Lead Non-Executive Director - Department for Education - Public Appointments

Lead Non-Executive Director – Department for
Education

Introduction
The Department for Education’s (DfE) aim is to ensure world-class education and
care that allows every child and young person to reach his or her potential,
regardless of background.

Over the next four years, the Department is leading an ambitious and wide-ranging
programme of reform across early years, schools, 16-19, and children’s social care,
building on and extending the changes of the last Parliament. We are expanding the
academies and free school programme to empower professionals on the frontline,
reforming the curriculum and qualifications so that they represent an international
gold standard, and ensuring that young people leave school with the knowledge,
skills and resilience to succeed in modern Britain. At the same time we are reforming
adoption, fostering and children’s services so that they work quickly and effectively to
transform the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

These changes set a challenge for the organisation itself. We delivered significant
organisational change in 2010-15 and halved administrative expenditure in real
terms over this period. With substantial resources allocated to our priorities in the
2015 spending review, our focus for 2015-20 is on ensuring the Department has the
capability and capacity it needs to implement the Government’s strategic priorities.
Setting the right conditions for success in education and children’s services means
becoming increasingly effective in how we deliver reform: transforming the way we
go about our work in order to help leaders in the education and social care systems
do likewise.

The DfE Board currently comprises the Department’s Ministers, senior executives
and five non-executive Board members (NEBMs), including the lead NEBM, who
bring a range of professional expertise and experience.

Role description
The Department for Education is looking for a lead non-executive Board member
(NEBM) to succeed Sir Paul Marshall, who is stepping down after three years.

The lead NEBM plays a key role on the DfE Board, supporting the Secretary of State
for Education, the Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, in her role as chair. The Board’s role
is to advise on and monitor delivery of the Department’s strategic priorities. The
successful candidate will use her or his experience of leading complex organisations
to offer challenge and support on a wide range of management and delivery issues,
contributing to the effective strategic and operational leadership of the Department.

More information on Departmental boards and government non-executives is
available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/role-of-government-non-
executives

Key responsibilities
The lead NEBM will:
      support the Secretary of State in her role as chair of the DfE Board, enabling
       the Board to advise effectively on Departmental strategy and on the
       operational, commercial and delivery implications of policies;
      work with the Permanent Secretary, Directors General and senior managers
       to scrutinise information about the Department’s performance and
       management, and challenge the Department on how it is delivering its
       strategic priorities;
      attend around five Board meetings a year, and contribute effectively to Board
       sub-committees, as required;
      provide independent scrutiny for the Department, on request;
      lead the Department’s non-executive team, ensuring that they are able to fulfil
       their role effectively;
      lead on tasks normally fulfilled by a Board chair outside meetings as
       requested by the Secretary of State, including taking an active role in
       maximising the effectiveness of the DfE Board; and
      work with the Government-wide Lead NEBM, and non-executives across
       government, to learn from the experiences of other government Departments
       and other comparable organisations and to feed back views to the Prime
       Minister.

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Person specification

Essential skills

The successful candidate will have:
      senior leadership experience in large and complex organisations in the private,
       public or voluntary sectors, with main board-level experience as an executive or
       non-executive;
      experience of:
          o risk, performance and financial management;
          o leading major projects from initiation, through development and to delivery;
            and
          o successfully leading organisational change.
      understanding of how government works, including the role of Departmental
       Boards, and of the role of non-executive Board members in relation to those of
       executives and Ministers;
      an understanding of the key challenges faced by the public sector and the ability
       to bring their experience to bear on these challenges;
      an engaging and collaborative style, and the ability to work effectively with a wide
       range of senior stakeholders;
      sound judgement, a high level of integrity and a commitment to the seven
       principles of conduct in public life; and
      a commitment to support the successful delivery of the DfE’s agenda.

Desirable skills

We would particularly welcome applications from individuals who have experience in the
field of children’s services.

DfE values diversity and we are keen to reflect this on our Board. We welcome
applications from people with the right expertise and experience, whatever their
background.

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Additional Information
The appointment is expected to be for three years initially, and may be extended for
up to a further three years by mutual agreement.

The fee for the lead NEBM will be £20,000 per annum for a time commitment of
approximately 24 days.

Application process

Please send your CV, with a covering letter explaining how your skills match those in
the person specification, to DFEBoard.SECRETARIAT@education.gsi.gov.uk by the
deadline of 1pm on 4 July 2016.

In evaluating applications we will prioritise:

      leadership experience;
      experience of risk, performance and financial management, major projects
       and organisational change;
      understanding of government; and
      understanding of public sector challenges.

In differentiating between candidates who may be equally strong in these areas
overall, experience of children’s services will be taken into account.

Shortlisted candidates will be assessed at interview against the full set of criteria.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates are likely to take place in late July.

All candidates invited for interview will be asked to disclose any actual, potential or
perceived conflicts of interest, and to indicate referees who may be contacted before
interviews take place.

The Department for Education

Our three goals for children and young people over this Parliament are:

      Safety and wellbeing - all children and young people are protected from
       harm and vulnerable children are supported to succeed with opportunities as
       good as those for any other child

      Educational excellence everywhere - every child and young person can
       access high-quality provision, achieving to the best of his or her ability
       regardless of location, prior attainment and background

      Prepared for adult life - all 19-year-olds complete school, college or an
       apprenticeship with the skills and character to contribute to the UK’s society
       and economy, and are able to access high-quality work or study options

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The DfE strategy 2015-2020: world class education and care explains our approach,
and the Department’s Single Departmental Plan sets out how progress against the
strategic priorities that support these goals will be measured.

DfE is a ministerial department with three executive agencies:

      Education Funding Agency (EFA)
      Standards and Testing Agency (STA)
      National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL)

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