Appointment details

Royal Armouries x3 Trustees

Summary

• Organisation: Royal Armouries
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Accountancy, Business, Commercial, Communication, Media, Marketing, International Experience, Major Projects
• Number of vacancies: 3
• Time commitment: 12 day(s) per annum
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: 7pm on 26 February 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   29 January 2026

2. Application deadline

   7pm on 26 February 2026

3. Sifting date

   6 March 2026

4. Interviews expected to end on

   10 April 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is seeking to appoint three outstanding individuals to join the Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries, the nation’s museum of arms and armour. Reflecting the Royal Armouries’ status as one of the country’s great collections (and indeed as the world’s oldest museum), we are seeking Trustees who combine exceptional experience within their fields (including museum policy and governance, finance and commercial) with a breadth of understanding and vision that will help guide the museum within a national and international context.

Introduction from the Chair

Welcome to the Royal Armouries (introductory film) 

The Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries is tasked by Parliament, under the terms of the Heritage Act (1983) to care for, preserve and add to the nation’s collection of arm and armour and to promote its public enjoyment and understanding.

To meet this duty, we have a mission to be ‘Armed with Hope and Understanding’. We use our collection to explore the complex role of arms and armour throughout humanity’s past and present,

sharing expertise, encouraging discussion and creating engaging experiences, to inspire a safer and more hopeful future.

We are looking for exceptional people in their field who want to work collaboratively with people from all manner of backgrounds and perspectives to help us achieve our mission. We need Board members who can help ensure we bring high ethical and professional standards to collecting, caring for and interpreting arms and armour; who can help give us the confidence to be fearless in our strategy and planning; who can inform resilient commercial activity; who foster debate, critical thinking and creativity and who bring a diversity of experience, outlook and imagination to an organisation where every day can uncover a new challenge or an undiscovered treasure.

Appointment description

The key role of a Trustee is to play a collective part in the governance of the Royal Armouries in ensuring it meets its duties as set out in the National Heritage Act (1983).

As a Trustee, you will share ultimate responsibility for ensuring the Royal Armouries continues to be a sustainable, well-run organisation, focussed on delivering its mission. You will combine the legal duties of a Trustee, to ensure compliance, prudence and care, with the ethical values of the organisation, to serve its public, to be inclusive, empathetic and forward-looking and to help unlock ways in which the nation’s collection of arms and armour can help unlock wider community benefits and ensure richer and larger lives for all.

Generally, all Trustees will, through either the Main Board or the delegated activities of its sub-committees:

• Contribute actively to the Board of Trustees role in giving a clear steer in relation to the strategic direction of the museum
• Oversee the risks and opportunities for the Royal Armouries’ main activity
• Oversee the financial stability of the Royal Armouries
• Protect the assets of the Royal Armouries
• Ensure the museum’s performance is properly evaluated and recorded, setting appropriate targets and reporting in line with its duties under the Act and Framework Agreement
• Demonstrate an energetic commitment to the Royal Armouries’ mission, brand and values
• Actively support the Royal Armouries’ public fundraising and campaigns
• Act as positive champions and advocates for the Royal Armouries and its work
• Comply with the intentions of Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good Practice 2011 in so far as they are relevant to a NDPB and Charity Commission governance rules etc; 
• Embody in all respects the Seven Principles of Public Life

More specifically, the Board of Trustees is intended to offer the skills and expertise which DCMS and the museum believe will be needed to guide the strategic direction of the Royal Armouries in the foreseeable future, particularly for the successful completion of the current Corporate Plan (2023 - 2028), roll-out of the next 5-year plan (2029 – 2034) and the development of the museum’s Armouries 700 masterplan. The required skills and experience are intended to complement and amplify rather than replicate those of the Executive Board. 

The current vacancies are prompted through the termination, due in September 2026, of the terms of office of three of our long-serving Trustees, Neil Grant, Jonathan Sands and Paul Kirkman. These three, respectively, brought wide-ranging skills and experience in Finance, Marketing and Brand Development and Museum Management and Governance, all of which we would like to ensure are represented in the Board. In addition, looking to our future plans, we are keen to grow the breadth of skills and expertise in areas of placemaking, development and international engagement.

The sheer breadth of our topic and our work across four sites (the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, the Tower Armoury at the Tower of London, Fort Nelson in Fareham and our non-public site, the National Firearms Centre) means that Trustees have the opportunity to attend numerous events throughout the year, to support and champion our work, but the core commitment is to four main Board meetings and to four sub-committee meetings annually, held quarterly.

