The Royal Parks€¦  · Web viewDear Applicant, Thank you for your interest in this position with The Royal Parks. Please find attached an Application Pack. The pack contains an

March 2014

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in this position with The Royal Parks. Please find attached an Application Pack. The pack contains an Overview of The Royal Parks, full job description and person specification, an Application Form and an ‘Employment Monitoring Diversity Questionnaire’. If you have any difficulty in opening or printing the forms please contact Human Resources at the below email address with re-confirmation of your postal address.

All being well, please complete and print the application and employment monitoring forms and return in hard copy to:

Human ResourcesThe Royal ParksOld Police HouseHyde ParkLondonW2 2UH

Or email your completed application to [email protected] with postal copy to follow (if close to closing date) to reach us by the closing date given in the application pack.

The closing date for this application is 5pm on Wednesday 9 th April 2014.

Submission

When submitting this application form, please only return pages 10 to 19 inclusive. Please do not send any of the pages numbered 1 to 9 as these pages are for your information only.

We will shortlist as soon as possible following the closing date and, regardless of the outcome, write to let you know the status of your application.

We wish you every success.

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March 2014

APPLICATION PACKFor the post of:

Grade IV Head of Information Services

HQ, Hyde Park

CONTENTS Page

Overview of the Parks 3Job Description6Person Specification

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March 2014Application Form 10Diversity Form 18

OVERVIEWThe Royal Parks are:

St. James’s Park The Green Park Hyde Park Kensington Gardens Richmond Park Greenwich Park The Regent’s Park Bushy Park

http://www.royalparks.org.uk

We also tend a number of other spaces in London, including Brompton Cemetery, the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street, and Grosvenor Square Gardens.

Keeping 5,000 acres of urban parkland stocked with trees and other plants is no small task. We have our own nursery to meet the demand, and a dedicated team of plantsmen and Parks staff keep the Parks looking great all year round.

Part of our remit is to conserve the Parks for future generations. We have a "Green Housekeeping Committee", which looks at how we can reduce the

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March 2014impact we have on the local and wider environment. We also have an Ecology team, who advise on habitat management, sustainability, and biodiversity.

The Royal Parks is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Our Vision and Purpose:

"To manage the Royal Parks effectively and efficiently; balancing the responsibility to conserve and enhance these unique environments with creative policies to encourage access and to increase opportunities for enjoyment, education, entertainment and healthy recreation."

Our Corporate Objectives for 2013/14

To conserve and enhance sustainably, for the enjoyment of this and future generations, our world class natural and built historic environment and our biodiversity

To engage with our visitors, stakeholders and partner organisations and understand their views

To manage the parks efficiently and secure investment in the parks' assets and services through an appropriate combination of government funding, commercial income and philanthropy

To be a centre of professional excellence where people want to work

Ministerial Relationship

The Royal Parks is an Executive Agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Parks are owned by the Monarch in right of the Crown. The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the management of the parks.

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March 2014The Chief Executive of The Royal Parks (Linda Lennon) is responsible for operational decisions.

Structure

The Royal Parks currently employs approximately 120 staff, with half based in HQ and the rest in the individual parks. Our headquarters is in the Old Police House, Hyde Park. There is a park office and police station in each park.

Much of the work carried out within the Royal Parks such as grounds, works and tree maintenance is contracted out. Many of the services provided for the public in the Parks - catering, boating, deck chairs and some sports (golf, tennis, bowling, swimming in the Serpentine) - are carried out by licence concessionaires.

Responsibility for policing the parks rests with the Metropolitan Police Service.

The Royal Parks Foundation

Registered as a charity in May 2003, the Foundation has the charitable objectives of raising funds to: Broaden public access to the Parks; Educate, informing and engaging people from all walks of life; Conserve and improving the natural and built environment; Protect wildlife, increasing biodiversity and promoting sustainability.

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March 2014

Job Title: Head of Information Services

Location: Old Police House, Hyde Park, London

Grade and Salary: Grade IV - £40,420 - £50,635

Appropriate security clearance will be needed for this role, most likely at the SC level. Candidates must be willing to undergo the clearance process to the level required for the role.

Relationships:

Reporting to the Director of Programmes, Projects and Information Services

Responsible for the following staff:

One IT Manager and one Senior IT Technical Support– Grade III One IT Support Officer - Grade II One Records Manager – Grade II One Records Officer – Grade I

Key Functional Relationships:

The Directors, Departmental Heads and Park Managers of the Royal Parks Agency

Information systems / asset owners of specialist applications i.e. Aboricultural, Finance, GIS, Squiz Matrix CMS etc

Technical, executive and administrative officers within the Royal Parks,

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March 2014Important External Relationships:

External IT Support contractors and consultants

Main Purpose of the Job:

This role combines information management leadership and direction across the organisation with the robust delivery of information services.

