Appointment details

Civil Aviation Authority - Non-Executive Director and ARAC Chair

Summary

• Organisation: Civil Aviation Authority
• Sponsor department: Department for Transport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Transport
• Skills: Accountancy, Audit and Risk, Commercial, Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Time commitment: 60 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £25,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11:55pm on 13 May 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   1 April 2025

2. Application deadline

   11:55pm on 13 May 2025

3. Sifting date

   6 June 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   18 July 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 being a non-executive director on the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).  

This is an important time for the Department for Transport. We are prioritising investments in infrastructure and public transport to improve journeys, enhance connectivity, drive economic growth, and ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities across the country. Our mission is delivering a transport system that works for everyone, fostering equality and inclusivity in every community.  

We are recruiting for two non-executive directors to join our team on the Board of the CAA. The CAA is the United Kingdom’s independent aviation and aerospace regulator for airspace, consumer rights, economic regulation, safety, security compliance and spaceflight. Further details about the CAA are in its 2023-24 Annual Report. 

Of the two positions one requires accounting expertise and will chair the Audit & Risk Committee and the other requires up to date professional experience of aviation safety. Appointees will contribute to the CAA’s direction by providing constructive challenge to the CAA’s executive team to help ensure the CAA delivers its strategic objectives, drawing on consumer experience where appropriate, and taking part in a programme to engage with specific stakeholders to increase the CAA’s visibility. 

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 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 the CAA, I would like to encourage you to apply.  

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

Mike Kane MP

Aviation, Maritime & Security Minister

Introduction from the Chair

Message from Sir Stephen Hillier, Chair of the CAA 

The Civil Aviation Authority has a vital public service role, promoting the safety, security, and consumer interests of those who fly, whilst also protecting those on the ground underneath. We also have a vital role in enabling the air and space aerospace sectors, helping ensure that the UK continues to be a global leader in aerospace. 

These are exciting but exceptionally challenging times: we need to ensure that the existing air and space sector continues to be safe, secure and effective; we must chart a course to environmentally sustainable aviation; we need to modernise UK airspace; we need to ensure that UK aerospace continues to thrive, nationally and internationally, outside the EU; we need to create the right environment for new technologies, including through our role as the UK’s space regulator; we need to do much more to promote innovation, STEM, and diversity in aerospace; and we must constantly do more and better for consumers, not least those with accessibility needs. 

We also must ensure that the CAA’s People Strategy delivers to this ambitious agenda, combined with first-rate corporate governance and the right organisational design.  

The CAA Board ensures that we maintain excellence in our day-to-day responsibilities, whilst setting our organisation for the future. Our non-executive directors are at the heart of the Board’s work, providing vital insight, guidance, challenge and support, drawing on their experiences from a wide variety of sectors and organisations. In recruiting two new non-executive directors to the Board, I’m excited by the opportunity to be able to work with great individuals who will give us the skills, experience, and diversity that the Board needs to define and deliver the CAA of the future. I very much look forward to meeting you. 

Sir Stephen Hillier 

Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority 

Additional introductions

Message from Katherine Corich, CAA Non-Executive Director 

I was appointed as a CAA non-executive director in July 2019 and became the CAA’s Senior Independent Director in July 2024. My motivation lay in a desire to contribute to the fast-paced aerospace industry at a time of great challenge and opportunity. As a board member I am able to contribute my governance skills in aviation, safety, technology, and business transformation. Innovation in aviation is accelerating in areas such as automated flight, sustainable aviation, space and more. It’s a truly exciting and important time to make a difference. 

The CAA is a vibrant, diverse learning organisation with an exceptional culture. Our people embrace innovation, while ensuring safety, security and consumer protection remain at the forefront of everything we do. 

As a non-executive director, we play a key governance role and offer healthy challenges in areas such as performance-based regulation of airports, airlines, and airspace. In addition to the regular board responsibilities, I belong to the Audit & Risk, and People Committees, and the Safety Leadership Group. I am also a member of the board of CAAi, the international arm of the CAA.  