Organisation description

The charitable objectives of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries are set out by Parliament (under the provisions of the National Heritage Act 1983) to preserve, add to and exhibit the national collection of arms and armour and promote its public enjoyment and understanding. It does this through operating the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, the Tower Armoury at the Tower of London, the Royal Armouries’ museum of artillery at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth and the National Firearms Centre in Leeds.

The Royal Armouries is one of 23 Government-sponsored Arms-Length Bodies (ALBs) that enjoy certain operational freedoms, in recognition of the unique nature and value of their work. There is a Framework Agreement in place with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and receipt of Grant-in-Aid is dependent upon the Royal Armouries’ compliance with the agreement. The Royal Armouries is an exempt charity under the Charities Act 2011.

For more about the Royal Armouries and its governance, visit Governance | Royal Armouries

Board composition

The governing body is the Board of Trustees, established in 1984. Trustees are appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, apart from one appointed by HM The King and another, the Constable of the Tower of London, who is a member ex-officio.

The current members of the Board of Trustees are:

John Procter (Chair)

Paul Kirkman

Jonathan Sands

Neil Grant

Paul Mancey

Monica Turner

Andrew Latchmore

Professor Steven Gunn

Barbara Woroncow OBE

General Sir Gordon Messenger KCB DSO* OBE DL

Lt General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne KCVO CBE

There are five sub-committees of the Board of Trustees:

• Finance and Capital Development Committee
• Audit Committee
• Remuneration Committee
• Masterplan Committee
• Collections, Learning & Research Committee

For more about the Board of Trustees, visit Board of Trustees | Royal Armouries

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

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate in their application the following qualities:

• Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of Royal Armouries and the context within which it operates. 
• Relationship building: ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials, with Local and Regional Government and external stakeholders. 
• Communication: strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenges and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.
• 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 Royal Armouries’ objectives. 
• Collaboration: ability to work closely with the executive board and other key stakeholders, providing support, constructive challenge and assurance as appropriate.
• A demonstrable commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion; and improving opportunities for people throughout the UK. 

Desirable criteria

• Experience: a strong track record of delivery on significant cultural heritage, leisure or tourism policy issues within the private, public or voluntary sectors.
• Experience: proven experience at a senior level in one or more of the following sectors:
• Museums and Cultural Destinations
• Place-making
• Creative Industries
• Capital Development & fundraising
• Policy-making and government
• International cultural engagement and soft power
• Lived Experience and Understanding: a good understanding and/or lived experience of issues relating in particular to one or more of the following:
• Disability/disability rights
• Global majority communities
• Under-served/working-class communities

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.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide equality information including special category data (which may identify your race/ ethnic background or health); you have the choice to opt out from sharing any equality data, by selecting ‘prefer not to say’. We use your personal information and special category data for a wide range of purposes, to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department. 

• The data will be visible to departmental officials for the purpose of managing the Public Appointment Process for which you have applied. 
• Data will also be available to other individuals involved in the process including Government Ministers, Advisory Assessment Panel members and members of the Commissioner for Public Appointments team, and our IT providers. 
• To monitor the diversity and inclusivity of our processes, your special category data may be shared with the Advisory Assessment Panel that is responsible for sifting candidate CVs and interviewing candidates. 
• The Advisory Assessment Panel may use your special category data to help ensure Boards are representative of the United Kingdom. The data will help us understand the diversity of public appointees and to satisfy our public sector equality duty (PSED). You may opt out of this if you so wish by selecting “prefer not to say” for any or all categories, and your application will still be considered. You must opt out before the application deadline closes. 
• If you are offered an interview for a Public Appointment your data may be shared with the employees and Board Members of the Public Body for which you are applying, for the purposes of scheduling the interview, informing you of the outcome and providing feedback after the interview. 
• If you are successful in your application we will share your contact details with the Public Body so that staff can make arrangements for you to start your role.

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 Advisory Assessment Panel will consist of:

• Ruth Harper - DCMS Panel Chair, Deputy Director for Museums and Cultural Property 
• John Proctor - Chair of the Royal Armouries 
• Catherine Douglas - Chief People and Sustainability Officer at the Co-operative Bank, Independent Panel Member

The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an panel member in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. The panel have confirmed they have no political activity to declare for the past five years.

John Procter is a former Conservative Member of the European Parliament. He served between 2016 and stepped down in July 2019. He declared he has undertaken no political activity since he was appointed Chair of the Board of the Royal Armouries in November 2019. 

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  Victoria Watts at victoria.watts@dcms.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. 

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

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 for Culture, Media and Sport public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@dcms.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 Culture Media and Sport will use your data in line with our privacy policy. 

Contact details

For more information about the Public Appointments process, please contact Victoria Watts at victoria.watts@dcms.gov.uk 

Attachments

• Code of Conduct for Board Members

• Role specification