ID 3999
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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.
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Vacancy details
Vacancy title
Head of Hospitality
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Closing date
21/08/2026, 16:00
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Advertising basis
Permanent
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Actual starting salary
£61,098
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Salary range or pay band
Grade 7 £61,098 to £73,057
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Allowances
No
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Work pattern
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
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Group
Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Group
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Directorate
Tourism Marketing Events and Creative
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Branch
Tourism Development
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Location (s)
Pan Wales
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‘Pan Wales’ means the post holder can be based in any Welsh Government office, subject to business needs. Roles based outside Wales, including London, are not available unless explicitly stated in the advert.
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.
The post holder’s travel from their home to their assigned Welsh Government office is considered their ‘ordinary commute’ and must be done in their own time and at their own cost.
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Purpose of post
The hospitality sector is a cornerstone of Welsh life, contributing significantly to our national identity and economic resilience. As of early 2026, the sector supports over 100,000 jobs across Wales and contributes approximately £3.5bn in GVA to the Welsh economy.
The new Head of Hospitality will be a high-profile leadership role holistically responsible for Welsh Government policy as it relates to pubs, restaurants, cafes, and late-night venues.
The postholder will be a pivotal senior role providing national strategic leadership for hospitality policy, ensuring coherence across Welsh Government portfolios - from environmental health to business rates - and act as the authoritative senior official leading the Welsh Government’s relationship with the sector. The postholder will be responsible for shaping and driving delivery of a coherent, whole‑government strategy, ensuring the sector’s economic and social contribution is maximised and that any risks to that strategies sustainability are actively managed.
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Key tasks
There are three overarching duties/objectives of this role, summarised as follows:
External Relationship Management (Outward Facing)
Strategic Liaison: Represent the Welsh Government as the senior strategic lead in negotiations with major UK‑wide hospitality bodies, presenting and defending Government positions on contentious issues and managing high‑stakes discussions with significant economic, reputational and political implications.
Policy Advocacy: Effectively communicate Welsh Government policy positions to the sector, while acting as a "critical friend" by capturing and articulating emerging industry intelligence, challenges and concerns.
Crisis & Reputation Management: Lead the response to high-profile sector issues to ensure public confidence and sector stability.
Internal Policy Coordination (Inward Facing)
Cross-Government Integration: The post will lead and manage the "Hospitality Map" across Welsh Government. It will pull together threads from multiple departments to create unified advice for Welsh Ministers. Key policy areas include:
The postholder will be required to exercise senior‑level influence across Government departments, shaping policy design where hospitality impacts arise. It will also provide authoritative challenge and ensure Ministerial priorities are embedded into regulatory, economic and social policy frameworks.
The postholder will develop a new Wales cross departmental strategy for hospitality - and chair a cross department steering group to monitor progress against the strategy.
Ministerial Support
Provide quality assurance for high-quality, comprehensive briefings and in person support for Welsh Ministers (including the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise Connectivity and Energy). Lead on Hospitality related Oral and First Minister’s Questions and Senedd business and debates (at times with minimal notice). This includes data-driven analysis of the economic and cultural impact of hospitality on Welsh life.
Policy Cohesion: Successful delivery of a "Unified Hospitality Brief" updated quarterly for the Welsh Ministers.
Stakeholder Sentiment: Maintaining a formal "Engagement Matrix" with UK Hospitality and BBPA – which can be a vehicle to underpin Ministerial engagement.
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Development opportunities
Work at senior government policy level on high‑profile and complex issues affecting the hospitality sector in Wales.
Use hospitality commercial experience to support government policy development.
Develop further experience of direct Ministerial engagement, including briefing and support for Senedd business.
Lead and coordinate cross‑Government work, influencing policy development across multiple portfolios.
Represent Welsh Government at a senior level in strategic engagement with external stakeholders.
Develop skills in strategic leadership, influencing and policy coordination.
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Other vacancy related information
In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Seeing the Big Picture - Anticipate emerging issues, risks and opportunities affecting the hospitality sector and advise Ministers accordingly.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
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.
A presentation on ‘Seeing the Big Picture - Anticipate emerging issues, risks and opportunities affecting the hospitality sector and advise Ministers accordingly will be required at ‘interview stage. More information will be provided in the invitations to that stage.
A full UK driving licence and access to a personal vehicle are essential for this role, as it requires frequent visits to various premises, including during evenings and weekends when public transport options may be limited.
Application to include latest CV - CVs will not be scored but will be used by the panel to gain a fuller understanding of your experience and employment history.
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Vetting level
Basic
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Number of posts
1
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Contact point for further information regarding the post
[email protected] [email protected]
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