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Appointment details

Fair Work Agency Advisory Board Members

Summary

• Organisation: Fair Work Agency
• Sponsor department: Department for Business and Trade
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Business and Trade
• Skills: Business, Communication, Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 9
• Time commitment: 18 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £8,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 5pm on 10 December 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   12 November 2025

2. Application deadline

   5pm on 10 December 2025

3. Sifting date

   19 December 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   16 January 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Advisory Board member for the Fair Work Agency (FWA), an organisation that will play a vital role in driving up standards in employment and cracking down on serious labour exploitation.

The FWA will be an Executive Agency of the Department for Business and Trade. Initially it will bring together responsibility for existing state enforcement functions currently undertaken by the National Minimum Wage teams in HMRC, the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate together with the strategic oversight functions carried out by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

This will create a single place where workers and employers can turn for help, reducing fragmentation and improving efficiency and impact. The FWA will aim to resolve issues upstream by supporting employers that want to comply with the law while taking tough action against those businesses that flout the law, levelling the playing field and supporting growth.

The intention is for the FWA to grow and expand to cover more areas over time. The Employment Rights Bill gives the FWA the power to enforce underpayments of Holiday Pay and Statutory Sick Pay as well as breaches of the proposed Fair Pay Agreements in Social Care. It also gives the Secretary of State the power to further expand the remit in due course.

Advisory Board members will be absolutely critical to shaping the new organisation’s culture and values prior to its launch and in the critical first years of its operation. I am looking for visionaries that share my passion for the protection of workers and their rights. I want people who can inspire confidence amongst the public, businesses, trade unions and groups representing victims of serious labour abuse that the FWA will make a real, positive difference to the lives of working people.

If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we very much look forward to hearing from you. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from under-represented groups.    

Kate Dearden MP

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection,

Department for Business and Trade 

Appointment description

As a member of the Advisory Board of this new Agency, your role will be critical to shaping the FWA’s early direction and ensuring it makes a real, positive difference to the lives of working people, in particular vulnerable workers. In particular, working constructively with the other Board members, you will support the Chair of the Advisory Board in ensuring that the FWA is set up effectively to protect workers and their rights, including through effective enforcement, whilst inspiring confidence amongst the public, businesses, trade unions and groups representing victims of serious labour abuse. As a newly established entity, this is a pivotal moment for board members to define the Fair Work Agency’s (FWA’s) core purpose and direction.

The Advisory Board will consist of nine members, split evenly between trade union representatives, employer representatives and independent experts. The common criteria for all three roles, and the specific criteria for each are set out below.

We are looking to appoint:

3 trade union representatives;

3 employer representatives; and

3 independent experts

PLEASE STATE CLEARLY IN YOUR APPLICATION WHICH OF THE THREE ROLES YOU ARE APPLYING FOR

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Direction

• Develop, recommend, and oversee the implementation of strategic aims and objectives, ensuring full alignment with Ministers’ vision for the FWA.
• Regularly review and update strategic plans to address emerging challenges and opportunities, with particular attention to trends and intelligence related to labour exploitation and abuse in the workplace.
• Maintain clear communication with the sponsor department on strategic matters, including updates on initiatives, casework, and risks related to labour abuse.

Leadership and Oversight

• Provide effective leadership within a robust control framework, setting the tone for a robust approach to serious labour abuse and exploitation.
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Act as the bridge between the FWA executive team and the wider world of work – ensuring that stakeholders representing businesses, workers and victims of exploitation feel engaged in the development of the agency.

Performance & Resource Management

• Provide expert advice on the development and implementation of robust performance management frameworks, ensuring regular review of organisational performance against agreed strategic direction.
• Assess and allocate financial and human resources to support organisational objectives, prioritising activities and interventions that address serious labour exploitation and abuse.

• Advise on the development and execution of resource strategies.

Financial Oversight & Change Management

• Support the executive team to make informed decisions regarding the allocation of resources for investigations, and enforcement actions
• Provide strategic oversight of the organisation’s financial wellbeing and ensure strict adherence to relevant policies and procedures
• Proactively track developments in the operating and legislative landscape, with a particular focus on those affecting workers’ rights.

