Appointment details

Wilton Park, Non-Executive Director (NED)

Summary
About the appointment
Person specification
Application and selection process
Additional information for candidates
Attachments
Contact details

Summary

Organisation: Wilton Park
Sponsor department: Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office
Location: London
Sectors: Public Administration
Skills: Business, Commercial, Communication, International Experience, Transformation
Number of vacancies: 1
Time commitment: Adhoc
Length of term: 3 Years
Application deadline: 7pm on 15 July 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

Opening date

20 May 2026
Application deadline

7pm on 15 July 2026
Sifting date

31 August 2026
Interviews expected to end on

30 September 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in this vacancy for a non-executive director position on the board of Wilton Park.

Wilton Park is an Executive Agency of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the UK government’s trusted expert in convening international policy dialogue. Wilton Park supports UK foreign policy development and the international strategic priorities of His Majesty’s Government, bringing together experts, policy-makers and decision-takers to seek solutions to complex global issues. They are also a valued partner for a wide range of foreign governments, international organisations, businesses and actors keen to explore – and resolve - issues of global importance. A home of strategic thought, respectful dialogue, and discreet diplomacy, Wilton Park offers a unique forum to work through difficult questions and a safe space to help resolve differences.

Wilton Park is both of government and independent from it and is a significant source of soft power for the UK. It operates as a modern multilateral facilitator for both UK and global benefit. Partners work with and return to Wilton Park because of its ability to generate new ideas, help them find practical solutions, and support them in building networks of influence.

The following pages will tell you more about Wilton Park’s purpose, the nature of the Board and this non-executive director role, as well as the application process. Please do also view the Wilton Park website to understand their work www.wiltonpark.org.uk.

If, after reading the material, you have further questions about any aspect of this post you are welcome to speak to Sue Betts (sue.betts@wiltonpark.org.uk). If you have questions about the appointment process, you can contact Sumayyah Tasnim (sumayyah.tasnim@fcdo.gov.uk).

If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we very much look forward to hearing from you.

Will Gelling OBE, Strategy Director, FCDO

Introduction from the Chair

Wilton Park has played a unique role in the UK’s international engagement for over 80 years. We provide a trusted and discreet space where decision makers, experts and practitioners from around the world can come together for honest discussion on some of the most complex and sensitive global challenges. At its best, Wilton Park helps shape thinking, build relationships and support effective international cooperation in the UK’s national interest.

As Chair of the Wilton Park Board, I am pleased to invite applications for a new Non Executive Director. This is an opportunity to contribute to the stewardship of an organisation that supports UK foreign policy while remaining intellectually independent, internationally respected and trusted by partners across governments, business, civil society and multilateral institutions.

If this role resonates with you, I encourage you to apply.

The Rt Hon Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston PC

Chair, Wilton Park

Appointment description

This is both a demanding and exciting time to join Wilton Park. We are looking to appoint an individual with commitment and expertise to the Board, which is challenging and leading the organisation to become internationally recognised as a preeminent forum for discreet honest dialogue supporting international partnerships to tackle common global challenges.

Whilst the Board’s Chair has overall responsibility for the performance of the Board, all members of the Board have an important individual and collective role in working with the Chair, the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team to evolve the strategic direction of the body, to ensure delivery goals and to ensure that it fulfils the governance, financial management, and efficiency standards required of it as a public body. The role of a Non-Executive Director involves attending four Board meetings per year, which are normally held quarterly in January, April, June and November. There is an open invitation to attend the meetings of the Advisory Council, also held quarterly. Some meetings are held in London others at Wilton Park. Along with other ad hoc work, including on Monitoring & Evaluation, this is a minimum time commitment of 12 - 14 days per year.

Organisation description

Overview of Wilton Park:

Wilton Park is a convenor of influential policy dialogues, designed for experts and policy-makers to engage in genuine dialogue with a network of diverse voices, in order to address the most pressing challenges of our time.

For over 80years it has been at the forefront of global policy development, building and curating trusted global networks and bringing people together for world-changing dialogue.

As an Executive Agency of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Wilton Park works with governments, international organisations, civil society groups, the private sector, and individuals to address a wide range of diplomatic and development issues, including issues such as climate change, conflict, trade, and security.

Further information on Wilton Park and its activities, including its most recent annual report can be found on Wilton Park’s website.

Board composition

Size and composition of the Board:

The Board currently comprises seven Members. Members of the Board as follows and biographical information can be found on Wilton Park’s website:

• The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Gisela Stuart (Chair);

• Tom Cargill (Chief Executive)

• James Rawlingson; NED

• Julia Prescot; NED

• Ruth Crowell; NED

• Felix Dane, NED

Person specification

Essential criteria

All candidates should demonstrate:

• Ability to promote a clear understanding of Wilton Park’s strategic vision, and how this supports the UK’s strategic foreign policy priorities;

• Sound knowledge of good governance and the ability to demonstrate strategic leadership at senior/Board level;

• Ability to drive the realisation of fundraising strategies by proactively helping to identify and develop relationships with existing and potential donors and supporters.

• Strong understanding of the value of aligning public and private sector actors (including through commercial expertise) in support of national and global interests, with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to engage, and inspire diverse stakeholders, fostering trust and collaboration.

• Experience in developing innovative business models to enable Wilton Park to take a more strategic approach to programme planning.

Desirable criteria

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates with one or more of the following:

• Experience in philanthropy through grant-making and/or foundations.

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:

Diversity/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.

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

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.
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.
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 decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
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.
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)

Will Gelling – Departmental Official

FCDO Strategy Director as Chair of the AAP.

Will Gelling has no political activity to declare.

The Right Hon Gisela Stuart – Public Body Representative

Chair, Wilton Park as the representative of Wilton Park

The Right Hon Gisela Stuart has no political activity to declare.

John Raine – Independent Panel Member

John Raine is recommended as the independent panel member due to his sound knowledge of Wilton Park as an institution, having joined many of their dialogues throughout his career.

Employed by a political party No

Held a significant office in a party No

Stood as a candidate for a party in an election No

Publicly spoken on behalf of a political party No

Made significant donations or loans to a party No

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

This role is unremunerated.

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.

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.

If you are not completely satisfied with the recruitment process, please contact Sumayyah Tasnim. They will investigate your complaint and issue you with a response within 10 working days which addresses your concerns and recommends remedial action if required.

If you are not content with this response you can request escalate your complaint to the ALB Hub within FCDO - please contact Chris Rutherford (Head of ALB Hub), at chris.rutherford@fcdo.gov.uk. The ALB Hub will review your complaint in relation to the recruitment process and issue you with a response within 20 working days.

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