*Closes 10th September*

The Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, is seeking to appoint up to six new Non-Executive Board Members (NEBMs). Appointees will become members of the Departmental Board on appointment. Departmental Boards are an advisory body to support and challenge ministers and the Accounting Officer.
The roles of NEBMs are varied and cover a range of issues and agendas.
  1. The first vacancy is for a Lead NEBM position.
  2. The second vacancy is for a NEBM Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC).
  3. The remaining vacancies are for NEBMs
The time commitments for all roles will be approximately 15-20 days per annum, including at least 4 Departmental Board meetings per annum.
The renumeration for the roles is as follows:
  • £20,000 per annum for the Lead NEBM role
  • £20,000 per annum for the NEBM Chair of ARAC
  • £15,000 per annum for the NEBM roles
The Department for Business and Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation.
All candidates are expected to adhere to the Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members.
For more information on Departmental boards and government non-executives please refer to the Corporate Governance Code.

Number of vacancies x 6

Time commitment 20 day(s) per annum

Remuneration £15000 to £20000 per annum

Length of term 3 Years

 Role description

Non-Executive Board Members will exercise their role through influence and advice, supporting as well as challenging Ministers and officials. No month will look the same but general activities include:
  • Acting as a sounding board to the Secretary of State, Permanent Secretary and other senior individuals as appropriate
  • Bringing to bear relevant skills, experiences and understanding of human capital from across a range of sectors of the economy to support, guide and challenge implementation of the Department’s strategy and four priorities (Industrial Strategy, Trade Strategy, The Plan for Small Businesses and Make Work Pay).
  • Scrutinising performance (including agreeing key performance indicators), operational issues (including the operational and delivery implications of policy proposals), adherence to relevant standards (e.g. commercial, digital), and the effective management of the department, including ensuring it is operating with integrity and achieving high standards of governance
  • Contributing ideas from the sectors you are operating in or have operated in to help shape the Department’s approach
  • Involvement in the recruitment, appraisal and suitable succession planning of senior executives, as appropriate within the principles set out by the Civil Service Commission
The role of the Lead NEBM contains additional responsibilities, these include:
  • Supporting the Secretary of State in his role as chair of the Departmental Board, enabling the Board to advise effectively on departmental strategy and on the operational, commercial and delivery implications of policies.
  • Undertaking an annual assessment of the Permanent Secretary’s performance to inform the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee and the Cabinet Secretary.
  • Leading the Department’s Non-Executive team, ensuring that they are able to fulfil their roles effectively and that their views are given due weight on the Board and the Secretary of State is aware of any concerns.
  • Working with the Government Lead Non-Executive and Non-Executives across government, to learn from the experiences of other government departments and comparable organisations, including playing an active role in the cross-government network of lead NEBMs and to feedback views to the Prime Minister.
  • Chairing the Nominations and Governance Committee (2 meetings per annum) and representing it to the Board.
The role of the NEBM ARAC Chair contains additional responsibilities, these include:
  • Chairing ARAC, a subcommittee of the Board whose role is to support the Departmental Board and Accounting Officer in their responsibility to ensure that DBT is a financially sound and efficient organisation which makes effective use of its resources in pursuit of its strategic objectives (circa 6 meetings per annum)
  • Representing ARAC to the Board
  • Working closely with the DBT Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Government Internal Audit Agency and National Audit Office to ensure effective oversight of the publication of the department’s annual report and accounts in Parliament
  • Providing direct support and challenge to the DBT Permanent Secretary in his role as Accounting Officer

Board composition

The Department for Business and Trade’s Board forms the collective strategic and operational leadership of the department. Chaired by the Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP, it brings together the senior leadership of the Department, including Ministers, officials and Non-Executive Board Members.
For more information on Department for Business and Trade’s governance please see Our governance – Department for Business and Trade – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

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

Candidates for the roles should be able to commit to the time requirements for the roles and demonstrate the following essential criteria:
  • A passion for public service.
  • Experience and skills from across a range of sectors of the economy to help shape the Secretary of State’s four priorities (Industrial Strategy, Trade Strategy, The Plan for Small Businesses and Make Work Pay).
  • Proven leadership with main board-level experience as an executive or non-executive.
  • Experience in organisational change management.
  • The ability to contribute and inspire confidence with a wide range of stakeholders both in formal environments (such as Board meetings) and in less formal environments (such as one-to-one meetings with officials).
  • An understanding of the key challenges faced by the public sector and the ability to bring your experience to bear on these.
  • Sound judgement and a high level of integrity (including when dealing with confidential or sensitive issues).
  • (for the NEBM ARAC Chair role): Experience of risk, performance and financial management

Desirable criteria

The following are desirable criteria for all roles, please share evidence of this experience where relevant:
  • Experience of leadership, ideally in large and complex organisations in the private, public or voluntary sectors.
  • Experience of risk, performance and financial management.
  • Experience of leading major projects from initiation, through development and to delivery, using sound evidence to inform decisions.
  • Genuine interest in contributing to the effective running of the Department, at the Board, elsewhere in the Department and (as appropriate) across Government.

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:
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any relevant publications or awards;
  • supporting statement (no longer than two pages) setting out how you meet the criteria for appointment, as set out in the person specification for the role. Please note that the Supporting Statement is an important part of your application and is as much the means by which you will be assessed as your CV.
  • 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.
Application guidance
Please ensure your CV includes:
  • Your full name, title, contact number and your personal email address.
  • Maximum two sides A4, minimum 11 Arial black font, setting out your career history in chronological order, and including the dates you occupied these roles.
  • Does not include any information can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data.
Guidance on Supporting Statement format:
  • The supporting Supporting Statement is your opportunity to demonstrate to the Advisory Assessment Panel how you can demonstrated the skills and experience outlined.
  • Please provide subheading and separate paragraphs in relation to how you meet each criterion.
  • Write all acronyms in full when first used.
  • Ensure your full name and the title of the post are clearly noted at the top of your Supporting Statement.
  • The maximum page limit for your Supporting Statement is two sides A4, minimum 11 Arial font black.
  • Does not include any information that can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data.
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.
You will be asked to prepare some identification documents if you are invited to interview – further information will be provided closer to the time.