Welcome

Thank you for the interest you have shown so far in the posts of Head of Building Regulations Policy and Building Standards Technical Manager. I hope that with a little more detail and context you will see both as exciting career opportunities.

Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group (CCRA)

CCRA supports the Climate Change and Rural Affairs ministers across a range of policy areas - including climate change, infrastructure, rural affairs and housing and regeneration.

With responsibility for activities ranging from challenges relating to creating a Net Zero Wales by 2050; ensuring people have high-quality, warm, secure and energy-efficient homes to live in; the development of a future sustainable farming scheme; supporting the food and marine sectors; and delivering 21^st Century infrastructure that will move us towards a low carbon transport system.

• managing our natural resources sustainably
• overseeing Wales’ planning system and building regulations
• supporting our agriculture and food sectors
• ensuring the health and welfare of animals
• supporting the regeneration of communities
• implementing sustainable development policy

Building Regulations is a major component of a number of key Welsh Government policies including tackling and adapting to climate change, sustainable development and the wellbeing of future generations and crucially at this time building safety. Since the devolution of Building Regulations policy and powers to Welsh ministers in 2012 we have started to set a direction which reflects both the needs of the people of Wales and our wider global responsibilities.

Following the tragedy of the fire in the Grenfell Tower in 2017, and in memory of those who lost their lives, the Welsh Government has embarked on a course of action aimed at fixing the significant shortcomings of the current regulatory systems in both the construction and the occupation which follows. The inclusion of Wales in the Building Safety Act 2022 provides the necessary powers to tackle the first phase of design and construction. Both posts can expect to work closely with colleagues responsible for developing the second phase, residential buildings inoccupation. It is no exaggeration to say this reform of the building control system represents the biggest change to the regulation of construction work since the 1985 Building Act was introduced.

These are exciting opportunities for the right persons – both posts will require establishing and developing relationships with others providing leadership to the team of technical and general staff working in partnership to deliver improved outcomes. Both posts are described as specialist with a need for a broad knowledge and understanding of the technical aspects of building regulations particularly in relation to building and fire safety and climate change and the regulations that govern these areas.