Appointment details

Commissioner for Public Appointments

Summary

• Organisation: Commissioner for Public Appointments
• Sponsor department: Cabinet Office
• Location: London
• Sectors: Public Administration
• Skills: Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per week
• Remuneration: £56,000 per annum
• Length of term: 5 years
• Application deadline: Midday on 8 January 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   26 November 2025

2. Application deadline

   Midday on 8 January 2026

3. Sifting date

   16 January 2026

4. Interviews expected to end on

   6 February 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Appointment description

The Commissioner’s primary role is to provide independent assurance that public appointments are made in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, including the Principles of Public Appointments.

The government is committed to making the process of appointing to public appointments more efficient and effective. This is critical to providing an opportunity for exceptional people from across the United Kingdom to serve the public and utilise their skills and expertise to drive progress on the government’s missions. 

The new Commissioner will need to build on the work of their predecessors to maintain and strengthen the regulatory regime for public appointments to ensure that the system is delivering efficiently and effectively. They will need to work closely with a number of stakeholders including (but not limited to) ministers, chairs of public bodies, senior officials/accounting officers in departments and officials in the Cabinet Office.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate clear leadership and the ability to identify and drive forward areas of improvement.They will also understand the key principles of governance and how to work effectively within a regulatory system. They should be an active advocate for diversity (including using diversity data to analyse progress) and work with departments and the Cabinet Office to encourage candidates from a varied range of backgrounds to apply for a public appointment. 

Finally, as part of the government’s commitment to deliver change to our country, the next Commissioner will need to be flexible, innovative and forward thinking to support potential wider reform of the public appointments system. 

Organisation description

The role of the Commissioner was created in 1995 following the First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life under the chairmanship of Lord Nolan. The Commissioner is an independent office-holder, appointed by His Majesty The King, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

As the independent regulator of public appointments, the Commissioner’s statutory functions are set out in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2025. The Order in Council also sets out those bodies and posts that are within the Commissioner’s regulatory remit. The Commissioner is supported by a small secretariat which is based in London. 

The Order in Council also provides for a Governance Code, which sets out the principles and process for how appointments by ministers to the bodies and offices listed in the schedules must be made, and an independent Commissioner who regulates the process.

Under the Order in Council,  the Commissioner:

• Must ensure that appointing authorities (ministers) act in accordance with the Governance Code; 

• Must carry out an audit of the procedures and practices followed by appointing authorities;

• May conduct investigations into any aspect of public appointments with the object of improving their quality;

• May conduct an inquiry into the procedures and practices followed by an appointing authority in relation to any public appointment whether in response to a complaint or otherwise; 

• May require appointing authorities to publish specified summary information relating to public appointments; and

• Must publish an annual report on public appointments which must include:

• information arising from the audit carried out under article 4(2), including information about non-compliance; and 

• an account of any inquiry into the public appointment procedures and practices of appointing authorities.

Board composition

Commissioner for Public Appointments: Sir William Shawcross CVO

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Leadership: The ability to set strategic vision and drive forward priorities to modernise and drive systemic effectiveness of public appointments.

• Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of OCPA and the context within which it operates. 

• Experience: a track record of leading complex systemic change or reform, with a focus on improving efficiency and effectiveness. 

• Judgement: Effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to provide rigorous, independent assurance that public appointments are made in accordance with the Principles of Public Appointments and the Governance Code. 

• Relationship building: the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, underpinned by personal credibility and integrity, with Ministers, Senior Government officials and external stakeholders. 

• Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenge and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.

• Championing diversity: The ability to drive improvements in diversity and representation.

Application and selection process

About this appointment

Some public appointments are made by the Prime Minister, or the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Others are made by Secretaries of State or other ministers and are of interest to the Prime Minister.

Public appointments made by or of interest to the Prime Minister

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:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

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.

Important - application guidance

To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation process for all applicants, please do not exceed the following page limits for your application: 

• Curriculum Vitae (CV): Maximum two pages
• Supporting Statement: Maximum three pages

Please be advised that the AAP will base its judgement solely on the content contained within the specified page limits. Any text or information that exceeds the two-page (CV) or three-page (Statement) limit will not be taken into consideration.

Overview of the application process

This appointment will be made on merit following a fair and open competition process which aligns with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The public appointments process can be lengthy. However, we aim to conclude the appointment process within four months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

This appointment is made by the Crown following advice of the Prime Minister. In order for this to be facilitated, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister (CSPM), acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, will be responsible for overseeing the appointment process and they will be consulted at every stage of the appointments process. To assist them in their decision-making, an Advisory Assessment Panel (the "Panel") is appointed, whose role is to objectively determine which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

The assessment process for a public appointment is set out below:

1. Shortlisting

At the shortlisting meeting, the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates should be recommended for interview. CSPM, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister,  will then be consulted on and agree the final shortlist.

2. Shortlist outcome 

Once the shortlist has been agreed, you will be advised (by email) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will then be invited to an interview in London.

3. Interviews & selection

The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. Interviews are expected to take place in London and will last for approximately 45 minutes. The names of all appointable candidates, along with the Panel’s recommendations and a report detailing the assessment methods and interview outcomes, are provided to CSPM.

4. Interview outcome

After the CSPM has reviewed the panel report  his advice  will be shared with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will then make a recommendation to the Crown who will make the final appointment decision. Once an appointment decision has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application. In some circumstances, a candidate will not be appointed and the competition will be re-run.

