Appointment details

National Infrastructure Service Transformation Authority - Expert Advisory Council Chair

Summary

• Organisation: National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority
• Sponsor department: HM Treasury
• Location: London
• Sectors: Business and Trade
• Skills: Major Projects, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 2 day(s) per month
• Remuneration: £20,000 per annum
• Length of term: 5 years
• Application deadline: 11:45am on 28 October 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   7 October 2025

2. Application deadline

   11:45am on 28 October 2025

3. Sifting date

   7 November 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   21 November 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Additional introductions

Dear Applicant, 

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of NISTA’s Expert Advisory Council. 

The government’s creation of NISTA was a clear signal of intent about its ambitious vision to fix the foundations and rebuild Britain as part of the Plan for Change. 

Renewing and building the country’s infrastructure – economic and social – is fundamental to the government’s ability to deliver on that commitment.  

Yet as a country, over many decades we have experienced a multitude of issues and setbacks in our approach to both infrastructure policy and delivery, and failed to properly plan for the long term. 

NISTA is part of the solution to how we change this picture, providing clear leadership to drive the ambition across the whole of government to do infrastructure differently. 

We were set up to help government overcome these longstanding barriers and support a more joined-up, ambitious approach to infrastructure planning and delivery, working in partnership with stakeholders across business, finance and the wider public sector.  

I’m genuinely excited to lead the organisation in tackling such an exciting and transformative remit, and in our first few months, we’re already making an impact. 

We’ve helped the government deliver the first comprehensive 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and restore confidence in the UK's infrastructure planning. 

And developed a game-changing Infrastructure Pipeline that gives investors and businesses regular updates on planned public and private sector projects, providing them with a level of clarity and confidence to plan for the long term they haven’t had before. 

But we can’t rest up - the long-term challenge of implementation starts now. Our Expert Advisory Council is an integral part of the policy and delivery framework that will help us turn bold plans into deliverable results. As a member, you will provide ministers along with me and my colleagues on NISTA’s leadership team with advice and assurance on individual projects and on the organisation’s long-term strategy. 

Your insights and understanding will be crucial in ensuring NISTA succeeds in its core function of transforming the delivery of infrastructure and other major projects over the next decade, and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to apply your skills, ambition and experience to building a brighter future for the UK, project by project.  

The Treasury celebrates diversity in all our work and promotes equality of opportunity. We welcome new ideas and challenges. We are actively searching for a diverse range of candidates and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. 

I wish you the very best of luck with your application. 

Becky Wood, Chief Executive Officer

Appointment description

The NISTA EAC Chair plays a crucial role in supporting the CEO of NISTA to provide impartial and expert advice and scrutiny on NISTA’s work. The Chair candidate will need to be a leader in their field, widely respected across the infrastructure and service transformation sector, and able to engage with stakeholders in central and local government, and across industry. 

Chair Responsibilities  

• Challenge, motivate and provide strategic leadership to the Council and organisation.   
• Providing expert, impartial advice to the government on infrastructure and service transformation, including advice on prioritisation and value for money on public and private investments.   
• Directing the other Council members’ input to advice commissioned through the Council in support of the CST and CEO, harnessing their skills, experience and expertise.   
• Engaging with stakeholders, including government, industry, academia, interest groups and the public.   
• Representing NISTA in public, including in the media and at industry events (in line with the current rules)   
• Working closely with the CEO to ensure NISTA is well set-up with a high-performing team across a broad set of experiences and skills.  

Please note that this is not the only opportunity open at NISTA, we are also recruiting for NISTA EAC Member. If you would like to be considered for more than one role, you will need to submit separate applications on to gov.uk, which is a relatively easy process.

Organisation description

We unite long-term strategy with best-practice project delivery, transforming UK major projects and programmes. 

The NISTA Expert Advisory Council will bring experienced practitioners close to government and provide impartial and expert advice to the government on infrastructure and service transformation, scrutinising the government’s progress in delivering agreed recommendations, supporting the implementation of the government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy and supporting the development of a strategy and work programme to deliver NISTA’s objectives. Looking forward, we expect that there will be specific topics (for example the progression of spatial planning thinking, and how best to engage devolved authorities in that work, development of thinking in relation to appropriate private financing structures linked to the infrastructure investment pipeline).  

Further information about the NISTA and the Expert Advisory Council can be found here.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Leadership: the ability to set strategic vision and drive forward priorities of the organisation.  
• Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of the organisation and the context within which it operates. Ability to consider the long-term development of the UK’s infrastructure landscape and understand the government’s infrastructure objectives within the wider policy, delivery and finance context. The experience should be in one or more of the following areas: defence, digital, social infrastructure, private finance, engineering and design.  
• Experience: a leader in the infrastructure sector with strong track record of delivery on significant infrastructure policy issues within the private, public or voluntary sectors. Experience of representing organisations in public and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders.    
• Relationship building ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials and external stakeholders.   
• Communication: strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and influence at senior levels.   
• 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 and provide robust, independent advice to the government.  
• Collaboration: ability to work closely with the executive board and other key stakeholders, providing support, constructive challenge and assurance as appropriate.  

• Ability to provide robust, independent advice, under a high level of public interest and scrutiny, and use a public profile to build consensus.   
• Experience of representing organisations in public, including in the media and with a range of stakeholders. 
• Credibility with government, industry and the public 
• Understanding of the government’s infrastructure objectives and the wider policy, delivery and finance landscape

Desirable criteria

Experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Project leadership, design, delivery and commissioning (operations)  
• Skills and supply chain  
• Organisational change and service transformation  
• Project governance and assurance  
• Social & economic infrastructure, defence and digital   
• Economics and analysis  
• Engineering (civils and systems)  
• Private financing and different investment models for infrastructure   

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.

Please be aware that if you also want to make an application for the role of NISTA EAC Member,  you will need to make a separate 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 principles of 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 panel members are: 

Panel Chair - Becky Wood, NISTA CEO and Head of the Government Project Delivery Profession 

Supported by 

Rebecca Sheeran, Chief Operating Officer, NAO - Independent Member

Rupesh Mehta, Director of Infrastructure, EDS - Independent Member Clive Maxwell, 2nd Permanent Secretary, DESNZ 

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)

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 public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at PublicAppointments-HMT@hmtreasury.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.

The Treasury's Privacy Notice is attached

Contact details

If you have any queries regarding this position and would like to find out more, please contact PublicAppointments-HMT@hmtreasury.gov.uk 

Attachments

• Chair- Candidate pack

• HM Treasury Privacy Notice