Introduction from the Secretary of StateThe Department for Education is leading delivery of the Government's Opportunity Mission, seeking to break the link between young people’s background and future success. Working closely with key partners across and beyond government we will create opportunities for children and learners to achieve and thrive today, so they have the freedom to succeed and flourish tomorrow, strengthening our society, powering our economy and enabling equality.
We also have a key role to play in delivery of the Government's other missions, including:
• Working with HMT and other departments to ensure a strong skills offer and pathways into work – helping to kick start economic growth
• Developing the skills needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower
• Building opportunities for young people, helping to prevent them falling into crime
• Working with the Department for Health and Social Care to improve child health and develop the skills our NHS needs
At the same time, my department is directly responsible for the children’s services and education systems, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
The DfE’ s Non-Executive Directors are central to supporting the Department in all of this – by providing strong advice and challenge, to me, my ministerial team and senior officials.
In doing so, it is vital that the DfE Board is diverse, including in skills, experience and backgrounds. Whether you're from an underrepresented group, or you have achieved success through non-traditional education routes, I encourage candidates from all backgrounds and professions to apply for this role.
Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to read through this pack. If you have the skills and experience that we are seeking, I hope that you will apply. It is truly an exciting time to join the Department for Education and help to achieve our missions.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP
Secretary of State for Education
Role descriptionAbout the DfE
The DfE is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England. The DfE is leading the delivery of the Opportunity Mission, seeking to break the link between young people’s background and future success; and contributing to all of the Government's other missions.
About the DfE Board
The DfE Board is chaired by the Secretary of State for Education. The Chair is supported by a Lead Non-Executive Board Member, Baroness Smith (as Minister for the departmental Board), other Non-Executive Directors, and senior departmental officials (executives who are senior civil servants).
The departmental Board has three main responsibilities: to provide strategic and operational leadership to the department; to scrutinise the delivery and performance of policy; and to challenge the department and its senior officials on how well it is achieving its objectives. You can read more about departmental governance here. Our governance - Department for Education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What do our Non-executive Directors do?
Non-executive Directors provide independent challenge, scrutiny and support to ministers and departmental executives. They advise on organisational performance; the running of the Department, including the operational and delivery implications of policy proposals; and on the effective management of the department (including succession planning, senior civil service talent and underperformance).
In addition to the above, the Lead NED will:
• Lead the Department’s non-executive team, ensuring that they are able to fulfil their role effectively;
• Support the Secretary of State in their role as Chair of the Board;
• 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;
• Work with the Government-wide Lead Non-executive Board Member, and non-executives across government, to learn from the experiences of other government departments and other comparable organisations;
• Contribute to the Department’s annual report and accounts and the Permanent Secretary’s performance review.
The Lead NED will use their 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.
To do this, as lead Non-executive Director, you will be expected to:
• Help shape the Department’s strategy by challenging and supporting senior officials and ministers, including through attendance at departmental Board meetings approximately six times per year (in person or via Microsoft Teams).
• Hold the Department to account on strategy, performance and spending, ensuring that the DfE delivers value for taxpayers’ money.
• Meet regularly with the Permanent Secretary; the Secretary of State; and the Government Lead NED to provide honest, informed feedback on the departmental and senior officials’ performance, and to provide advice, challenge, and support on departmental strategy, risks, and issues;
• Chair monthly meetings with the NED team to ensure excellent information flow between central Government and the DfE’s NEDs and that all NEDs are sighted on the Secretary of State’s asks of the cohort;
• Attend cross-government meetings with other government departments’ Lead NEDs to help drive the Government’s agenda;
• Chair the the quarterly Nominations Committee (as NED cohort and with senior departmental officials) to support succession planning, senior official talent management and departmental change;
• Gain an in-depth knowledge of the Department’s work in order to support and challenge departmental leaders through regular meetings with Directors General and other senior officials including Senior Responsible Officers;
• Commit, as a minimum, 24 days per year to your role as Lead Non-executive Director, with the expectation that you would need to spend more time dedicated to the role in order to execute it to a high standard; and
• Adhere to the key principles of public life (The Nolan Principles, as detailed on slide 9 of the candidate pack).
You will be expected to declare any conflicts of interest ahead of and throughout your appointment as Lead Non-executive Director.
Regulation of appointmentThis post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website
Person specificationEssential criteriaThe Department for Education (DfE) is looking to recruit a new Lead Non-Executive Director to sit on the DfE Board. Candidates should meet the following essential criteria to be suitable for this role:
• Knowledge and understanding of the education, skills and/or children’s social care systems.
• Experience and expertise related to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and create better life chances for all.
• Leadership experience in a large and complex organisation (public or private sector), including experience in at least one of the following:
o Strategic planning
o Financial management
o Performance management
o Risk management.
• Experience of holding a large and complex organisation to account for delivery of its mission, values and strategic goals through regularly reviewing performance reports, financial statements and compliance with legal and ethical standards.
• Experience of leading across organisational boundaries in the public or private sector.
