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Appointment details

Tate Gallery x4 Trustees

Summary

• Organisation: Tate
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Business, Commercial, Media
• Number of vacancies: 4
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per month
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: 11:59pm on 28 October 2024

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   14 October 2024

2. Application deadline

   11:59pm on 28 October 2024

3. Sifting date

   29 November 2024

4. Interviews expected to end on

   17 January 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

Department for Culture, Media and Sport - Public Appointments

Trustees - Tate Gallery

Tate holds the national Collection of British art and of international modern and contemporary art, currently comprising over 75,000 works (excluding library and archive items).  It comprises four galleries: Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives and has a significant digital, national and international presence.

Tate is looking for four new Trustees, an Artist trustee, Commercial and Media trustee, Youth Engagement trustee and a Commercial/Business/Property trustee. At least one of these appointments will bring representation from beyond London.

Board of Trustees

Tate has fourteen Trustees. Thirteen are appointed by the Prime Minister and one is appointed by the National Gallery Board from among the members of that Board. At least three Trustees must be practising artists.

Appointment description

The Role of the Board 

The role of the Board of Trustees is to:

• Determine policy and establish the overall strategic direction of Tate within the policy and resource framework available;

• Supervise the management of Tate by acting as guardians of the public interest;

• Use the combined expertise of members to advise the Director;

• Decide on major acquisitions and major resource commitments; 

• Represent Tate externally and assist in the fundraising of resources; and

• Oversee the delivery of planned results by monitoring performance against objectives and targets.

A Trustee must participate in the Board’s decision-making processes, including preparation for, and attendance at, meetings of the Board, as well the Board’s Sub-Committees that they may be appointed to.

The executive leadership of Tate rests with the Director and Accounting Officer Dr Maria Balshaw and members of the Executive Group who are responsible for carrying out the day to day running of the galleries within the strategic direction set by the Board of Trustees.  A Trustee should be prepared to work with the Director and Tate staff to facilitate a free exchange of advice.

The role includes attending six half day Board meetings per annum plus the annual Trustee away day.  Four of the six Board meetings are held in central London, one in Liverpool and one in St Ives.  Trustees will typically serve on a number of Sub-Committees of the Board, the meetings of which amount to between five and eight a year.  More information on the Sub-Committees can be found at: https://www.tate.org.uk/about-us/board-trustees 

The role also involves attending and hosting Tate events and other engagements such as openings and dinners and the annual conference for Tate non-executives.  Some additional time to study papers and provide ad hoc advice will be required as necessary.  

The likely total time commitment is the equivalent of two days per month.

A Trustee must be prepared to declare and actively manage any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests upon appointment and whenever a matter arises in which the Trustee has an interest which might be perceived to conflict with those of Tate. To this end, Trustees are required to complete and submit a declaration of interests on appointment and thereafter annually.

The law places certain restrictions on becoming a charity trustee.  These are set out in Section 3.1 of the Charity Commission Essential Trustee Guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/451020/CC3.pdf  Trustees are required to understand and embrace the seven principles of public life as defined by the Nolan Committee: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

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

Person Specification 

All Trustees

Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they possess the following skills and attributes:

Essential Criteria:

• A willingness both to represent and act as an advocate for Tate in the public arena; and

• Strong communication skills and the ability to contribute to Board-level discussion and wider policy and strategy development; and

• A strong interest in the field of visual culture; and

• A strong commitment to equal opportunities and diversity; and

• A commitment to Tate’s values.

Artist Trustee

Tate is looking for its next Artist Trustee. Like all Trustees, Artist Trustees are covered by Tate’s Conflict of Interest Policies. 

https://www.tate.org.uk/documents/510/trustee_and_committee_member_conflict_of_interest_policy_1.pdf.  

In practice, acquisition or the programming of an exhibition around the work of a serving artist Trustee would be considered a conflict of interest.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they possess the following skills and attributes:

Essential Criteria:

• A practising artist, predominantly based in the United Kingdom;

• A significant national or international standing supported by a successful track record and extensive experience of artistic processes;

• An ability to contribute to the acquisitions process, based on knowledge and enthusiasm for Tate’s work in developing and sharing the Collection;

Commercial and Media Trustee

Tate is seeking an individual with a global reputation in business and/or media. The candidate should be keenly aware of current issues and topics in the public realm and corporate world. 

Candidates should be able to demonstrate the following abilities and attributes:

Essential Criteria:

• Global reputation and networks acquired through senior leadership roles in business and/or media

Commercial/Business/Property Trustee

Tate is seeking an individual with a prominent and respected reputation in a business, commerce or property. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to contribute significantly to revenue-generation in the areas listed above.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate the following abilities and attributes:

Essential Criteria:

• Proven success in senior leadership in business, commerce or property;

• Broad and deep experience in the social impact of business;

Youth Engagement Trustee

Tate is seeking an individual who will bring knowledge and experience that will help Tate meet the opportunities and challenges of engaging with diverse, younger audiences.  

Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they possess the following skills and attributes:

Essential Criteria:

• A creative thinker, with practical experience of working and connecting with younger audiences;

• Demonstrate a high-level understanding of digital technology and how this could be used improve connections between the Museum and more diverse audiences;

• Have experience of leading and delivering initiatives working with younger audiences;

• Have strong communication skills and the ability to represent the views and ideas of young people through contribution to Board-level discussion.

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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)

Gemma Brough - DCMS Deputy Director, Museums and Cultural Property

Roland Rudd - Chair, Tate Gallery

Justin Maciejewski - Senior 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 emily.nixon@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 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 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 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 ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

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 DCMS public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@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.

Contact details

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

Attachments

• Tate x4 Trustee Candidate Pack

• Tate Policy On Trustee And Committee Member Conflict Of Interest Management