Introduction from the Chair
“A Commission that serves the people of Northern Ireland”
The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is being set up to provide information to families, victims and survivors of Troubles related deaths and serious injury, and to work towards reconciliation for all parties.
I have taken on the role of Chief Commissioner for the ICRIR because I believe this is worth doing. The people of Northern Ireland and all those affected by the Troubles need the legacy of the past to be properly dealt with. Previous attempts to address this have failed but that does not mean we can simply give up.
I believe we have a real opportunity here to deliver the answers that people are looking for. To do this, we need to build an independent organisation that is founded on integrity, expertise and fairness.
To help us do this, I am looking for a number of individuals with exceptional talent, vision and expertise to join me as Non-Executive Commissioners. Your considerable professional experience may cover important areas for our work such as information security, financial management or work with survivors and victims, and you are someone who thrives operating in a collegiate, collaborative environment. And to help ensure we can draw on global best practice in our work, we would like at least one of the Commissioner posts to be filled by someone who has international experience that is relevant to the work of the ICRIR.
You will sit on our Board as a Non-Executive Commissioner. Whatever your area of expertise, you will provide the challenge, insight and scrutiny we need to establish this unique body. You will play a crucial role in setting the direction for the new Commission, helping shape our operational strategy as we prepare to start receiving requests next summer.
You will then help take the organisation forward as we navigate the challenges of recovering information and supporting communities and individuals to move towards reconciliation. A key part of your role will be to act as an ambassador for the Commission, getting out and about to meet people from all walks of life and explain our work.
The solutions the Commission puts forward will need to work for individuals across all of society, so I’m eager to hear from people from a diverse range of backgrounds. The Commission’s independence, fairness and equality of approach will play a crucial role in helping ensure its decisions and recommendations are accepted, so it is vital that we represent all of society.
This is a unique opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to society. I hope you will want to be part of it.
Rt Hon Sir Declan Morgan
Chief Commissioner-designate
Role description
The core role of a Non-Executive Commissioner will be to bring insight and challenge to enable the board of the ICRIR to operate effectively as a public body. Beyond the core function, Non-Executive Commissioners may bring relevant experience on things such as information security, ensuring a victims and users centred approach, or similar work in other jurisdictions and countries. They will also have a representative role, explaining the work of the ICRIR to communities across Northern Ireland and will need an appreciation of the history and sensitivities of the Troubles.
Location
The ICRIR will have offices in both London and Belfast, and some travel will be required. Some Board and
Committee meetings will be held online.
Salary
Remuneration will be within the range of £10,000 - £15,000 per year. This position is not pensionable.
Contract Type
The appointment is part-time with a time requirement of approximately 15-20 days per year.
It is expected that the appointment will commence around the Autumn, while the ICRIR is still in its ‘shadow phase’.
Terms of office will range from three to five years to facilitate Board renewal planning over the ICRIR’s lifetime.
If you are appointed to the post, you will need to undergo a Security Check (SC) clearance.
Organisation description
The Organisation
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is in its very final stages of parliamentary consideration, having passed both the House of Commons and House of Lords debate stages. The Bill aims to change the way that deaths and serious injuries in the Troubles are handled, establishing a new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, and stopping current legal processes.
£250 million of dedicated funding has been provided to implement the proposals in the Legacy Bill. This will be
drawn on annually to form a budget for the Commission based on what it needs over its lifetime.
The Commission’s work will:
- review deaths and other serious Troubles-related incidents, where requested, including deciding whether a criminal investigation should be part of the review as part of reviews, give the opportunity for individuals to make personal statements on how the incidents have affected them
- require that any information necessary for our work is provided by PSNI, the security services, the Northern Ireland Office or any other public body and require that any person comes to the Commission to provide information
- use police powers, where appropriate, including to secure evidence, arrest and question suspects
- produce and publish reports setting out the findings of our reviews
- decide whether to grant a person immunity from prosecution for serious Troubles-related offences (other than sexual offences) where they provide information through accounts that are true to the best of their knowledge and belief
- refer deaths and other serious Troubles-related incidents to prosecutors where appropriate
- meet high standards of probity, act with integrity and conform to legal obligations, including the Human Rights Act 1998 and equality legislation
- ensure that it does not do anything to put the life or safety of any individual at risk or risk prejudicing the national security interests of the country
- produce a record of deaths that were caused by incidents during the Troubles, and strive, through all it does, to promote reconciliation
Board composition
The Commission is to be led by a board, which will have collective responsibility for setting the strategic direction of the body to enable it to deliver its functions. The Chief Commissioner, Commissioner for Investigations, and the Chief Executive Officer will be executive members of the board. The Chief Executive Officer will also be the designated Accounting Officer for the Commission, with direct accountability to Parliament for the use of public funds. The Board will be supported by a wider Executive Team, including a Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and a Strategy and Performance Director.
The Board will also have up to four Non-Executive Commissioners, one of whom will act as the Lead Non-Executive Commissioner and will chair the Audit and Risk Committee (this role is being advertised separately as part of this campaign). While not generally involved in individual cases and operational decisions, the Non-Executive Commissioners will bring vital scrutiny, challenge and support to the organisation.
Collectively, the board will bring a diverse range of skills, experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives to enable it to operate effectively. It will need to ensure that it can understand how to best serve people in vulnerable situations and make sure it is victim centred; it will need to explain its work openly and accessibly, and it will need to think about its role in promoting reconciliation in society.
We also want the Board to include at least one Commissioner with experience gained outside the United Kingdom that is relevant to the work of the ICRIR, and strongly welcome applications from candidates who meet this description.
The board will be set up in ‘shadow’ form from the Autumn to begin consideration of the work ahead before the Commission is given legal status. The ICRIR will be operational and begin receiving requests from the Summer of 2024
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the
Commissioner’s website 