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Appointment details

Chair - National Highways

Summary

• Organisation: National Highways
• Sponsor department: Department for Transport
• Location: London
• Sectors: Transport
• Skills: Business, Change Management, Communication, Media, Major Projects, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per week
• Remuneration: £120000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11:59pm on 17 September 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   10 August 2023

2. Application deadline

   11:59pm on 17 September 2023

3. Sifting date

   24 September 2023

4. Interviews expected to end on

   12 November 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

WELCOME NOTE FROM MARK HARPER, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT

Thank you for your interest in applying to be the next Chair of National Highways Ltd (NH) – a role which will play a vital part in supporting the planning, designing, building, operating, and maintaining of England’s motorways and major A-roads, known as the strategic road network (SRN).

This is an important time for the Department for Transport (DfT). We are investing heavily in infrastructure and public transport to improve journeys, boost connections, level up the country and support economic growth. Central to our mission is delivering transport that works for everyone in our society.

In the Chair, we require an exceptional leader with excellent communication skills to manage relationships and stakeholder engagement. The right candidate will have a proven track record in delivery, to help achieve NH’s and government’s priorities.

The SRN is a critical asset underpinning the economic prosperity of the country. This is a critical time for NH, and the new Chair will lead and support the Company to deliver the government’s road investment programme, embed a world-class safety culture and manage important challenges such as environmental impact.

I strongly welcome applications from all backgrounds. As part of the Department’s commitment to diversity, we believe our public appointments should reflect our customers - the travelling public – who come from all walks of life and have different experiences. We very much welcome fresh talent, expertise, and perspectives, to help us better understand the needs of the communities we serve and support better decision making for all. This includes people who may have never applied for a public appointment – but could bring new ideas, insights and energy.

Our dedicated DfT Public Appointments Team would be happy to talk through the process and answer your questions.

Rt Hon Mark Harper MP

Secretary of State for Transport

Appointment description

The Chair of NH is responsible for leading the Board and ensuring its effective operation on behalf of the Secretary of State as sole shareholder. The Chair will encourage and constructively challenge the organisation’s executive leadership team in their pursuit of achieving the goals and strategic vision of NH.

The Chair provides a conduit between NH and the DfT and provides a vital sounding board for Ministers. The Chair should build effective relationships and networks with key stakeholder Ministers and leaders across Government. The core responsibilities of the Chair will include:

• Effectively lead the Board, drawing out the skills and experience of other Non-Executive Directors.

• Be responsible for setting NH’s strategic direction and ensuring it is aligned with the policy priorities and objectives of the Secretary of State.

• Ensuring a high performing organisation that is aligned to and performing against agreed commitments and Key Performance Indicators.

• Along with the members of the Board, play a leading role in NH’s engagement with its key stakeholders, both within Government (including Ministers and officials in the DfT, HM Treasury and the Infrastructure Projects Authority), and externally, including the Office for Rail and Road (ORR), Transport Focus, suppliers, and major road users.

• Ensure that there is a close and transparent relationship between NH and the Department.

• Take a lead role in NH’s relationship with the Secretary of State for Transport as its sole shareholder and client, as well as DfT’s Permanent Secretary as Principal Accounting Officer, making sure NH and DfT’s priorities and concerns are mutually understood.

• Maintain the optimal balance between support and challenge, ensuring that the Board is effective in holding the executive to account and providing strategic direction to the organisation.

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• Take responsibility for Board’s (and key Executive roles) capability and recruitment activity to ensure the Board has the necessary skills to ensure overall effectiveness.

• Promote the highest standards of integrity, probity, and corporate governance, ensuring that NH complies with all governance requirements, including relevant elements of the FRC Corporate Governance Code.

• Maintain a focus on promoting equality and diversity through Non-Executive and Executive appointments and throughout the organisation as a whole.

• Ensure there is a Board Operating Framework in place setting out the role and responsibilities of the Board consistent with the Government Code of Good Practice for Corporate Governance.

• Be a representative for NH to the public and stakeholders.

Organisation description

ORGANISATION BACKGROUND

NH is the government company which plans, designs, builds, operates, and maintains the SRN. The Company has a single shareholder in the Secretary of State for Transport and is a government-owned arm’s length body (ALB), established under the Infrastructure Act 2015.

NH plays a vital role in managing and improving the SRN to make journeys safer, smoother, and more reliable. The SRN is the backbone of the country, enabling businesses to transport products and services, providing access to jobs and suppliers, and facilitating trade and investment across the country. Investment in the SRN directly supports at least 65,000 jobs and 5,000 apprenticeships. More widely, companies that rely on the SRN contribute over £400bn in Gross Value Added to the economy.

Beyond that, NH is working hard to meet the government’s commitment to zero carbon. NH also needs to exploit the full potential of the digital revolution, both in delivery of its activities, and in its communications with road users and stakeholders.