5. Final approval & Pre-appointment Scrutiny

This appointment is made by His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The successful candidate will attend a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing held by the Public

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

• Panel Chair: Simon Madden, Propriety & Ethics Director, Cabinet Office
• Panel Member: Moni Mannings OBE, Chair of the Diversity & Outreach Honours Committee
• Welsh Government Representative: Dominic Houlihan
• Panel Member: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top*

*Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top is a longstanding Labour politician and Life Peer.

She served as the Labour Member of Parliament for North West Durham from 1987 until 2010. During her time in the House of Commons, she held senior government positions, including serving as a Cabinet Minister (Minister for the Cabinet Office and Minister for Social Exclusion, 2006–2007) and as the Government Chief Whip (2001–2006).

Following her departure from the House of Commons, she was appointed a Life Peer and currently sits as a Labour Peer in the House of Lords.

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.

Pre-appointment scrutiny

Pre-appointment scrutiny by select committees is an important part of the process for some of the most significant public appointments made by Ministers. It is designed to provide an added level of scrutiny to verify that the recruitment meets the principles set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This scrutiny may involve the relevant select committee requesting and reviewing information from the Department and the Minister’s preferred candidate. The select committee may also choose to hold a pre-appointment hearing.

If you are confirmed as the government’s preferred candidate for this role, the department will be in touch to confirm next steps. In most cases your name and CV will be provided to the relevant select committee in advance of the hearing.  Following a date being agreed for a pre-appointment hearing with the committee you will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of that. Following the hearing, the government will review and respond to the Committee’s report before confirming the appointment. 

Full information can be found in the Cabinet Office’s guidance here. 

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; and/or

• currently hold any appointments, or intend to accept a position, which are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

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)

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

The Commissioner for Public Appointments is appointed for a 5 year non-renewable term.

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

If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of the recruitment process, please contact us at copa.partnerships@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. We will investigate your complaint and issue you with a response within 10 working days which addresses your concerns and recommends remedial action if required.

To help us investigate your complaint thoroughly and efficiently, please include the following details:

• Your full name and contact information.
• The specific public appointment you applied for.
• A clear and concise description of the issue.

If you are not content with this response your complaint can be escalated to the Deputy Director of Cabinet Office and Civil Service Governance. They will review your complaint in relation to the recruitment process and issue you with a response within 20 working days.

Our commitment to a fair process

We take all complaints seriously and are committed to investigating them with care and professionalism. To ensure fairness to all candidates and the integrity of our process, we ask that all communications remain courteous and respectful.

Any behaviour that is considered abusive, threatening, harassing or intentionally disruptive to the appointment process will be managed in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. This is to ensure a safe and professional environment for everyone involved. 

Data protection

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

The Cabinet Office's Partnerships & Appointments team's privacy notice can be found below.

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data, and your rights. It is made under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Purpose

Our purposes for processing your personal data are:

• to recruit for public appointments for the Cabinet Office or one of its sponsored bodies including dealing with applications, selection, appointment, and vetting
• to monitor and promote diversity in appointments, and
• to produce statistics 

The data

We will process the following personal data: your application, including name, contact details, location, employment history, qualifications, CV and other background information relevant to your application; sift and interview assessments; and conflicts of interest and political activity.

Diversity data will also be requested if you make an application via the Public Appointments Website, although you may decline to provide this if you wish. This includes age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, recorded disability, and faith.

We may also process other information gathered by Cabinet Office as part of due diligence, including information obtained from public sources including social media.

Information relating to your nationality, address, family history and criminal convictions may be required in order to enable you to hold the necessary security clearance for your new role.

Lawful basis

Our legal basis for receiving and using your information is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. In this case that is to ensure that high quality candidates are identified via robust recruitment processes in line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We also have a public task to monitor and promote diversity under our public sector equality duty.

Where a contract of employment exists, we also process your data on the legal basis that it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party, and it is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.

We may process this data to make reasonable adjustments for applicants, and to conduct due diligence checks. Our lawful basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:

• It is necessary for the purposes of performing or exercising our obligations or rights as the controller, or your obligations or rights as the data subject, under employment law, social security law or the law relating to social protection (reasonable adjustments).
• processing is of data concerning ethnicity, religious or philosophical belief, health including disability or sexual orientation, it is necessary for the purposes of identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people with a view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained (diversity monitoring).
• processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department (diversity monitoring and due diligence).
• It relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by you (due diligence).

Recipients

Information that you supply to the Cabinet Office as part of your application for a Public Appointment may be shared with members of the Advisory Assessment Panel for the purposes of sifting applications and conducting interviews. This may include your name, employment history, qualifications, CV and other background information relevant to your application including sift and interview assessments, conflicts of interest, and political activity. This may also include other information gathered by Departments as part of due diligence, including information obtained from public sources.

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will also be shared with our data processors who provide email, and document management and storage services.

Retention

Cabinet Office will store your application and other data if you are successful for the duration of your appointment and for 2 years thereafter.

If your application is unsuccessful we will retain your data for one year.

International transfers

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure, and shared with our data processors, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the European Union. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through the use of Model Contract Clauses or the Privacy Shield scheme.

Your Rights

• You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.
• You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.
• You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.
• You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed.
• You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.
• You may have the right to request a copy of any personal data you have provided, and for this to be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
• You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or 0303 123 1113, or casework@ico.org.uk. Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts. Contact details

The data controller for your personal, equality and diversity data is the Cabinet Office.

The contact details for the Cabinet Office are: Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS, or 0207 276 1234, or publicappointments@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The contact details for the Cabinet Office’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) are: Stephen Jones, DPO, Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS, or dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of Cabinet Office’s use of personal information.

Contact details

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact copa.partnerships@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

• Commissioner for Public Appointments Candidate Pack