Role details

Homes England - Non-Executive Director Board Members

Application deadline 16 October 2023

Summary
About the role
Person specification
Application and selection process
Additional information for candidates
Attachments

Summary

Organisation: Homes England
Sponsor department: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Location: Various
Sectors: Property
Skills: Audit and Risk, Commercial, Technology / Digital, Regulation, Transformation
Number of vacancies: 4
Time commitment: 3 day(s) per month
Remuneration: £24984 per annum
Length of term: Up to 3 years
Application deadline: 11am on 16 October 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

Opening date

11 September 2023
Application deadline

11am on 16 October 2023
Sifting date

5 December 2023
Interviews expected to end on

31 January 2024

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction from the Chair

Dear Candidate 

Thank you for your interest in these vacancies on the Homes England Board. Homes England was established by Government to increase the supply of quality homes, improve affordability and help create stronger, more liveable places. More than that, it was created to change people’s lives.

In the current challenging market, Homes England’s role has perhaps never been so important. We are working to galvanise a housing-led recovery and help fulfil the Government’s Levelling Up and Local Devolution aspirations, connecting with other ambitious organisations and using our resources to work strategically across the country to create jobs, homes, and long-term partnerships in places.

Homes England’s Non-Executive Directors play a vital role in this, with corporate responsibility for ensuring that Homes England fulfils the overall aims and objectives set out in legislation as well as the mission and objectives it has been set by the Secretary of State. Non-Executive Directors also have responsibility for ensuring that Homes England complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds and assets.

I hope you will be inspired by this exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the delivery of housing and to the lives of millions. If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we look forward to receiving your application.

We are looking to appoint up to four new Members to our Board and are particularly seeking candidates with senior experience in the areas of financial management, Audit, Risk, corporate governance, digital transformation, significant development project delivery and managing performance . We would welcome candidates who have experience of working with central government.

Full details of the role, responsibilities and commitments are set out in the candidate pack, and I hope you will decide to apply. We want to receive applications from a wide range of individuals and we are committed to increasing the diversity of our board and committees. We particularly welcome applications from people with ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and disability characteristics currently underrepresented on our Board. 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.

Information about the Board can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england

Peter Freeman,

Chair of Homes England

Role description

The Non- Executive Director has a responsibility to:

ensure that Homes England delivers its Strategic Objectives within the policy and resources parameters set by the Secretary of State;
hold the Chief Executive to account for the effective and efficient delivery of the strategic and annual business plans and for the day-to-day management, delivery and performance of Homes England;
ensure that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance to the Board and DLUHC on risk management, governance and internal control;
ensure that any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds are complied with; that the Board operates within the limits of its statutory authority and any delegated authority agreed with DLUHC and in accordance with any other conditions relating to the use of public funds;
approve Homes England’s Annual Report and Accounts;
oversee production and retain oversight of Homes England’s Risk Appetite Statement and Risk Management Framework;
set performance objectives and remuneration terms linked to these objectives for the Chief Executive, which give due weight to the proper management, use and utilisation of public resources;
act as a champion for the work and role of Homes England at public events and meetings, taking on a specific champion role for priority topics as required and advise on the effective wider management of stakeholders.

Organisation description

Homes England is a ‘non-departmental public body’ sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

Homes England plays a key role in delivering the government’s levelling up and housing agenda

Our ambition is to work in collaboration with equally ambitious partners to deliver the homes and places that our communities need, and to support the regeneration of our towns, cities and rural communities.

We have significant tools at our disposal. We own over 9,000 hectares of land and have £18 billion of combined capital spend (loan, grant, equity and guarantees) to deploy by March 2027. We also have a range of statutory powers that we can use to deliver our objectives. In addition, we have the expertise to broker private sector investment, convene stakeholders, facilitate collaboration, improve quality across the industry and champion good practice.

We can collaborate in a unique way between Government and the public and private sectors. We’re unified by our determination to embrace this crucial opportunity to help solve one of the country’s most intractable domestic policy issues.

You can read our latest Annual Report & Financial Statements here.

Board composition

The Board is composed of Non-Executive Directors and the Chief Executive (who also serves as the Accounting Officer).

The Board is led by Peter Freeman, who was appointed to this role by the Secretary of State in December 2020. A full list of current Non-Executive Directors, and those who served throughout the last year, is on our Governance page.