The DfT’s Framework Document sets out NH’s roles and accountabilities, along with those for the Secretary of State for Transport and DfT. The Framework Document provides clarity of purpose for NH to achieve the shared objective of delivering a network that provides the best possible service for customers and stakeholders, and supports broader economic, environmental and safety goals.

Looking Ahead:

This is an important period for NH as they deliver the government’s multi-billion-pound strategic roads investment programme, continuing to set highways standards for the UK, and embarking on a digital future, which is also net zero carbon.

NH receives funding from DfT in five-year cycles called Road Investment Periods. This enables NH to plan for the long term, and provide excellent value for money for its customers, the taxpayer and the country. The Government is currently planning to develop the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which will cover the period from 1 April 2025 to March 2030. RIS3 will build on these successes of the first two road periods (RIS1 and RIS2), adjusting focus where necessary to tackle the next big priorities for improvement and to achieve the long-term strategic vision for the network.

National Highway’s priorities and challenges:

• Delivering on its targets – Delivering the second Roads Investment Strategy (RIS) up to 2025 meeting key commitments on safety, meeting the needs of customers, efficiency and more.

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• Delivering schemes – Continue to deliver the current RIS, including major projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing. Manage tough challenges around Development Consent Orders and to develop RIS3.

• Safety - Everyone who uses and works on NH roads should get home safe and well. Delivering NH’s zero harm strategy and encouraging a world-class safety culture within the organisation.

• Environment and sustainability – Ensuring NH can deliver its environmental commitments and shift from mitigating environmental harm to environmental enhancement.

• Customers - With more than four million daily journeys, the SRN plays a vital part in connecting the nation. NH is working to create a more digitally enabled network and better end-to-end service to address shifting customer expectations on areas such technology and environment.

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website 

Person specification

Essential criteria

The Chair of NH will lead a complex organisation, with the support of a strong and capable Board and successfully deal with current and future challenges. 

We are looking for a leader who is able to demonstrate the following attributes:

i. A proven ability to deliver outcomes whilst ensuring value for money and delivering to timescales, either in an infrastructure management environment or other relevant sectors.

ii. Ability to provide strategic leadership and change management to a large and complex organisation. Provide innovative and inclusive direction, particularly through periods of change, and promote organisational development.

iii. Politically astute in both managing relationships and stakeholder engagement. Able to operate effectively in a complex and diverse stakeholder environment and build confidence and foster credibility with Ministers, leaders across Government and other sectors.

iv. Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Able to confidently engage and collaborate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including an ability to offer challenge in a constructive, straightforward and open manner. Adept with media handling and comfortable in the media spotlight.

v. Relevant experience at Board-level. Able to effectively lead and support a diverse Board in challenging and holding the Executive to account and convey confidence in the organisation’s capability to deliver its objectives. Serve as a mentor and sounding board to the CEO and the leadership team.

Candidates’ suitability for the role will be assessed against criteria i-v above.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Please see the candidate pack attachment for full details.

In order to apply you will need to provide:

1. A  Curriculum Vitae which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any relevant publications or awards;

2. A supporting statement setting out how you meet the criteria for appointment, as set out in the person specification for the role;

3. Information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues;

4. Diversity monitoring information. This allows us to see if there are any unfair barriers to becoming a public appointee and whether there are any changes that we could make to encourage a more diverse field to apply. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be used as part of the selection process and will not be seen by the interview panel;

5. Disability Confident – please state if you want to be considered for the disability confident scheme;

6. Reasonable adjustments - requests for reasonable adjustments that you would like to the application process (if applicable);

Please provide the information at points 3-6 above on the relevant form, or as part of your supporting statement.

Completed applications should be submitted to ApplicationsKF@kornferry.com

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

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

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.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Bernadette Kelly (Permanent Secretary, DfT), panel Chair, 

Olivia Grant, Senior Independent Panel Member, 

Dame Judith Hackitt (Non-Executive Director, HS2 Ltd), and 

David Noyes (Non-Executive Director, Network Rail).

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 peter.guilder@kornferry.com

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. These are:

1. Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
2. Integrity - Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
3. Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
5. Openness - Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
6. Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. Leadership - Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

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 Korn Ferry the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at leanne.hill@kornferry.com. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 10 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

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

DfT’s privacy policy has more information about your rights in relation to your personal data, how to complain and how to contact the Data Protection Officer. You can view it at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/personal-information-charter.

To receive this information by telephone or post, contact us on 0300 330 3000 or write to Data Protection Officer, Department for Transport, 3rd Floor, One Priory Square, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1EA. 

Korn Ferry's privacy policy can be viewed here: https://www.kornferry.com/privacy 

Contact details

If you need further advice, please contact peter.guilder@kornferry.com