Appointment details

HS2 Ltd Non-Executive Directors

Summary

• Organisation: HS2 Ltd
• Sponsor department: Department for Transport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Transport
• Skills: Audit and Risk, Business, Commercial, Major Projects, Procurement, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 4
• Time commitment: 4 day(s) per month
• Remuneration: £950 per day
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11:55pm on 18 June 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   21 May 2025

2. Application deadline

   11:55pm on 18 June 2025

3. Sifting date

   11 July 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   5 September 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in applying to be a Non-Executive Director on the board of High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd.

This is an important time for the Department for Transport. We are investing heavily in infrastructure and HS2 is a vital part of the government’s Plan for Change and our mission to kickstart economic growth and rebuild Britain. It is central to the department’s priorities to deliver transport infrastructure that works for the whole country, promote social mobility and tackle regional in equality. When completed, HS2 will give faster, more reliable and frequent rail services between the West Midlands and London, promoting economic growth and opportunities for workers, releasing capacity to meet increasing demand on regional and local services and stimulating new jobs and houses around its new stations in Birmingham, Solihull and London.

We are recruiting for Non-Executive Directors to join the Board. HS2 is now strategically centred on delivering Phase One of the programme between London and Birmingham, with a renewed focus on cost control. HS2’s role is significant; it remains the largest single investment in our public transport system, which will improve journey times and increase capacity along the West Coast Main line corridor.

To help deliver this mission, we are looking for exceptional individuals to join the Board. If you have a track record of delivering major infrastructure projects and recent and relevant Board experience at either Executive or Non-Executive level, we would like to hear from you.

We strongly welcome applications from all backgrounds. As part of the Department’s commitment to diversity, we believe our public appointments should reflect our customers - the travelling public – who come from all walks of life and have different experiences. We very much welcome fresh talent, expertise, and perspectives, to help us better understand the needs of the communities we serve and support better decision making for all. This includes people who may have never applied for a public appointment – but could bring new ideas, insights and energy.

If you are interested in the role and work of HS2 Ltd, I would like to encourage you to apply.

Our dedicated Public Appointments Team would be happy to talk through the process and answer your questions.

Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP

Secretary of State for Transport

Appointment description

Main responsibilities/duties:

You will be appointed to the HS2 Ltd Board. The HS2 Ltd Framework Document sets out the main high-level duties as follows:

Ensuring there is alignment between Ministerial priorities and objectives to HS2 Ltd’s objectives and delivery plans and supporting HS2 Ltd to deliver these.

Providing oversight and governance of HS2 Ltd on behalf of the Department, including its performance, along with challenge and support to the HS2 Ltd Executive;

Providing effective leadership of HS2 Ltd within a framework of prudent and appropriate controls including ensuring that fit-for-purpose arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control.

As a Non-Executive Director, you will be expected to provide leadership, support and effective challenge of HS2 Ltd. You will be expected to attend Board meetings and may be invited to a be a member of one or more Board Sub-Committee.

Organisation description

About HS2 Ltd

HS2 Ltd remit and purpose 

The High Speed Two (HS2) programme is delivered by HS2 Ltd, a company limited by guarantee, wholly owned, controlled and funded by the DfT. HS2 Ltd has a single shareholder in the Secretary of State for Transport and is classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) by the Cabinet Office. 

HS2 Ltd’s purpose is to develop, build and bring into service HS2, a high-speed railway linking London and the West Midlands. HS2 is a once-in-a-generation investment in the UK’s transport infrastructure that will transform our economic geography and bring benefits to communities up and down the country. When completed, it will give faster, more reliable and frequent rail services between the West Midlands and London, promoting economic growth and opportunities for workers, releasing capacity to meeting increasing demand on regional and local services, and will stimulate new jobs and houses around its new stations in Birmingham, Solihull and London.

It is the government’s largest infrastructure project, which acts in accordance with the interests of the Secretary of State as sole shareholder and will become an integral part of the British railway network.

HS2 Reset

It is a critical time for the project. Historically HS2 has not been delivered in a controlled way or with sufficient attention to cost. The government has announced urgent measures to get a grip on HS2’s costs and ensure taxpayers’ money is put to good use and we will be working closely with the new CEO, Mark Wild, to deliver the remaining work as cost effectively as possible, including setting a realistic budget and schedule. 

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

A clear understanding of the work, public priorities and challenges HS2 Ltd will face as it resets its delivery of the programme.

·       Ability to apply independent judgement, constructively challenge and support to drive value for money for the taxpayer– drawing on experience to deliver sound, impartial advice on complex infrastructure issues. Attention to detail, confidence in challenging opinions and making difficult decisions is essential.

·       Experience in leading, coaching and supporting through change – ability to provide support, assurance and advise HS2 Ltd as it resets to deliver its updated mission on behalf of Government and embedding of a culture of continued improvement, collaboration and transparency across the organisation.

·       Excellent communication and stakeholder skills – ability to listen and communicate with clarity and respect. Building strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers, senior government, the executive board, and other external stakeholders.

In addition, successful candidates should have skills in at least one of the following areas:

·       A proven track record of controlled delivery of larger programmes including infrastructure– ability to advise, support and challenge HS2 Ltd in its delivery. Understanding of what constitutes an effective infrastructure delivery organisation and complex commercial structures.

·       Proven track record of delivering impactful health and safety outcomes through strategic planning, risk mitigation, and fostering a culture of safety – ideally via relevant leadership experience on large and complex programmes.

·       Experience in business transformation and change.

·       Experience of leadership in delivering and integrating systems – gained in a complex setting.

·       Experience in managing complex commercial relationships and driving supply chain performance.

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:

• 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.

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)

The selection panel for this appointment competition is:  

• Elaine Holt – HS2 Ltd Deputy Chair, HS2 Ltd  
• Alan Over – Director General, High Speed Rail Group, Department for Transport 
• An Independent Panel Member - Rachael Leech
• Once the new HS2 Ltd Chair is in post they will form part of the Advisory Assessment Panel 

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 DfTPublicAppointments@dftgov.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

The Department for Transport values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity for all and to the appointment of disabled people. As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we will select the disabled candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the role. ‘Best meet’ is defined as providing/ demonstrating strong examples of all essential criteria.    

In order to guarantee an interview to all disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy all the essential criteria for the role and wish to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, we need candidates to declare a disability and that they wish to be considered under the 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 Department of Transport public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at DfTPublicAppointments@dft.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 Department for Transport (DfT) is the joint controller, with the Cabinet Office, for any personal data which you provide to us as part of your application.

Information provided as part of this application will be kept securely within DfT and destroyed within 5 years of the conclusion of the recruitment campaign.

DfT uses this form to gather evidence on DfT’s public appointments. 

The lawful basis that applies to this processing is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest to inform DfT’s recruitment policies in accordance with the Department’s public sector equality duties. For processing special category personal data (disability, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity), we rely on Article 9(2)(g), reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity and treatment).

Contact details

If you have any queries about this role, please contact:

Campaign Manager - Georgina Warburton on Georgina.Warburton@dft.gov.uk 

Attachments

• Candidate Pack

• Top Tips for applications