Job Description

ID 3311

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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

Vacancy title
Bilingual Legislative Text Editor


Closing date
19/12/2025, 16:00


Advertising basis
Permanent
Actual starting salary
A non-negotiable starting salary of 37,111 will be offered to the successful candidate.
Salary range or pay band
HEO 37,111 to 45,378
Allowances
No
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
Corporate Services and Inspectorates
Directorate
Legal Services Department
Branch
Legal Services Director's Office Bilingual Legislative Text Editing Unit
Location (s)
Pan Wales
Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. A list of the Welsh Government's offices can be found on www.gov.wales/welsh-government-offices. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location.
Purpose of post
Providing a professional linguistic editing service for the Legal Services Department in quality assuring the production of linguistically equivalent and accurate bilingual subordinate legislation.



The Legal Services Department (LS) of the Welsh Government is responsible for the bilingual drafting of all general subordinate legislation made by the Welsh Ministers, First Minister acting alone or where appropriate the Counsel General, as well as other bilingual legislative documents.



The volume of bilingual subordinate legislation made by the Welsh Ministers requires a dedicated legal text editing service, situated within the Welsh Government Legal Services Department, to facilitate the accurate and consistent application of Welsh Government drafting guidance and the terminology used in draft bilingual legislation prepared by the relevant subject lawyers. The postholder is required to specialise in the work of assuring the equivalence of Welsh and English language texts of bilingual subordinate legislation in accordance with demand, working closely with the Senior Bilingual Legislative Text Editor, drafting lawyers and the Welsh Government's specialist team of legislative translators.



All bilingual legislative texts are rigorously checked and edited to ensure linguistic accuracy and legal equivalence between the two language versions.



Key tasks
Reporting to the Senior Bilingual Legislative Text Editor, and professionally to Welsh Government lawyers, the key tasks required of the post are:

Planning, prioritising and delivering editing work within available timeframes, negotiating deadlines or subsequent revisions as necessary; Undertaking comparative scrutiny, revision and correction of Welsh and English legislative texts in respect of final bilingual drafts of general Welsh Statutory Instruments, local and other subordinate legislation and a range of miscellaneous bilingual legislative documents; Considering such advice on Welsh terminology, bilingual consistency and equivalence in legislation as may be reported or published by the Senedd's Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and contributing advice to official Welsh Government responses to that Committee; Scrutinising additional lawyer amendments to legislative texts as required and advising on revisions within specified timeframes for making or laying in draft; Contributing such linguistic advice as may be required to Office of Legislative Counsel lawyers, including Legislative Codes Office staff; Assist as required in the delivery of subordinate legislative training for incoming or established lawyers and administrators, to explain the role and importance of bilingual equivalence and the assurance processes in place to secure it; Liaising with the First Welsh Legislative Counsel, drafting lawyers and specialist legal translators where technical corrections may be needed, where alternative or novel terminology may be required, and/or where the Welsh or English text may need to be amended in order to ensure legal equivalence; Liaising where appropriate on drafting and terminology matters with the Legal Advisers to the Senedd's Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee; Assisting drafting lawyers, as required, in the timely bilingual checking of all draft affirmative SIs that are amended following withdrawal by Welsh Ministers; Contributing such information as may be required to the Legislative Codes Office information databases for the purposes of producing current and historical statistical reports in respect of legislation made by the Welsh Ministers.

Development opportunities
Your experience will give you a unique understanding of how bilingual legislation in Wales is prepared and made and the processes involved. This role offers the opportunity to work within a professional legal environment at the heart of devolved government, at the forefront of the policy and law-making process and at the cutting edge of major constitutional developments.
Other vacancy related information
2 Stages

Stage 1 - Application

A completed on-line application form testing 3 criteria - up to 250 words for each criteria.

The selection panel has determined that applications for this post should be submitted in the Welsh Language. Only applications submitted in Welsh will be included in the sifting process.

We recommend paying particular attention to the "purpose of the post" and "key tasks" sections to ensure your application reflects the skills and experience we are looking for. Applications will be sifted. Only those applicants who meet the minimum requirement will be invited to the next stage.

Stage 2 - Written Test and Interview

Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited to undertake a written Bilingual Text Editing Test followed by Interview. Arrangements, date and time for the written test and interview will be communicated at least 5 working days in advance to candidates successful at the sift stage. The 1 experience criteria and 3 behaviours will be assessed at interview. At least one question at interview will be in English. At sift stage and at interview, a minimum score of 4 will apply to each of the criteria tested. In the event of candidates' overall scores being tied, preference will be given to those candidates who have attained higher scores firstly in relation to the Technical 1 criteria (the written test) and secondly in relation to the Experience 1 criteria (assessed at application and interview).

Feedback

Feedback for each stage will only be provided once the scheme has been completed.


Pan Wales - Bilingual Legislative Text editing staff normally work on a hybrid basis involving remote and office-based working.
This advertisement confirms the overall criteria being assessed throughout this recruitment exercise. For further details on the criteria and evidence required at the application stage, you will need toreview the application form. 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. Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited to undertake a written Bilingual Text Editing Test followed by Interview. Arrangements, date and time for the written test and interview will be communicated at least 5 working days in advance to candidates successful at the sift stage. A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.




Vetting level
Basic
Number of posts
1
Contact point for further information regarding the post
LegalRecruitment.WG.Legal@gov.wales