Corporate Governance

• Support the Chair and Chief Executive in their roles by promoting the highest standards of corporate governance in all board activities.
• Ensure all board members are familiar with key governance documents and that all decisions and actions align with sponsor department guidance.

Risk Management and Assurance

• Consistently evaluate and provide expert guidance on risk management, governance, and internal control frameworks;

Support the Executive team to ensure that the FWA’s strategic direction is full informed by a deep understanding of the scale and nature of labour abuse within the economy.  

Organisation description

The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will bring together existing state enforcement functions and, over time, take on enforcement of a wider range of employment rights. This will be a single place where workers and employers can turn for help. The FWA will aim to resolve issues upstream by supporting employers that want to comply with the law. But it will also have strong powers to investigate and take action against businesses that flout the law, to level the playing field for compliant businesses. 

To learn about more the FWA please visit: Factsheet The Fair Work Agency

Overview

The FWA Advisory Board plays a pivotal role in ensuring the strategic success, robust governance, and operational integrity of the organisation. The Board’s core purpose is to provide advice to the Secretary of State on matters relating to labour market enforcement and to contribute to setting the strategic direction of the FWA, within the policy framework set by the Secretary of State. The Advisory Board will then play a key role in providing advice to the Secretary of State on progress against that strategy.

A key feature of the Advisory Board is that it is Tri-partite comprising equal members of worker representatives, employers and independent experts. This is critical to our vision for the Agency as a transparent organisation that has a deep understanding of what is going on in the labour market and how best to both support businesses and tackle exploitation. 

Board composition

3 Trade Union representatives

3 Employer representatives

3 Independent experts

Person specification

Essential criteria

For all roles:

1.Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges the organisation is likely to face and the context within which it operates. 

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

3.Judgement: effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations to support the delivery of the organisation's objectives. 

4.Collaboration: ability to work closely with the executive leadership team and other key stakeholders, providing support, constructive challenge and assurance as appropriate.

5. Awareness and good judgement of the labour market and employment rights landscape in which FWA operates, including with government, the civil service, and the media.

6. Relationship building ability to build strong and effective relationships within the organisation and with external stakeholders.

Trade Union Representative Roles Additional Criteria:

1. A history of trade union activities at a senior level demonstrating a commitment to representing the voice of employees at a national or local level.

Employer Representative Roles Additional Criteria:

1. Substantial experience in leadership roles in business or in business representative organisations demonstrating a clear understanding of the responsibilities placed upon employers by UK employee rights legislation.

Independent Expert Roles Additional Criteria:

1.Experience or expertise (either practical or academic) the application of relevant to the application of employment rights in the UK. In this, we welcome applications from candidates with a diverse knowledge: for instance, maybe you have experience of engagement with hard-to-reach workers or community groups, experience of relevant technologies such AI, or knowledge of enforcement systems elsewhere.

 2.Demonstrable independence from both trade unions and employers – note that union membership or previous business leadership experience does not exempt you from this role but extensive, or high profile, past activities in either of these fields may make it difficult to prove the independence necessary to fulfil the role. 

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. 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.

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. 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. 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)

Panel Chair and DBT Representative: James Stevens, Deputy Director, Enforcement and Employment Agency Standards.

Representative of Organisation: Matthew Taylor, Chair, Fair Work Agency.

Independent Panel Member: Joanne Anderson (Managing Director at Innervision Consultancy and Adjunct Professor & Business School Board Member at LJMU).

Additional Panel Member Worker Representative: Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary, TUC.

Additional Panel Member Business Representative: Laurence Reaburn-Smith, Policy Manager, Confederation of British Industry.

As per guidance in the governance code we are declaring the political activity of the independent panel member as required. Joanne Anderson is the former Labour Mayor of Liverpool from 2021-2023 and was a ward councillor in Princes Park from October 2019 to May 2012. Joanne no longer holds any political office. 

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.

AAPs 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 dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘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 DBT public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

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

You can also access the Department for Business and Trade's public appointments privacy notice.

Contact details

For any questions regarding the role please get in contact with Mel Hill at dbtappointments@businessandtrade.gov.uk.