3944 - Director of Safety & Operations for the Disused Tips Authority

Job summary

Build Wales’ New National Regulator. Protect Communities. Leave a Lasting Legacy

Everyone in Wales deserves to feel safe from the risks posed by unstable disused tips.

The Disused Tips Authority is being established under the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025 to provide national leadership for the safety, management and regulation of disused tips. As Wales' new national regulator, the Authority will deliver a consistent, evidence-led and risk-based approach to managing disused tip risk and helping to protect communities across Wales.

Within this context, the Director of Safety & Operations plays a pivotal executive leadership role in ensuring that the Authority delivers its core purpose — keeping people safe from disused tip risk — consistently, effectively and with confidence.

This role is fundamental to creating an organisation where:

• Risk is clearly understood, prioritised and actively managed
• Operational activity is coordinated, evidence-based and effective
• Safety is embedded in decision-making and organisational behaviour
• Delivery is consistent, resilient and able to respond to emerging risks

As a member of the Executive Team, the postholder has a critical leadership role in setting operational tone, shaping delivery culture and modelling behaviours that put safety, accountability and professionalism at the heart of the organisation.

Job description

The Disused Tips Authority (DTA) will become fully operational on 1 April 2027. We are recruiting now for a number of senior leadership roles to help shape the organisation, build its capability and culture, and prepare the Authority to assume its statutory responsibilities from day one.This is a unique opportunity to join the DTA during its formative stages and play a key role in establishing a new public body for Wales. Important: The Disused Tips Authority is a separate organisation from the Welsh Government. Please disregard any Welsh Government guidance, policies, or recruitment information linked within this advert and refer to the accompanying Candidate Information Pack for the information relevant to this vacancy.Employment ArrangementsAs the Disused Tip Authority will not formally exist until 1 April 2027, these roles will initially be hosted by the Welsh Government.Successful candidates will be employed by the Welsh Government until 31 March 2027 while working exclusively on the establishment of the Disused Tip Authority. From 1 April 2027, employees will transfer to the new Authority as it becomes operational.Throughout this transition, continuity of employment will be maintained. Successful candidates will initially be employed on Welsh Government terms and conditions. The DTA's proposed terms and conditions are included within the Candidate Pack, and employees will have the opportunity to move onto these arrangements following the Authority's establishment.

For further information about the organisation, please see: Help build a new public body for Wales: Disused Tips Authority for Wales

For full details of the role, the assessment process, and guidance on what to expect at each stage of selection, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack available at: Director of Safety & Operations Candidate Information Pack - 2026 Recruitment Campaign

Person specification

As Director of Safety & Operations, you will provide executive leadership for the Authority's operational delivery, ensuring Wales has a safe, consistent and effective approach to managing disused tip risk.

As one of the Authority's founding Executive Directors, you will play a leading role in establishing a new national regulator, shaping both the organisation and the services it delivers to protect Welsh communities

You will:

• Lead the design and delivery of a nationally consistent, risk-based operational model.
• Oversee assessment, categorisation, inspection, monitoring and intervention activity.
• Ensure risks are identified, prioritised and managed through evidence-led decision making.
• Provide strategic assurance to the Chief Executive, Board and Welsh Government on operational performance and public safety.
• Build strong partnerships across Wales to strengthen resilience and protect communities.

You will help create a trusted, resilient and high-performing public body that makes a lasting difference to the safety of communities across Wales.

What we're looking for

We're seeking an experienced executive leader who has successfully led complex operational services within a safety-critical, regulatory or infrastructure environment.

You will bring:

• A degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental science, infrastructure management or a related field), or can you demonstrate equivalent professional experience in a relevant technical field.
• A track record of building high-performing teams and improving organisational performance.
• The ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions in complex and high-profile environments.
• Experience of working with Boards, Ministers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong partnership, communication and influencing skills.
• A commitment to collaborative leadership, continuous improvement and public service.
• A relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience. Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body is desirable.

For full details of the role, the assessment process, and guidance on what to expect at each stage of selection, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack available at: Director of Safety & Operations Candidate Information Pack - 2026 Recruitment Campaign

Qualifications

a degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental science, infrastructure management or a related field), or can you demonstrate equivalent professional experience in a relevant technical field

Memberships

To hold, or be working towards, Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body relevant to the role

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Strategic Operational Leadership• Leading large-scale operational services or programmes within a complex,regulated or safety-critical environment.• Translating organisational strategy into effective operational delivery.
• Risk, Safety and Regulatory Management• Leading the identification, assessment and management of operational orenvironmental risks.• Applying proportionate, evidence-based judgement within regulatory or safetycritical contexts.
• Operational Delivery and Improvement• Designing and improving operational systems, standards and processes.• Drivin