Important

You can’t apply for this appointment

The application deadline has passed or the appointment has been closed for applications.

Appointment details

Non-Executive Directors x2

Summary

Organisation
FCDO Departmental Board
Sponsor department
Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office
Location
London
Sectors
Public Administration
Skills
Change Management, Communication, International Experience, Transformation
Number of vacancies
2
Time commitment
20 day(s) per annum
Remuneration
£15000 per annum
Length of term
Three years
Application deadline
11:59pm on 28 August 2023

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Timeline for this appointment

  1. Opening date

    19 July 2023

  2. Application deadline

    11:59pm on 28 August 2023

  3. Sifting date

    15 September 2023

  4. Interviews expected to end on

    5 December 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Appointment description

About the Role
The FCDO is actively seeking to appoint two Non-Executive Directors. They will be significant contributors to both the operational and strategic leadership of the Department. Their primary objective is to bring independent advice, support and challenge to the Executive Team helping to shape the Department’s work for Ministers, particularly in terms of delivery.
Key responsibilities will be:
  • Contribute effectively to discussions on the leadership and performance of the business at FCDO Supervisory Board meetings, usually held at FCDO’s headquarters in central London (Non-Executive Directors also have an open invitation to attend monthly meetings of the FCDO’s Management Board and support specific pieces of departmental work).
  • Support the Foreign Secretary to examine and challenge the operational delivery of policy proposals, major projects and programmes, strategic and organisational issues.
  • Work with the Permanent Under-Secretary, Directors General and senior leaders to scrutinise the Department’s management information, to ensure that performance and delivery of the Department’s Outcome Delivery Plan and other key objectives are ambitious and achievable.
  • Bring an independent perspective to the work of the FCDO Board, as well as providing independent scrutiny for the Department upon request.

Organisation description

The FCDO’s enduring purpose is to lead the Government’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world. Our overall aim is to position the UK as a reasonable, reliable, and effective international actor and partner, investing in the global relationships we need for the long-term.
The Foreign Secretary has set out how we will achieve these aims, establishing a strong ethos of taking the long view with an approach to foreign policy that will endure for decades. We will act with agility to respond to evolving priorities and emerging risks, and prioritise and plan thoroughly for known and likely scenarios and events. This also means sweating our assets, by playing to our strengths and drawing on all the tools available to achieve UK objectives, including diplomatic, economic, development, defence and security, technology and cultural. We will use our time, energy, money and global network to generate influence on the world stage and continue to stand up for our world view: championing the democratic values we believe in, including the right to freedom, justice, the rule of law and the integrity of sovereign states.
We do so to deliver the vision for the UK’s role in the world set out in the Integrated Review in 2021 and updated in the refresh published earlier in 2023 (IR2023): to promote and protect the UK’s core national interests of security, prosperity and sovereignty, while working to shape an open and stable international order.

Board composition

The FCDO Supervisory Board (chaired by the Foreign Secretary) provides strategic direction, oversight, support and challenge, to encourage the long-term health, reputation and success of the FCDO. Membership comprises of the Non-Executive Directors, as well as the Ministerial Team, Permanent Under-Secretary and Director General of Finance and Corporate. The FCDO’s Management Board takes strategic choices for long-term departmental management where a cross-departmental view, impact or action is required. Non-Executive Directors have an open invitation to attend meetings and support specific pieces of departmental work. Both Boards operate according to these recognised principles of good corporate governance in business:
  • leadership - communicate a clear vision for the department
  • effectiveness - challenge and scrutinise performance
  • accountability - promote the government’s goal of transparency through clear and fair reporting
  • sustainability - take a long-term view about what the department is trying to achieve

Person specification

Essential criteria

  • Proven leadership experience in complex organisations in the private, public or voluntary sectors;
  • Strong communication skills, including an ability to offer challenge in a constructive, straightforward and open manner;
  • Interest in (and passion for) international development and foreign policy work;
  • An understanding of the wider environment in which the FCDO operates, including its current strategic and organisational challenges, as well as the wider challenges faced by the public sector;
  • An engaging and collaborative working style which is challenging and constructive, including the ability to contribute and inspire confidence with a wide range of FCDO stakeholders, and;
  • A strong desire to support the successful delivery of the FCDO core agenda and the Foreign Secretary's priorities.

Desirable criteria

We are looking for strong expertise in any of the following:
  • Experience of leading complex organisational change and people in a diverse, international organisation; or
  • Experience in digital, data and technological change, with an understanding of how the digital world is impacting international systems and institutions.
  • Experience at board level as a non-executive or executive of an organisation.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Green Park Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor on this appointment and will be supporting the application process. For more information and to apply for this role, please visit: https://micro.green-park.co.uk/fcdo-ned/

To apply you will need to provide the following:

  • A Curriculum Vitae (maximum two sides of A4) with your education, professional qualifications and full employment history.
  • A supporting statement (maximum two sides of A4), setting out how you meet the eligibility criteria – make sure you refer to the contents of this document; please ensure your full name is clearly noted at the top of your letter.
  • A Recruitment Monitoring form (here) (comprising diversity monitoring questions, a declaration of significant political activity and a conflict of interest declaration)
  • A Disability Confident Declaration

If you experience any difficulties or have any queries, please contact applications@green-park.co.uk.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the deadline for applications listed below.

We will acknowledge receipt of your application via email in 5 working days. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact applications@green-park.co.uk.

Please submit your application with your personal email address to ensure you receive acknowledgement of receipt. Please note, to ensure confidentiality, applications submitted under a work email address will not receive acknowledgement of receipt.

Overview of the application process

The assessment process

  1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

  2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

  3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

  4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

  5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

  6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

  7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

  8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.
On timings (which are estimates and may be subject to change):
  • The sift is expected to be complete by 15 September
  • The interviews are expected to be complete by 27 October

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Nick Dyer, FCDO Second Permanent Under Secretary
Lady Caroline Dalmeny - independent panel member
Philip Bouverat - independent panel member
Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.
AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

  • you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

  • have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

  • your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

  • you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

  • you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)
If you need further advice, please contact applications@green-park.co.uk.

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.
When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. 
As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.
Some examples of common changes are:
  • ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
  • making adaptations to interview locations;
  • allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
  • giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
  • allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
  • making provision for support animals to attend.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2. These are:

  1. SELFLESSNESS - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends;
  2. INTEGRITY - Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties;
  3. OBJECTIVITY - In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit;
  4. ACCOUNTABILITY - Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office;
  5. OPENNESS - Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands;
  6. HONESTY - Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest;
  7. LEADERSHIP - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 
  • any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
  • any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
  • and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 
which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.
You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 
Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid. 
You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid. 

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.
Please contact the FCDO team managing this recruitment in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at Caroline.Monaghan@fcdo.gov.uk. The team will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Contact details

If you experience any difficulties or have any queries, please contact applications@green-park.co.uk.