The role of our Board is to provide strategic leadership and to promote our long term, sustainable success. Our Board has statutory responsibility for exercising our functions while working closely with DLUHC to ensure the delivery of our strategic objectives. In accordance with good practice, the Board has established a number of committees: the Investment Committee, the Nominations & Remuneration Committee, the Audit Assurance & Enterprise Risk Committee, the Change Committee and the Cross Cutting Committee. Some of the Board’s statutory functions are delegated to its members, committees and staff.

Board Members have corporate responsibility for ensuring that Homes England fulfils the overall aims and objectives set out in legislation as well as the mission and objectives it has been set by the Secretary of State The Board provides challenge and oversight of the Executive's performance on both programme delivery and spend to.

Board Members also have responsibility for ensuring that Homes England complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds and assets. More details on the responsibilities are provided on the following page.

Generic information about the role of non-executives in Government is provided in the Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Corporate Governance in Central Government departments.

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

An interest or experience in property and/or SME providers.
Prior non-executive experience is not a requisite, but you must bring a demonstrable record at a senior level, where there has been exposure to a non-executive board.
An excellent understanding of governance particularly in relation to the role of the Board in overseeing the performance of organisations, and holding the executive to account for meeting its strategic objectives.
You will have credibility as a strategic leader in organisations of scale and complexity.
Excellent commercial acumen and strong analytical skills, gained from leading organisations in these sectors.
A passion and enthusiasm for working with Government in meeting the challenges of the housing market.

We are looking for at least one post to be filled by a candidate with experience of Financial management as a Chief Financial Officer, or an equivalent role, and in time might expect that candidate to become Chair of our Audit, Assurance and Enterprise Risk Committee.

Desirable criteria

Ideally, we are also looking for candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas:

Assurance, Audit and Risk, for example as a Chair of an Audit Committee, Internal Audit Director or Chief Risk Officer;
Leadership in a Registered Provider;
Delivering significant Digital transformation;
Leadership role in an organisation that has managed significant change;
Experience of working directly with Central Government and an understanding of the political landscape.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Please submit all the required documentation listed at 1-4 below via the Odgers Berndtson website here by 11.00 am on 16 October 2023. If not provided your application will not be taken forward. Late applications will not be considered. You will receive an automated acknowledgement of your application.

If you are unable to apply online, please send your documents to anne.neill@odgersberndtson.com Please ensure you include ‘Homes England Board Member’ as the subject line of your email.

Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages). Include your education, professional qualifications and full employment history.
An accompanying Supporting Letter (maximum 2 pages). Please tailor, setting out your suitability for the role(s) and how you meet the Selection Criteria. We suggest you use specific examples to demonstrate how you meet the Criteria. If you can offer experience in more than one of the areas referenced above, there is no need to submit more than one supporting letter against the criteria - just clearly reference and example those criteria in a single supporting letter.
A Conflict of Interest Form (The form can be found available for download at www.Odgers.com/89954).You should declare any potential issues including conflicts of interest (perceived, potential or actual): this includes your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to Homes England, DLUHC or HM Government, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised. The Panel will explore your declarations during the interview process. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated.
Application and Diversity Information Form. All candidates are requested to complete a Diversity Monitoring Form. Your Diversity Monitoring Form will be stored separately from your application and will play no part in the selection process. The form can be found available for download at the conclusion of the online application process. Invitations to complete the form will be sent periodically if you have not been able to complete it at this stage. Diversity data will be treated in confidence and is used for data gathering information only and will not affect your application. Please complete the Disability Confident section if relevant.

Candidates should note that ‘due diligence’ will be carried out as part of the assessment process if you are called to interview and will be shared with the Panel and Ministers: this will include searches on social media, blogs and/or other publicly available information.

If you would like an informal conversation about this role, please contact Odgers Berndtson: Anna Dickinson: anna.dickinson@odgersberndtson.com or Becky Royle rebecca.royle@odgersberndtson.com

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)

The Advisory Assessment Panel will be:

• Joanna Key, Director General for Regeneration, DLUHC Representative and Panel Chair

• Peter Freeman, Homes England Chair

• Wendy Barnes, 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 DLUHC Public Appointments Team at PublicAppointments@levellingup.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. These are:

Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
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.
Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
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.
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.
Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
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 the DLUHC public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at PublicAppointments@levellingup.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 Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will use your data in line with our privacy notice (attached to this vacancy).

Contact details

For further information about the roles or application process please contact Odgers Berndtson:

Anna Dickinson: anna.dickinson@odgersberndtson.com

Becky Royle: rebecca.royle@odgersberndtson.com

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