The following links open in a new tab
6 January 2026
4pm on 3 February 2026
20 February 2026
6 March 2026
Dear Candidate
Why would you want to be a Commissioner? First, you will be strongly committed to the principle of appointment on merit to the Civil Service and, as chair of appointment panels, your priority will be to help get the best people into the top Civil Service jobs.
Secondly, you will be interested in what makes good regulation and how a regulator (which is, in effect, what the Civil Service Commission is) can act as a spur to improving practice and influencing change in Government Departments and agencies.
Thirdly, you will be motivated by the importance of preserving the highest standards of conduct in public life and by playing a role in promoting and upholding the enduring Civil Service values of honesty, integrity, objectivity and impartiality.
We are seeking to appoint four new Commissioners. I would like to encourage applications from across the regions of the United Kingdom and in particular from Scotland, where we are looking to fill the post of Scottish Link Commissioner. We are also looking for a new Commissioner to serve as Chair of our Audit and Risk Committee.
The present Commission is made up of individuals from the public, private and third sectors, and from across the United Kingdom. I have greatly valued the broad range of expertise that the current Commissioners bring to our Board and want to preserve the diversity and depth of expertise in the new appointments we make. Thank you for taking the time to consider contributing to our work.
Civil Service Commissioners are appointed by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Minister for the Civil Service. They are recruited on merit following a fair and open competition and are independent of the Government. Their different careers and interests, bring experience of public, private and voluntary sectors and a clear and independent perspective. This helps us to support a Civil Service that is effective, politically impartial, and that builds upon its core values to meet the challenges of today and of tomorrow.
The Civil Service Commission is a statutory body which exists to provide assurance that Civil Service recruitment is made on merit on the basis of fair and open to all competition; to act as an effective appeal body, and build awareness of, the Civil Service Code; and to provide advice on applications from senior civil servants and special advisers under the Business Appointment Rules (BARs).
The Commission strongly believes that the country is best served by a Civil Service which recruits and develops the best and most diverse talent, free of personal and political patronage, and remains true to its core values of Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty in the Civil Service Code.
Commissioners are appointed through open competition and are independent of the Government and the Civil Service. As senior managers from the private, public and voluntary sectors, Commissioners seek to be firm on principles but pragmatic about process.
The Commission currently comprises the First Civil Service Commissioner and 11 Commissioners. Further information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website.
Experience: A strong track record of leadership in identifying, recruiting, and evaluating individuals. This includes building effective processes to ensure that an organisation has the right talent to achieve its goals and meet future capability needs. The ideal candidate should have senior-level experience which includes experience of recruitment across the private, public, or voluntary sectors.
Judgement: Effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations and decisions to support the delivery of the organisation's objectives.
Relationship building: The ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and senior government officials and external stakeholders, while demonstrating a commitment to the highest ethical standards and good governance.
Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenge and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.
Collaboration: The ability to work with vacancy holders to interpret what leadership capability is required for the given context and how to assess that leadership capability.
In addition, we are seeking a Commissioner to serve as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee who will need to demonstrate as essential:
Financial Expertise: proven experience in assurance, risk management and working on audit committees.
We are also recruiting for a Scottish Link Commissioner, who will need to demonstrate as essential:
Devolved experience: experience of working with, or understanding the challenges facing, the Scottish Government.
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
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:
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.
Important - application guidance
To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation process for all applicants, please do not exceed the following page limits for your application:
Please be advised that the AAP will base its judgement solely on the content contained within the specified page limits. Any text or information that exceeds the two-page (CV) or two-page (Statement) limit will not be taken into consideration.
Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process. 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.
The assessment process
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their recommendations to His Majesty the King. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
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.
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.
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.
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 make recommendations on who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to recommend any candidates and re-run the competition.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before making their recommendations. 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.
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.
The Advisory Assessment Panel will consist of:
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.
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)The successful candidate will be required to undertake Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security vetting checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.
We will be holding prospective candidate open sessions on the following dates: 15 January 2026 2:00pm and 5:00pm; and 20 January 2026 11:am. If you are interested in attending these sessions please contact the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Team at copa.partnerships@cabinetoffice.gov.uk to register your interest and please state your preference/s for the dates of the sessions.