Announcements (Archive)

Security Non-Executive Director

Body
Office for Nuclear Regulation
Appointing Department
Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Sector
Energy
Location
Bootle (Merseyside), London or Cheltenham.
Number of Vacancies
1
Remuneration
The post is non-pensionable and attracts a remuneration of £15,000 per annum plus reasonable travelling expenses for time spent on ONR Board business.
Time Requirements
The anticipated annual time commitment for Board members is 30 days. A time commitment for induction will also be required.

Campaign Timeline

  1. Competition Launched

    14/02/2020

  2. Closed for Applications

    22/03/2020

  3. Panel Sift

    06/04/2020

  4. Final Interview Date

    06/05/2020

  5. Announcement

    28/09/2020

Announcement

An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has appointed Jean Llewellyn OBE as the new Security Non-Executive member to the Board of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

Jean will take up the appointment on 1 October 2020 for a three year term and will Chair ONR’s Security Committee. She was the founder and Chief Executive of the UK National Skills Academy Nuclear (NSAN) for its first 10 years. This followed a career involving senior management, leadership and policy development roles in the private and public sector. In 2018 she was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS).

Jean was actively involved in UK nuclear policy through her membership of the Government’s Nuclear Industry Council and as Chair of the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance. These partnerships worked to ensure the highest standards of safety and security across the UK nuclear programme.

In 2011 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to the Energy Industry and she was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the Nuclear Institute in 2010. In 2019 Jean was awarded the Honour of ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite’ in recognition of her collaborative work between the UK and France on nuclear skills development.

Assessment Panel

Panel Member
Zilla Bowell
Panel Role
Panel Chair
Positions
BEIS Head of Civil Nuclear Security & Safety Departmental Official
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Political Activity-
Notes-
Panel Member
Mark McAllister
Positions
Chair of ONR Representative of Organisation
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Political Activity-
Notes-
Panel Member
Jamey Johnson
Positions
DWP, Head of Partnerships Departmental Official
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Political Activity-
Notes-
Panel Member
Sarah Smart
Positions
Independent Member
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Political Activity-
Notes-

Vacancy Description

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is a Public Corporation responsible for the regulation of nuclear safety and security across the UK. Its vision is to be an exemplary regulator that inspires respect, trust and confidence.

ONR is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who have principal responsibility for governance, finance and its performance in relation to conventional Health and Safety. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is accountable for the UK civil nuclear regulatory framework and policies and for appointing a Security Non-Executive Director (NED) to the ONR Board.

National Security is a key priority for Government. ONR has the complex challenge of overseeing and enhancing the security of the UK’s licensed nuclear sites and materials, including when being transported, in line with international and domestic requirements. To help meet that challenge BEIS is seeking to appoint a Security NED with significant experience of, or expertise in, areas relevant to ONR’s nuclear security purposes such as national security, including national infrastructure and/or cyber security.

We are looking for someone who will bring experience from other national and/or international organisations with security and other challenges on a similar scale to those facing ONR. The successful candidate will help set ONR’s strategic direction to 2025 and beyond, drive regulatory excellence and oversee the organisation’s governance arrangements.

  • ONR is the UK’s independent nuclear regulatory authority. Established as a statutory public corporation on 1 April 2014, under the Energy Act 2013. Its mission is to provide efficient and effective regulation of the nuclear industry, holding it to account on behalf of the public.
  • ONR independently regulates nuclear safety, nuclear security and conventional health and safety across 37 licensed nuclear sites and performs targeted inspection activity across their supply chains. It also regulates the transportation of nuclear materials and ensures safeguards obligations for the UK are met.
  • ONR is also responsible for regulating the design and construction of new nuclear facilities ensuring they are built and operated to the highest standards, and oversees the decommissioning of nuclear sites. It cooperates with other UK and international regulators and agencies on safety and security issues of common concern, including associated research.
  • ONR’s duty is to ensure that the nuclear industry controls its hazards effectively, has a culture of continuous improvement and maintains high standards.
  • ONR’s gross budget for 2019/20 is £98.1 million. We are funded primarily by charges to the nuclear industry through cost-recovery from duty holders and charges to government for specific commissioned activities, together with grant funding from our sponsoring body, DWP. The grant is agreed for the current Spending Review period and our statutory obligations remain unchanged. We recover approximately 98% of our running costs from the nuclear industry we regulate and government departments to whom we provide a service. The remaining 2% is grant funded from our sponsor body, DWP, to cover activities which are statutorily prohibited from being recovered in this way.
  • ONR has c 600 full time equivalent staff across three locations (Liverpool, Cheltenham and London) around 405 of whom are regulatory specialists.

Person Specification

Non-Executive Director:

You will contribute to the Board’s role by:

  • Helping lead the work of ONR by operating effectively as a Board Member and by contributing to Board meetings and discussions;
  • Chairing and/or participating in Board’s standing Committees; the Security NED is to be a member of ARAC so as to bring their security perspectives to the consideration of assurance and risk;
  • Maintaining effective working relationships with a broad range of networks, stakeholders and staff;
  • Promoting ONR externally acting collectively in representing its decisions to stakeholders and the general public; and
  • Demonstrating a commitment to the Seven Principles of Public life.

The Security NED will receive appropriate, periodic internal and external briefings on security matters/risks to enable them to fulfil their role.

Ideally candidates should not have worked in the nuclear sector in the six months prior to joining the ONR Board; those who have recently left may present a conflict of interest which will need to be explored at interview.

Essential criteria

We are seeking candidates with the right skills, experience and abilities to complement those of the existing Board members, and to bring an additional perspective from a national security viewpoint.

  • experience and expertise of operating at a senior executive level in the area of national security, involving protective security (including personnel), and cyber / information security;
  • the ability to maintain an up to date understanding of the range of national security threats facing the civil nuclear sector;
  • the ability to influence, build consensus and contribute effectively to the work of the Board at a strategic level and challenge and support the executive team to lead the organisation;
  • the ability to test and analyse complex issues, evaluate proposals and address risk;
  • the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders;
  • the successful candidate must also be able to participate as a member of ONR’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, providing an informed security perspective, and to other Board Standing Committees as required.

Due to the nature of this post, Developed Vetting security clearance is essential. This requires 10 years residency in the UK and UK National Status.

Desirable criteria

Experience of working at a senior level, though not necessarily as a NED, in one of more of the following areas:

    • the nuclear industry, business transformation/change management, engineering or science sector, and the wider regulatory environment (not necessarily nuclear).

How to Apply

The closing date for applications is Sunday 22 March at 23:00. Late applications will not be accepted.

Information on the timetable for this campaign, selection process, requisite security clearance, and the Advisory Assessment Panel can be found on the Centre for Public Appointments webpage for this vacancy.

To apply for this post please:

Please ensure that you include “ONR, NED” in the subject box

Alternatively, if you would like this form in a Microsoft Word document or physical copy, you can request this via the appointments team at publicappointments@beis.gov.uk or by sending a letter to:

Public Appointments Team, 7th Floor, Spur 2, BEIS, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H OET

Applicant packs can be provided in other formats upon request.

Information on the timetable for this campaign, selection process, requisite security clearance, and the Interview Panel can be found on the Centre for Public Appointments webpage for this vacancy at https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, you can contact Harry Vizor, Campaign Manager in the BEIS Public Appointments Team at publicappointments@beis.gov.uk