Forestry Commission -Non-Executive Commissioners
- Body
- Forestry Commission (FC)
- Appointing Department
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Sector
- Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Location
- The location is flexible. Meetings will be held at locations around the country including the Forestry Commission’s principal offices in Bristol
- Number of Vacancies
- Up to 3
- Remuneration
- The daily rate for each Commissioner will be £409. Reasonable travel expenses are also paid. The roles are non-pensionable
- Time Requirements
- The time commitment is expected to be up to 30 days per year, which will include preparation for and participation in Board meetings. This will increase to 36 days per year for the Commissioner who chairs the Forest Service’s Board.
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
07/10/2019
-
Closed for Applications
20/12/2019 at 12:00
-
Panel Sift
16/01/2020
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Final Interview Date
03/03/2020
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Announcement
09/06/2020 at 09:00
-
TBC
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
Defra Ministers have appointed three new Non-Executive Commissioners to the Forestry Commission.
Dr Hilary Allison, Professor Julian Evans and Sandy Storrie have been appointed for three years commencing on 1 April 2020.
The Commissioners will play a pivotal role in establishing a strong, sustainable future for the organisation, enabling it to set out with confidence on the road to the next hundred years of forestry in England.
All appointments to the Forestry Commission are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The appointments comply with the Ministerial Code of Governance on Public Appointments. There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be declared. All three appointees have declared that they have not taken part in any political activity in the past five years.
Date: 09/06/2020
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Nick Barter
- Added
- 12/02/2020
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- Defra Deputy Director, Climate & Forestry Departmental Official
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| Political Activity | No |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Shireen Chambers
- Added
- 07/10/2019
- Positions
- Executive and Technical director FICFor Independent Member
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| Political Activity | No |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Sir William Worsley
- Added
- 12/02/2020
- Positions
- Forestry Commission, Chair Representative of Organisation
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| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
Vacancy Description
Background
The Forestry Commission (FC) Board of Commissioners plays an important role in the delivery of the FC’s objectives. It sets the strategic direction, provides leadership for FC activities, directs the executive in the conduct of business and allocates resources to meet the FC’s objectives.
The Board has an important role in overseeing, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the FC’s strategy and objectives, building effective strategic partnerships to support the organisation and its aims. It promotes good governance and sound decision making across the organisation.
Board members are expected to work collaboratively, contributing effectively and constructively challenging group discussions involving a wide range of subject matter and people, including technical specialists and professionals. The Board needs to formulate and discuss strategic subjects in a coherent and structured way and ensure that communication with stakeholders is transparent and effective.
Board members are expected to represent the FC and its values at external events and engage with local teams to help support and promote the work of the FC at an operational level.
Commissioners are appointed to the Forestry Commission Board by HM the Queen on the recommendation of Defra Ministers and are required to promote the interests of forestry, the development of afforestation and the production and supply of timber. In doing this, they must seek a reasonable balance between the production and supply of timber and the interests of conservation. You can find out more about the Forestry Commission here.
The Role
The Secretary of State wishes to recruit up to three new non-executive Commissioners for appointment to the Forestry Commission (FC) Board of Commissioners.
In addition to being appointed to the Board of Commissioners, the new Commissioners will be invited by the FC to serve on one or more of the subsidiary Boards (i.e. the Boards of Forest Services, Forestry England and Forest Research) depending on their area of knowledge and expertise and may also be asked to serve on an Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. One of the new Commissioners will also be appointed as Chair of the Board of Forest Services. Please note the appointment of other non-Commissioner non-executives to the subsidiary Boards is being handled separately and is not included in this recruitment.
Further information
For further information on the roles, please contact the Forestry Commission on commissioners@forestrycommission.gov.uk
Person Specification
Candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the following essential criteria:
1. An enthusiasm for and genuine interest in the work delivered by the Forestry Commission and support of its purpose, values and strategic direction.
2. Sound knowledge and expertise in good governance at senior levels in a large organisation in either the private or public sector, and preferably an understanding of working with government.
3. Exceptional communication skills, high level of personal impact and the ability to provide constructive and independent leadership, challenge and support to the Board of a complex organisation.
4. Demonstrable ability to support an organisation through a period of significant operational and cultural change.
Skills
Ministers wish to attract high-calibre applicants from diverse backgrounds who can contribute to ensuring that collectively the Board has the skills to discharge its full range of responsibilities and meet the requirements for specialist expertise stipulated in the Forestry Act. Ministers would therefore like to see applications from people who meet the essential criteria and in addition have expertise in at least one of the following areas:
• The timber trade
• Science and research. Expertise in this area, including a technical knowledge of forestry.
• Forestry and land management. Including knowledge of the key drivers, competing priorities and challenges faced by landowners in England.
If you have these skills, or other areas of expertise relevant to the Forestry Commission, applications will be welcomed from any candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role.
The successful candidates must abide by the principles of public service (attached at Annex B) and the Code of Conduct for Board members.
How to Apply
All candidates are required to complete the following forms:
• Monitoring form 1 (Conflicts of Interest, Conduct and Political Activity Questionnaire)
• Monitoring form 2 (Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire)
Candidates should submit their CV with education, professional qualifications and employment history and the names and contact details for two referees, together with their statement of suitability.
The statement of suitability should give evidence of the strength and depth of your ability to meet the essential criteria for this role. Please provide specific examples to demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria (max two pages please).
Your CV and statement should be returned to the following address by the closing date: 12.00 (midday) on 20 December 2019 Email to publicappts@defra.gov.uk quoting reference APPT05-19.
For further information please email: Charlie Coombs Charlie.Coombs@defra.gov.uk