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Role details

Parades Commission for Northern Ireland

Application deadline 29 October 2023

Summary

• Organisation: Parades Commission for Northern Ireland
• Sponsor department: Northern Ireland Office
• Location: Northern Ireland
• Sectors: Public Administration
• Skills: Communication
• Number of vacancies: 6
• Time commitment: Adhoc
• Remuneration: £22000 to £50000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11:59pm on 29 October 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   11 October 2023

2. Application deadline

   11:59pm on 29 October 2023

3. Sifting date

   10 November 2023

4. Interviews expected to end on

   30 November 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction

The Commission consists of a Chair and up to six members who are appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Commission is currently composed of a Chair and five members; the appointments of the Chair and four members will expire on 31 December 2023 and one further member position will expire on 31 March 2024. 

This competition will be used to fill these forthcoming vacancies and any other vacancies that arise within the next 12 months.

The Chair will work with the Secretary, who is the Commission’s Accounting Officer, and the board members, to lead the Parades Commission in pursuit of its statutory duties and objectives. The Chair has a particular responsibility for leading and managing meetings of the Commission and corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Commission complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds.

Outstanding individuals are sought to become a member of the Commission; people who can command the confidence of all sides of the community in Northern Ireland, act in controversial situations and determine courses of action, and assess the probability of future events and make clear and well informed judgements.

Role description

All Parades Commission members, including the Chair, will be expected to:

• Attend Commission meetings regularly;
• Act as representatives of the Commission as required e.g. at public meetings, events, seminars or other functions;
• Perform roles within the Commission e.g. chairing meetings in the absence of the chair;
• Ensure the Commission fulfils its functions in accordance with the statutory requirements;
• Assist the Chair in developing policy and in providing strategic direction for the Commission in the effective and efficient performance of its statutory duties;
• Accept corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Commission complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds;
• Assist the Chair in the application of an appropriate corporate governance regime;
• Apply personal expertise in contributing to the work of the Commission as a whole; and
• Ensure compliance with the Code of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies and the Seven Principles of Public Life.

In addition to the above requirements, the Chair has a particular responsibility for:

• Leading and chairing meetings of the Commission;
• Developing policy and providing strategic direction for the Commission in the effective and efficient performance of its statutory duties;
• Corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Commission complies with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public resources including acting in a way that promotes high standards of public finance, including the promotion of regularity, propriety and value for money;
• Ensuring that there is appropriate corporate governance regime; and
• Ensuring that all members are compliant with the Code of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies and the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Organisation description

The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland (‘The Commission’) is a public body operating as an executive non-departmental public body accountable through the Chair to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The powers and duties of the Commission are to be found in the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.

Under the terms of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, the Commission is charged with promoting greater understanding by the general public of issues surrounding public processions, keeping itself generally informed as to the conduct of public processions and protest meetings, and promoting and facilitating mediation as a means of resolving disputes concerning public processions.

The Commission’s functions also include keeping under review, and making such recommendations as it thinks fit to the Secretary of State concerning the operation of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.

In fulfilling these functions, the Commission may facilitate mediation between parties to particular disputes concerning proposed public processions and take such other steps as appear to the Commission to be appropriate for resolving such disputes; and may issue determinations in respect of particular proposed public processions and protest meetings.

The Commission is supported and advised by a small secretariat that is mainly recruited from the civil service. The current Secretary is Sarah Teer. The secretariat provides advice and support to the Commission in exercising their duties.

If you would like more information on the Commission or the guidelines in which it operates you can access its website at www.paradescommission.org

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

Candidates for this challenging role will need to demonstrate:

• The ability to take difficult but fair decisions in high profile and controversial circumstances;
• The ability to build relationships and broker consensus between senior stakeholders and opposing views; and
• The ability to demonstrate personal integrity, professional conduct and credibility, with an exceptional sense of propriety.

In addition, candidates for the Chair role need to be able to show a strong track record of leadership, and the ability to broker consensus between senior stakeholders and opposing views.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Applications should be sent by email to PCNI2023@nio.gov.uk. 

If you have any issues emailing your applications, please contact 07973773903 for further assistance.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 29 October 2023.

Please enclose with your application:

• The completed application summary form, including a personal statement summarising your proven ability related to the person and job specifications. Your personal statement should provide specific and detailed examples to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria (including what you did to achieve a specific result)

• Completed Equality and Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire; and

• A full CV (including education and professional qualifications, career history, and relevant achievements and responsibilities).

