*Closes 23rd December*

Key responsibilities

  • Plays a key role in the development of the organisation’s strategic direction in line with its statutory objectives and functions.
  • Actively contributes to the Board’s decision-making process, taking appropriate account of the Architects Act 1997, ARB’s governance requirements, and any guidance provided by the relevant government departments.
  • Ensures that the Board operates and exercises its functions in accordance with the highest standards of conduct and probity.
  • Contributes to identifying and measuring the impact of the work of the Board.
  • Demonstrates and maintains good practice in decision making and that this is appropriately and effectively reviewed to deliver high standards of regulation and propriety.
  • Ensures that the collective work of the Board is reviewed and is working effectively.
  • Displays and follows the Code of Practice for Board members which is consistent with the Cabinet Office Model Code.

Lay Member – Architects Registration Board (ARB)

Number of vacancies x 2

Time commitment x 20 day(s) per annum

Remuneration – £8778 per annum

Length of term up to 4 years

Individual duties

  • Prepares for and attends all Board meetings, making an active contribution to discussions and decision making.
  • In the event of unavoidable absence from a meeting, provides comments and questions in advance on the relevant papers to the meeting Chair.
  • Upholds, models, and promotes the values behaviours, core policies, objectives and vision of the organisation.
  • Provides leadership on equality, diversity and inclusion matters ensuring that this is reflected in all that ARB does.
  • Provides leadership on ethical matters, upholding governance standards and respecting confidentiality.
  • Ensures the organisation delivers against its Corporate Strategy,
  • Participates fully in reviews of the Board’s performance, including individual, collective, Chair and peer assessment.
  • Participates in annual review processes and attends learning and development opportunities in addition to completing e-learning programmes.
  • Establishes and builds effective and constructive working relationships with the Executive, holding them to account for delivering agreed strategic objectives.
  • Supports the Executive, whilst respecting the boundaries which exist between executive and non-executive roles.
  • Maintains regular contact with the Chair and develops and maintains open and supportive relationships.

Organisation description

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) was established in 1997 by the Architects Act and regulates over 40,000 architects. ARB employs 62 staff, led by a Chief Executive and Registrar who is also ARB’s Accounting Officer, and has an annual budget of circa £9 million. ARB is based in London.​

Under the Act, ARB’s responsibilities are to:​

  • To ensure only those who are suitably competent are allowed to practise as architects. We do this by approving the architecture qualifications required to join the Register of architects.​
  • We maintain a publicly available Register of architects so anyone using the services of an architect can be confident that they are suitably qualified and are fit to practise.​
  • We set the standards of conduct and practice the profession must meet and take action when any architect falls below the required standards of conduct or competence.​
  • We set requirements for and monitor the continuous professional development that architects must undertake, to provide assurance to the public about the continuing competence of the profession.​
  • We protect the legally restricted title ‘architect’ and take action against those who use the title but are not registered with ARB.​

Architects play a vital role in creating a built environment that is safe, sustainable and where everyone in society can live well. There are many challenges to achieving those goals. We know from Dame Judith Hackitt’s report, Building a Safer Future, that there is much to be done to truly embed a culture of safety not just in architecture but across all the professions and organisations involved in building and construction. We know from overwhelming scientific evidence the existential challenge society faces in relation to the climate emergency and the need to embed sustainability in all that we do. We know wider challenges faced by society in relation to public health, not just in relation to Covid-19, and the importance that communities and the built environment. We know that a strong and vibrant architecture profession is important for cultural, economic and social reasons.​

ARB is in the process of delivering of a bold and ambitious five-year strategy. It sets out how the ARB intends to respond to these and other challenges, playing a crucial role in areas such as initial education and training of architects. We are committed to improving the way we work with the sector, the profession and the public as we build a regulatory model which makes a positive contribution and helps the profession to maximise its potential. ARB is also making significant investment to develop its systems, processes and technology so that our core regulatory functions are working effectively and efficiently.​

Information Sessions will be held on Monday 9 December (12pm) and Thursday 12 December 2024 (12pm). These sessions will be held online and will be an opportunity to learn more about ARB and it’s work. Booking is essential. Contact Governance@arb.org.uk for further details and to book your place at one of the sessions.​

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

  1. Experience of working within Committee or governance processes that include setting strategy and policy development. This could include operating in private sector board and committee environments but could also include operating within other parts of the built environment, education governor roles, or public sector or charity trustee boards, as well as other governance arrangements which involve holding organisations to account.
  2. Applying knowledge and experience of the UK regulatory environment.
  3. Experience of working with an executive team to challenge, support and hold them to account for the delivery of the organisation’s strategic aims and objectives;
  4. Experience of being able to develop strategies in complex environments as well as cross regulatory/business experience.
  5. Extensive skills in:
     a. working in a fast-paced changing environment
     b. expertise in implementing large scale change and transformation in a dynamic, people-focused organisation.
  6. Strong commitment to good governance, upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life, and a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

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:

  • a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • a supporting statement.
  • equality information
  • information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

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.