Appointment details

MHCLG Departmental Board Non-Executive Directors and ARAC Chair

Summary

• Organisation: MHCLG departmental board
• Sponsor department: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Public Administration
• Skills: Accountancy, Audit and Risk, Change Management, Commercial, Communication, Major Projects, Transformation, Consumer Advocacy
• Number of vacancies: 4
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per month
• Remuneration: £15000 to £20000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 7am on 6 January 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   19 November 2024

2. Application deadline

   7am on 6 January 2025

3. Sifting date

   31 January 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   28 February 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

I am seeking to appoint four non-executive directors to join our departmental Board, to provide independent, expert advice, scrutiny and challenge of the department’s performance and delivery.   ​

This government is committed to bringing transformative change to all areas of the UK, delivering on the five core missions to kickstart economic growth, make Britain a clean energy superpower, take back our streets, break down barriers to opportunity and build an NHS fit for the future. ​

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is at the forefront of driving and supporting delivery of this ambitious agenda.  Already, we have announced new plans to overhaul the planning system, appointed an expert taskforce to spearhead a new generation of new towns and begun work with local leaders to scale up devolution and transfer power away from Westminster and into communities.  Meanwhile, work is underway to deliver against our other flagship commitments – including on homelessness, workers’ rights and renters’ reform – alongside ongoing work with our arm’s length bodies to continue to deliver our core functions and programmes.  ​

The Board has a critical role to play, to provide broad strategic leadership and oversight of MHCLG’s performance and delivery, as well as supporting the Permanent Secretary and her executive team to ensure the effective management of the department during a busy and exciting time.  I am looking for passionate and experienced individuals who can provide expert insight, detailed scrutiny and constructive challenge across the full range of MHCLG’s work and priorities, including as chair of our Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

 I hope to receive applications from a diverse range of individuals, who will bring a range of both personal and professional experiences to the Board.  A genuine passion for MHCLG’s work and ambition, together with a commitment to working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to drive forward delivery, are essential.  ​

Further information about MHCLG, the role of our non-executive directors and the skills and qualities we are looking for is set out in the candidate pack attached to this advert.  If you have further questions about any aspect of the role or the application process, please contact PublicAppointments@communities.gov.uk. ​Thank you for considering applying and bringing your skills and energy to this important role. 

The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Deputy Prime Minister

Appointment description

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is seeking to appoint four new Non-Executive Board Members, including a Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. The successful candidates will provide external, independent advice, challenge and expertise, which informs the department's decision-making process. ​

The 3 NEDs will be appointed for up to 3 years and remunerated at £15000 per annum for 2 days per month. The ARAC Chair will be appointed for up to 4 years and remunerated at £20000 per annum for 2 days per month. 

Non-Executive Directors will have a responsibility to: ​

• Sit on the departmental Board, chaired by the Secretary of State, and other Board sub-committees as required by the Chair;
• Provide independent advice on all aspects of departmental policy, strategy, commercial and financial management, people resourcing, delivery and risk, performance management, and its delivery portfolio; ​
• Undertake (or assist on) specific project work by agreement with ministers to assess and enhance the department’s performance; ​
• Bring external experience and expertise to the role and be able to challenge the Board, ministers and officials, providing an important scrutiny function for the department;
• Have the professional credibility and authority to challenge and hold MHCLG leaders to account; ​
• Ensure that the departmental Lead Non-Executive Director is made aware of any concerns. ​​

The MHCLG Board is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, and includes ministers, senior officials (the Executive Team), a Lead Non-Executive and Non-Executive Board members. The board meets at least quarterly, with overarching responsibility for performance and delivery. The departmental non-executive directors work closely with ministers, the executive team and officials, and other members of the non-executive team, to provide independent advice, scrutiny and challenge on a range of areas including performance, delivery, departmental management and implementation of the single departmental plan.​

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee​

The ARAC supports the Board and Accounting Officer in their responsibilities for financial risk, control and governance. The Committee provides independent scrutiny of the comprehensiveness and reliability of assurances on governance, risk management, the control environment and the integrity of financial statements. Its remit extends across the whole of the department and its arm’s length bodies.​

Organisation description

MHCLG is central to the mission-driven government, from fixing the foundations of an affordable home to handing power back to communities and rebuilding local government. Further details of the department’s work are available below. The department is supported by 16 agencies and public bodies. ​

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - GOV.UK

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

1. Senior leadership experience in non-executive or executive level roles in private, public or third sector organisations with demonstrable delivery results;

2. The ability to challenge received wisdom, by scrutinising advice and decision making;

3. An understanding of the key issues faced by the civil service and/or public sector and an ability to bring a fresh, external view to overcome these challenges

4. Sound judgement, integrity (including when dealing with confidential or sensitive issues) and a commitment to the Seven Principles of Public Life

5. An engaging and collaborative leadership style, including the ability to inspire confidence with a wide range of stakeholders including ministers and officials

6. A passion for the department’s work with knowledge or experience of one of the following areas:

a. Local Government and English devolution;

b. Regeneration, housing and planning;

c. Building safety, remediation and regulation;

d. Communities, homelessness and resettlement; or

e. Delivery of large-scale, complex programmes or projects.

For candidates seeking membership of the Audit and Risk Committee, experience of managing finance, risk, and performance for similar sized organisations is essential.

*Please specify in your supporting statement if you are applying for the ARAC role*

Desirable criteria

1. A record of working with ministers, senior officials or other relevant public sector stakeholders;
2. Experience of leading digitally led systems transformation in highly commercial environments, including expertise in data and its role in shaping user experience, improving efficiency and enabling strategic delivery. 

For candidates seeking membership of the Audit and Risk Committee, a relevant accountancy qualification, ideally from the ICAEW or otherwise a CCAB member, is highly desirable. 

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.

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.

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)

• Matt Thurstan - MHCLG Panel Chair and Chief Financial Officer
• Mo Baines - MHCLG Panel Member and Interim Lead Non-Executive Director
• Geoff Smyth - 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 PublicAppointments@communities.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.

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 ‘essential 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

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

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.

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

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 MHCLG public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at PublicAppointments@communities.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 MHCLG privacy policy is attached to this advert.

Contact details

MHCLG Public Appointments Team

PublicAppointments@communities.gov.uk

Attachments

• MHCLG Candidate Pack

• MHCLG Privacy Notice