Overview of the application process

Candidates selected at the shortlisting stage will be interviewed by the Advisory Assessment Panel in November. Interviews will take place remotely and candidates may be asked to give a short presentation.

If you require any further information about the application process you should contact the competition co-ordinator by email at PCNI2023@nio.gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Panel Members include:

• Dominic Wilson, Northern Ireland Office Director General (Panel Chair)
• Rosemary Crawford, Retired NICS Director
• Lesley Carroll, Civil Service Commissioner and Senior Independent Panel Member.

Additional information for candidates

Disability confident

As a Whitehall department the Northern Ireland Office has adopted the Department for Work and Pensions sponsored Disability Confident scheme, which has replaced the Guaranteed Interview Scheme or Two Ticks scheme that was widely used in Great Britain. Disability Confident is a voluntary scheme which supports the Government’s commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people by encouraging employers to think differently about disability and to take positive action to improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers.

We will make reasonable adjustments to help you attend the interview. You may wish to contact the competition coordinator, by email or telephone (details above), about your individual requirements should your application proceed to this stage in the process.

We will also offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job. By minimum criteria you must be able to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate relevant skills and experience for each of the selection criteria set out in the essential skills section. This does not mean that all disabled people are entitled to an interview.

The aim of this commitment is to encourage positive action for disabled people, encouraging them to apply for positions in public life by offering them the assurance that, should they meet the minimum criteria as advertised for the position, they will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities at the interview stage.

It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as an urgent appointment or if we receive a higher volume of applications that far exceeds the number of those expected then we may need to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered. This will include the number of interviews offered to disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job. 

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life. These are:

1. Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
2. 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.
3. Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. 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.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

In the interests of transparency and openness, applicants are asked to consider whether their appointment may give rise to a conflict of interest and state this clearly on the application summary form. You should provide information regarding interests that you, or your immediate family, have that might be construed as being in conflict with membership of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland.

   

An appointee to a public body could find that matters or incidents which previously attracted no attention could become matters of legitimate public interest once the person concerned holds a public appointment. Actual or perceived conflicts might include, for example, a situation where a candidate has interests in an organisation that might benefit from a contract with the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland or there may be issues in your personal or professional history (including any convictions or bankruptcy) that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to Ministers or the Commission or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised. It is important that you bring them to the attention of the Advisory Assessment Panel and provide details of the issue(s) in your application.

In considering whether you wish to declare any issues, you should also reflect on any public statements you have made, including through social media and blogs. Due Diligence may be carried out on any publicly available information and shared with the Advisory Assessment Panel and Ministers. The panel may explore any issues you declare with you before they make a recommendation on the appointment.

A potential conflict will not necessarily preclude an individual from appointment but candidates must be prepared to have this explored during the recruitment process and before an appointment is confirmed.

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 will be for a maximum period of up to three years.  

There may be a 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

The position of Chair attracts a fixed annual remuneration of £50,000 and the member position receives a fixed annual remuneration of £22,000 which will be paid in equal monthly instalments.

Travel and incidental expenses will be reimbursed at approved civil service rates for costs necessarily incurred on Parades Commission business. Home to office expenses will only be paid in exceptional circumstances and with the prior approval of the Commission's Secretary

Pension and redundancy

The positions are not pensionable.

How to complain

If you feel that you have any complaints about any aspect of the way your application has been handled, we would like to hear from you. In the first instance please write, or e-mail, to the competition co-ordinator at the address above or e-mail:PCNI2023@nio.gov.uk

Complaints must be received by the competition coordinator within 1 calendar month from the issue or after the campaign has closed, whichever is the later. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 2 working days of receipt and answered as quickly and clearly as possible; at the most within 20 working days of receipt. If this deadline cannot be met we will inform you why this is the case and when you can expect a reply.

If, after receiving our response you are still not satisfied, you may contact the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates and monitors appointments to public bodies to ensure procedures are fair. Information about the Commissioner’s policy and manner in which complaints are investigated are set out in the Commissioner’s leaflet Your Guide to Making a Complaint about a Public Appointments Process. More information about the role of the Commissioner and contact information can be found at:

http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

The NIO will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Contact details

Please refer to the Candidate Information Booklet for further information.

Please note, we may be unable to receive your email if you are contacting us from a Northern Ireland Civil Service email address, if possible, please use an alternative email address or contact us on 07973773903.

Attachments

• PCNI23 - Candidate Information Booklet

• PCNI23 - Application Form

• PCNI23 - Equality and Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire