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Appointment details

Arts Council England x2 National Council Members

Summary

• Organisation: Arts Council England
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Accountancy, Audit and Risk, Business, Commercial, Communication, Media
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Time commitment: 20 day(s) per annum
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: Midday on 27 March 2024

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   14 February 2024

2. Application deadline

   Midday on 27 March 2024

3. Sifting date

   22 April 2024

4. Interviews expected to end on

   21 May 2024

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

The Secretary of State is seeking to appoint new two new members to Arts Council England’s National Council. One of these will serve as the chair of the Performance and Audit Committee.

Appointment description

• As a member of National Council, the successful candidates will be become trustees of Arts Council England, and alongside other members of National Council will be expected to:
• Uphold the Arts Council’s mission and objectives.
• Set the strategic direction of the organisation and making key investment and policy decisions.
• Ensure that the Arts Council has effective management arrangements and is managing its resources responsibly.
• Individual Council members may be asked to advocate for the creativity and culture sector and represent the work of the Arts Council.
• From time-to-time Council members may be asked to lead or assist with specific aspects of policy development.
• Council members are expected to remain up to date with developments in the sector including opportunities, challenges and risks, drawing the Chair of the Arts Council and its senior executives’ attention to the issues as appropriate.

In addition, the Chair of the Performance Committee will be expected to:

• Lead Performance and Audit Committee as it provides advice to the Accounting Officer and National Council on:
• strategic processes for risk management, internal control, and governance, ensuring that they enable delivery of Let’s Create, our 10-year strategy.
• Arts Council’s accounting policies and judgements, the processes for production, external audit and review of the Annual Report and Accounts,
• Ensure the committee is diverse and has the right mix of knowledge and experience.
• Be involved in the appointment of internal auditors and in the oversight of the annual internal audit programme.
• Ensure that the committee acts in accordance with best practice for public sector audit, risk and assurance committees, and the Nolan Principles of public life.
• Work with Performance and Audit Committee members on the processes for production and review of the Annual Report and Accounts, and the process for their audit by the Arts Council’s independent auditors.
• Chair Remuneration Committee, which meets annually, to oversee the pay, and employment terms of the Executive Board.

Time commitment

• Performance and Audit Committee Chair role: Up to 36 days per year

You will be expected to chair at least 4 Performance and Audit Committee meetings a year, one Remuneration Committee meeting a year, and attend and contribute to at least 6 National Council meetings a year.

• General National Council member role: Up to 20 days per year

Council members are expected to attend at least six Council meetings each year. Council members may also be asked to participate in a number of committee or panel meetings each year.

Organisation description

Arts Council England is the development agency for creativity and culture in England. We develop talent in every corner of the nation, and support artists, practitioners and cultural organisations to work in partnership and to be world-leading in their fields. Our Strategy for 2020-30, Let’s Create, is an invitation to those who share our beliefs to come together and create new opportunities for every person in England to become creative and enjoy brilliant culture. We believe creativity and culture not only inspire us, but they bring us together and teach us about ourselves and the world around us, helping us feel proud of the place we live in. In short, they make life better. 

We support combined arts, dance, libraries, literature, museums, music, theatre, and visual art. Through a range of funds, we provide both short- and long-term investment for individual artists and arts projects, arts organisations, museums, galleries, and libraries.

Over the next three years until 2026 we’ll invest: 

• £458.5 million per year in our National Portfolio – this includes National Portfolio Organisations, Investment Principles Support Organisations, Transfer Organisations and Creative People and Places organisations 
• £116.8 million of National Lottery funding per year in Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants, our open-access funding programme 
• £14.4 million of National Lottery funding per year in Developing Your Creative Practice, our programme to support individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development
• £50 million per year in our Arts Council Development Funds which will focus on a variety of areas such as: capital investment programme, cultural education, digital culture network, museum development, arts council collection management, UK City of Culture and activities listed within out Delivery Plan

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

• Extensive knowledge of, and commitment to, arts and culture and an understanding of the importance of the arts and culture to society.
• Understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the creativity and culture sector with the ability to think imaginatively and strategically, and contribute to effective decision-making.
• Commitment to championing excellence in the arts, diversity and ensuring that the benefits of creativity and culture are available to the widest range of people.
• The ability to act as a credible advocate of the Arts Council with key stakeholders in the sector and the ability to support the Arts Council’s work in building networks and effective partnerships with the creativity and culture sector.
• A commitment to preserving cultural heritage and improving education and understanding of British and world history.

For the Performance and Audit Committee Chair role:

• Senior, recent and relevant experience of finance, governance and risk, preferably within a large complex organisation and/ or experience of serving on Audit and Risk Committees;
• A proven ability to chair meetings inclusively and effectively, enabling all voices to be heard and encouraging constructive challenge to be made
• Strong Communication skills with the ability to deal with relevant contacts such as our Internal Audit team and the National Audit Office
• Ability to analyse and absorb complex information, strategically challenge and prioritise, and scrutinise performance

Desirable criteria

Experience of working in the fields of education, business, public bodies, local or central government, media, charitable institutions, philanthropy, health and wellbeing and internationally would be welcome.

We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with expertise/experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Libraries
• Museums
• Business/commercial expertise
• Finance and Investment experience
• Large and medium size arts organisations
• Local Authority
• Community organisations
• Health and wellbeing
• Digital and data
• Media / Public Affairs
• Artists and Creative Practitioners
• Criminal Justice
• Legal

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• a Curriculum Vitae (CV) - no more than 2 sides of A4
• a supporting statement - no more than 2 sides of A4
• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

Please state clearly in your statement which role you are applying for.

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

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)

• Rosa Schiller-Crawhurst - Deputy Director, Arts and Libraries. DCMS Panel Chair
• Sir Nicholas Serota - Chair of Arts Council England
• Elena Narozanski - 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 publicappointments@dcms.gov.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 ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

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 public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@dcms.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 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.

Contact details

If you have any questions about the appointments process, please contact lucy.allinson@dcms.gov.uk

If you would like to speak about the role itself, please contact david.bryant@artscouncil.org.uk