The Royal Parks have a wide range of IS services to administer and maintain. TRP’s centralised servers and associated infrastructure are located in Hyde Park with users working from multiple fixed locations across London and other ad hoc remote locations. However, TRP is increasingly moving towards Cloud Services.

The Information Technologies Team of three is responsible for all core IT infrastructure technologies including; MS Windows Server 2003/8, MS Exchange, VMware ESXi, Citrix XenApp, Windows XP (soon to be upgraded) and Blackberry Enterprise Server 5. User applications include MS Office through to specialist aboricultural and wildlife monitoring applications.

The Records Management team of two is responsible for records archiving and management, FoI and EIR enquiries and making important contributions to Information Assurance. The intention is to introduce a document management system sitting alongside the Records Management system in the near future.

Main Duties/Responsibilities:

Lead the Information Services team – ensure that they are customer focused, deliver against strategic objectives and have the necessary capability and skills.

Support the Director of Programmes, Projects and IS by horizon scanning and providing strategic insight to lead, produce and drive clear strategies for the development of our information management systems and services.

Deliver IS change programmes and projects and to deliver high quality support services.

Ownership of the ICT Governance processes and the provision of support to the IS Steering Group.

To undertake your Health and Safety responsibilities as described in the H&S Manual and in particular to implement the policy within the IS team and ensure health & safety issues receive the same priority as other management tasks

Records Management - All staff that create records in the course of their work shall ensure that those records are maintained or destroyed / deleted only in accordance with the Records Management policy.All staff are responsible for ensuring that equality and diversity is key to their everyday business; treating one another with dignity and respect in line with the core principles which have been outlined in the Diversity & Equality Implementation plan

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March 2014

Person Specification:

Competencies/Selection Criteria Essential (E) / Desirable (D)

Seeing the Big PictureGood knowledge of public sector information management and security, ISO27001 or GSi/PSN, Freedom of Information Act & Environmental Impact Assessment regulations.

D

Be aware of emerging trends and issues relating to Information Services which may impact on or benefit the team and organisation. You will have knowledge and skills in the delivery of IS services that improve efficiency and effectiveness.

E

Changing and ImprovingActively seeks feedback from users; secures and publicises successes, encouraging constructive criticism from staff and partners.

D

Experience of successfully leading ICT change projects. A Prince 2 project management qualification would be well regarded.

E

Making Effective DecisionsExplore different options for the delivery of IS projects and services, identifying associated risks, benefits and resource costs before coming to a

D

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March 2014decision.Leading and CommunicatingEstablishes and maintains effective relationships with representatives of user groups and system owners using excellent communication skills in an engaging manner, standing ground when needed. Excellent people leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate others to follow.

E

Collaborating and PartneringDevelops mutually beneficial partnerships inside and outside of the organisation in order to develop services that make the best use of available information technologies

D

Building Capability for AllIdentify future capability requirements needed to deliver future team and organisational objectives and manage team resources to meet those needs

D

Achieving Commercial OutcomesDevelopment of business applications that enable income generation and process efficiency.

D

Delivering Value for MoneyCommercially astute and ensures value for money on all systems and activities - making effective use of all available resources

D

Managing a Quality Service1. Experience of maintaining Microsoft server infrastructure including configuring and supporting MS Windows 2003 / 2008 Server, Active Directory, and services e.g. DNS. DHCP, IIS and WSUS. Knowledge of backup/restore and disaster recovery technologies.

E

2. Experience of configuring and supporting Cirix XenApp 6.5 E3. Experience of configuring and supporting at least 3 of the following 6 skill sets

Exchange VMWare ESXi HP Trim Blackberry Enterprise Server Cisco switching Microsoft Server products e.g. ISA, SQL and IIS

E

Focuses on identifying the needs of internal and external customers and developing processes and systems that meet those needs. Experience of implementing and monitoring Service Level Agreements – raising standards to that of comparable organisations.

D

Delivering at PaceTake responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to teams and individuals where appropriate

D

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March 2014

APPLICATION FORM CONFIDENTIAL APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENTThe Royal Parks is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services. Recruitment and selection decisions are made purely on merit as the result of fair and open competition. We are committed to equality of opportunity for the advancement of employees including promotion and training and do not discriminate against any person because of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or responsibility for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

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March 2014 1. JOB POSITION

Position applied for: Reference Number Available to take up employment (date):

2. PERSONAL DETAILSTitle:

Surname:

Forenames

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone (Daytime Contact Number/s):

Email Address:

Have you a full current driving licence? YES NO

Are you currently a Civil Servant? YES NO Have you ever been a Civil Servant YES NO

3. EDUCATION A) Secondary Education

School name/addressDates

Examinations (subject/result, etc.)From To

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March 2014

B) Further Education and Training

University/college nameDates Type

of Cours

e

SubjectsQualifications or class of degreeFrom To

C) Occupational Qualifications/Institute Membership/Membership of Professional Organisations

College/Institute or other name

DatesQualification/levelFrom To

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March 2014

4. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY Please provide details over the last 10 years, including any unpaid or voluntary work, listing present or most recent employer first. Any gaps in employment dates should be explained. If you have any particularly relevant experience dating beyond the last 10 years please include this.

