and its 60 elected Members. Commission staff are employed separately from both the Welsh Government and individual Members, and work impartially across the political spectrum. Teams span committee clerking, research, legal advice, translation, communications and engagement, ICT, finance, security and facilities.
Where will I work?
The Commission runs two offices: Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay, next to the Senedd itself, and Sarn Mynach in Llandudno Junction, North Wales. Your contractual workplace is one of "Cardiff Bay Office", "Sarn Mynach Office" or "Your registered home address (for employees designated as home workers)". Hybrid is the norm rather than the exception: "Many of our roles are compatible with a hybrid working pattern, the amount of days on-site per week vary according to specific teams."
What is the Senedd Cymru team like?
Around 500 people support the Senedd's work, and the organisation operates bilingually end to end: "We are proud to be a bilingual organisation that works and communicates in both Welsh and English. We provide services to Members of the Senedd and the public bilingually." You do not need fluent Welsh to join. Many roles are advertised at Welsh Courtesy Level, "which asks for a basic understanding of the language, and an ability to pronounce Welsh names and simple phrases", and is not assessed before you start; anyone who does not yet meet it "will be given training by one of our dedicated Welsh tutors". Posts needing more state a Welsh language level of 1 to 5 on the advert. The Commission is an accredited Disability Confident Employer and guarantees an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.
Work-Life Balance
Leave is the headline. The Commission publishes "31 days annual leave and 12 public and privilege days a year", pro-rata for part-time staff, and you "can also sell back up to 4 days annual leave per year". On working patterns it says: "We're open to different ways of working, such as part-time, job sharing, term-time working, home working or condensed hours," and adds, "We offer flexible working hours to help you balance your job with your personal life. The level of flexibility depends on your team and what they need to get their work done." Longer breaks are supported too, with a career break of up to five years' unpaid leave to study, travel, volunteer or focus on caring responsibilities.
Perks and Benefits
- 31 days annual leave plus 12 public and privilege days, up to 4 sellable
- Civil Service pension, with the Commission contributing 28.97% of salary
- Career break of up to five years for study, travel, volunteering or caring
- Maternity, co-parental (paternity), adoption and shared parental leave
- Occupational health nurse and Employee Assistance Programme counselling
- Learning hub with in-house Welsh lessons, funded qualifications and study leave
- Cycle to work and ultra-low emission vehicle salary sacrifice schemes
- Ergonomic and assistive equipment through workplace adjustments