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Appointment details

DCMS Lead Non-Executive Board Member

Summary

• Organisation: DCMS Departmental Board
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: London
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Business, Major Projects
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Time commitment: 20 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £20,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 5pm on 29 June 2022

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   8 June 2022

2. Application deadline

   5pm on 29 June 2022

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Appointment description

DCMS is seeking to fill the position of two Non-Executive Board Members (NEBMs). The successful candidates will exercise their role through influence and advice, supporting as well as challenging the Executive team and Ministers to continuously improve. 

Appointments will be made by the Secretary of State. NEBMs provide  advice on the operational implications and effectiveness of policy proposals and support getting policy translated into results. Ministers alone will decide policy, with advice from officials. 

The time commitment for both roles will be approximately 15-20 days per annum, including a minimum of four Departmental Board meetings per year. 

Successful candidates will be appointed for a three-year term, with the possibility of extension for a further three years.

Key responsibilities of Non-Executive Board Member will include: 

• sitting on the Departmental Board.
• advising on performance, operational issues and the effective management of the Department;
• providing independent scrutiny for the Department upon request;
• advising on cross-government initiatives and policies;
• working with executives and their offices to continue to improve the performance of the Department; 
• mentoring Executive Team members as required. 

Organisation description

In DCMS we are lucky enough to work on some of the most exciting, positive and important policies for the future of the UK. We are here to drive growth and enrich lives and at this moment in time our role is more important than ever. 

As we emerge from covid we will be at the forefront of efforts to level up economic opportunity across the UK - investing in infrastructure and innovation. 

DCMS drives growth across the UK. We provide the digital infrastructure to boost productivity and harness the power of digital and data across the economy, helping to make the UK a scientific and tech superpower. We support the fastest growing and most innovative sectors of our economy such as digital and tech, media and creative. We help sustain and promote the valuable jobs created in areas like culture, tourism and broadband. 

DCMS enriches lives all over the UK. Much of our work involves the things that people up and down the country love, that bring happiness. They also help strengthen communities, and ‘level up’ access to opportunity from supporting the voluntary and community sector to greater participation in sport, culture and creativity. 

We support our public service broadcasters and news media to help people take an active and informed role in democracy at national and local levels. We protect world-leading cultural and sporting institutions, including at the grass roots. And we unite people, communities and nations when we take centre stage with events that shape our national identity. 

We help protect the security of our economy by ensuring resilience to cyber risks, good governance of our data, keeping people safe from online harms and disinformation. We shape the international agenda in our sectors to support our domestic priorities, particularly through our leadership on sectors such as digital, which are currently central to international debate.

Board composition

The DCMS Departmental Board  

The Departmental Board forms the collective strategic and operational leadership of the Department, bringing together the Ministerial and Civil Service leaders with senior non-executives from outside government. 

It provides advice and challenge to the department and its Ministers on strategic and operational issues. It has an advisory rather than a decision-making role. The Board is governed by the Corporate Governance Code. 

The scope of the Board is performance and delivery, providing the strategic leadership of the department, advising and supporting on the operational implications and effectiveness of policy proposals, and focusing on getting policy translated into results. 

The Board is responsible for ensuring the department has strategic clarity, for oversight of commercial decision making, keeping the department focused on results and scrutinising management information.

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

• proven senior leadership in large and complex organisations in the private, public or voluntary sectors, with main board-level experience as an executive or non-executive; 
• leadership of major projects from initiation, through development and to delivery, using sound evidence to inform decisions
• understanding of the key challenges faced by the public sector and the ability to bring their experience to bear on these challenges;
• ability to bring an alternative and diverse perspective and provide constructive challenge;
• genuine interest in contributing to the effective running of the Department, at the Board, elsewhere in the Department and (as appropriate) across Government;
• sound judgement and a high level of integrity (including when dealing with confidential or sensitive issues); and
• ability to contribute and inspire confidence with a wide range of stakeholders both in formal environments (such as Board meetings) and in less formal environments (such as one-to-one meetings with Executives).

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to provide:

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

2. A supporting statement setting out how you meet the eligibility criteria;

3. Candidate Application Form, including 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.

Completed applications should be submitted to  governance.mailbox@dcms.gov.uk. Please ensure you use ‘DCMS NEBM recruitment’ in the subject box when submitting. Applications will be acknowledged upon receipt.

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.

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

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

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  governance.mailbox@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 minimum criteria for the role 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

Government departments 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 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 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

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. If re-appointed, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years

Term

Both appointments will be for a term of three years with the possibility of re-appointment.

Time required

Approximately 15-20 days per annum, including a minimum of two Departmental Board meetings, All meetings are usually held at 100 Parliament Street, London. All non-executives are invited to one non executive conference per year, co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and the Government Lead Non-Executive.

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.

The Role of NEBM is remunerated at £15,000 per annum. Approximately one third of current Government NEBMs waive their remuneration or donate all/ part to charity. NEBMs on departmental boards are not employees and they do not benefit from temporary civil service status.

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 termination 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 DCMS Governance team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at governance.mailbox@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.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) controls the information you provide in your application for a Public Appointment role.

All information provided will be processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation and used to progress the relevant public appointment campaign.

DCMS will not disclose any information you provide unless required to do so in accordance with ‘access to information regimes’ (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004). 

Applicant details will not be shared outside of the Public Appointments process ahead of a potential Public Appointment announcement of the successful candidate.

Data provided by applicants to Public Appointments may be shared with the Cabinet Office. This is in order to comply with the legal obligation required by the Governance Code of Public Appointments under article 3.1 of the Public Appointments Order in Council 2106. 

Other potential recipients of data within scope of the Public Appointments process include the Cabinet office, the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Anonymised diversity data for Public Appointment applicants and appointees will also be shared with Cabinet Office and OCPA in order to meet the public equality duty as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.

Due diligence will also be undertaken for applicants shortlisted for interview.  Applicants should expect this to include searches for public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information.                                     

Your information will be retained by the Department for two years from the date the information is received after which it will be destroyed.

Contact details

Please contact governance.mailbox@dcms.gov.uk if you have any questions.