Current salary and benefits Notice or salary when last employed Required

From/ToDates

Name and address of employer and type of

businessJob title and main duties

Reason for leaving

Continue on a separate sheet if necessary

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March 2014

5. REASON FOR APPLICATION – Skills, Qualities and Experience

In this part we want you to highlight your skills, qualities and experience. The competencies relevant to the post you are applying for are listed in the Person Specification on the job description enclosed. For those competencies listed below, please give specific examples in no more than 200 words for each heading about a time either at work, volunteering or in your personal life that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria required to do the job. You must ensure that your answers provide clear evidence of the given competency.

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE:

CHANGING AND IMPROVING:

LEADING AND COMMUNICATING:

1. MANAGING A QUALITY SERVICE:

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March 2014

2. MANAGING A QUALITY SERVICE:

3. MANAGING A QUALITY SERVICE:

6. PERSONAL STATEMENTThis is your opportunity to tell us why you think we should select you and why you want

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March 2014the job. Here you can demonstrate how your experience meets the other role competencies in the person specification attached. You may also include personal interests which are relevant and meet the requirements of the post. You must use no more than 350 words.

7. ATTENDANCE RECORDIf you wish to comment on any extended absences from the office, please do so here.

8. PART TIMEIf you are part time, please state the number of hours that you are able to work and also please confirm if you would consider job share.

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March 20149. REFEREES

Please give us the contact details of your all your employers over the past 3 years.

Name: Name:

Address: Address:

Postcode: Postcode:

Occupation: Occupation:

Email: Email:

Telephone No: Telephone No:

Your present employer and these referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

10. DECLARATION I Confirm that the information given on this form is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true and accurate. I understand that if I have given misleading information on this form, this will be sufficient grounds for terminating my employment. I have personally completed the application form.

Signature __________________________________ Date:

11. LINE MANAGER’S ASSESSMENT OF SUITABILITY (or Countersigning Officer if Line Manager not available)

If you are currently employed as a Civil Servant you will be required to complete this section in full. Please also attach your last 2 years appraisal reports.

External candidates should proceed directly to section 12.

1) I consider this applicant to be:17

Please comment on your assessment drawing attention to the applicant’s experience/special qualities for the post. If you are unable to judge the applicant’s suitability, please give reasons:

Please comment on your promotion assessment:

March 2014

Highly Suitable Unsuitable I am unable suitable to judge

To be completed only if applicant is applying for trawled post on promotion.

2)Do you consider the applicant to have the skills and experience to perform at the higher grade they have applied for?

Yes No

Signed: Grade: Date:

Name (in block capitals)

Line Manager/Countersigning Officer for years months

12. DIVERSITY FORM

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March 2014A Section A: Your Details

Surname: Forenames: Title:

Date Of Birth: Gender: Male Female

Gender Identity: (optional) If you identify as transsexual or transgender (in that you have effected a permanent change of gender identity) or as inter-sex, which group do you identify with? Where did you see/hear about this vacancy?

Section B: Disability

The Royal Parks wish to encourage suitably qualified people with disabilities to apply for jobs. All information will be treated in strictest confidence.

Do you consider that you have a disability? Yes No Prefer not to say

What is the nature of your disability?

Please give details of any special needs or requirements that you may need us to make if you are invited to interview/offered employment:

Section C: Religion or Belief and Sexual Orientation

Which religion or belief do you most associate with? Please tick one box only.

No religion Bahai Buddhist Christian Jain Jewish

Muslim Sikh Other Prefer not to say

Which sexual orientation do you most associate with? Please tick one box only.

Bisexual Gay Man Gay Woman/Lesbian Heterosexual/straight

Prefer not to say

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March 2014

Section D: National Identity

Which National Identity do you most identify with? Please tick one box only.

British or Mixed British English Irish Scottish Welsh

Or any other(specify if you wish)

Section E: Ethnic Identity

Which Ethnic Background do you most identify with? Please tick one box only.

ASIANBangladeshi Indian Pakistani Other Asian Background (specify if you wish)

BLACK African Caribbean Any other Black background (specify if you wish)

CHINE SEAny Chinese background specify if you wish)

MIXED ETHNIC BACKGROUNDAsian & White Black African & White Black Caribbean & White Any other mixed ethnic background (specify if you wish)

WHITE: Any White background (specify if you wish)

ANY OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUND (specify if you wish)

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