Katherine Corich 

Civil Aviation Authority, Non-Executive Director / Senior Independent Director 

Appointment description

The CAA is seeking non-executive Board Members to join its Board. The successful candidates, through their membership of the Board, will provide challenge and support to a wide variety of management and operational issues and contribute to the effective strategic and operational leadership of the CAA.  

As a non-executive Board member your key responsibilities will be to: 

Be an active and fully engaged member of the CAA Board, ensuring that the CAA maintains excellence in its vital day-to-day responsibilities, whilst also setting the organisation for the future. 

• Provide independent and constructive oversight, challenge and, where appropriate, assurance to the work of the CAA, to help ensure that the CAA delivers its strategic objectives and retains the trust and confidence of all its stakeholders, including consumers. 
• Contribute effectively to discussions on the leadership and performance of the business at the CAA Board and non-executive meetings. 
• Engage with stakeholders to increase Board and NED internal and external visibility. 
• Participate in CAA Regulation 6 review panels when requested. 

Organisation description

The CAA is the UK’s civil aviation and space regulator. Recognised as a world leader in its field, the CAA is at the cutting edge of the exciting and ever-changing aviation environment. Never standing still, the CAA’s work includes activities such as: 

• Managing safety and security risks, safeguarding passengers and the general public; 
• Driving world class change; 
• Minimising the environmental impact of aviation on local communities; 
• Running the ATOL holiday financial protection scheme; and 
• Helping innovators to deliver the future of aviation. 

Thanks to the efforts of the CAA’s organisation and its people, consumers are safe, secure and have choice, value for money and protection when they fly. As part of the CAA’s team, you could help to deliver this vision and be part of something great. In return, you can expect to feel welcome and to have your voice heard. 

The CAA is a public corporation, established by Parliament in 1972 as an independent aviation regulator. The UK Government normally requires that the costs are fully covered by charges to those to whom the CAA provides a service or regulates. 

The CAA values are: 

• Respect everyone. 
• Do the right thing. 
• Build collaborative relationships. 
• Never stop learning. 

For more information: UK Civil Aviation Authority

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

Essential criteria – Role 1 Audit & Risk:

A1.       Professional accounting qualification - Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) or equivalent.

A2.       Experience in preparing or assuring complex annual accounts so as to be able to chair the Audit & Risk Committee.

A3.       Significant financial audit experience in a commercial environment.

A4.       In-depth knowledge of risk management frameworks, internal controls, evaluating risk mitigation strategies, and ensuring alignment with the organisation’s risk appetite.

A5.       An understanding of economic regulation gained in an environment of comparable complexity.

Candidates’ suitability for the Audit & Risk role will be assessed against criteria A1-A5 above. Previous experience of the aerospace sector or regulation is not an essential requirement for this role.

Essential criteria – Role 2 Aviation Safety:

S1.           A thorough understanding of aerospace safety, from design, production through to operations and maintenance.

S2.           Experience of human factors from a design, manufacture, operations and consumer perspective.

S3.           Experience of aerodrome, air traffic and airspace safety regulations and impact on all parts of the aviation sector and consumers.

S4.           Extensive aviation safety and risk management knowledge.

S5.           Understanding of aviation security processes.

Candidates’ suitability for the Aviation Safety role will be assessed against criteria S1-S5 above.

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.

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. 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, 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 will be chaired by a senior David Silk, Aviation Director DfT with Sir Stephen Hillier, Chair, CAA and Leslie Stephenson, Independent Panel Member, as members. 

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@dft.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 DfT 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 20 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).

References

Visible links

1. https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/privacy

Contact details

If you have any further questions please get in touch with the Campaign Manager, Georgina Warburton on georgina.warburton@dft.gov.uk

Attachments

• CAA Candidate Pack

• Top tips for applications