Board Members x 2
Salary: Attendance allowance of £218 per day, plus travel expenses.
Location: Meetings are generally held in London, but occasionally elsewhere
Vacancy Description
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is looking to appoint two individuals as Board Members of UK Sport. UK Sport is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by DCMS.
The role
The UK Sport Board is made up of 12 non-executive Board Members, including the Chair and nominees from the Sports Councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Board is appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
UK Sport is seeking to appoint two Members to their Board.
Board objectives and responsibilities
The Board is responsible for the strategic vision, mission and objectives of UK Sport, including the following:
- Delivering sustained success in Olympic and Paralympic Sport
- Maximising the inspirational impact of British elite athletes to deliver sporting, social and economic benefits
- Hosting a world-leading portfolio of international sporting events.
Within this wider remit individual Board Members support the Chair and CEO in:
- Building effective partnerships in the UK with key stakeholders including Government, the Home Country Sports Councils, Olympic and Paralympic sports, BOA and BPA and other national bodies
- Making a positive impact on the development of sport in the international sporting environment
- Promoting good practice, corporate leadership, diversity and inclusion and people development within the organization of UK Sport
- Driving and measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of UK Sport as a body.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
All candidates must be able to demonstrate awareness and ability in the following areas:
- A clear understanding of the structure of sport in the UK and demonstrable knowledge of high performance sport
- Strong experience in strategic decision‐making and planning at a senior level in the private or public sector
- A commitment to the principles of public sector propriety, regularity and accountability
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills, and an ability to work across organisational boundaries to promote high standards
- A strong and clear commitment to equality and diversity
- A thorough grasp of diversity and inclusion issues, especially the barriers for low participation groups within different sporting environments.
In addition to the essential criteria, UK Sport is seeking to enhance the knowledge and experience of the Board in a number of key areas. Successful candidates will therefore be expected to demonstrate capabilities in one or more of the following areas:
- Finance and Investment – with a budget of c.£140m per annum, most of which is invested in athletes, sports, major events and support services, we are seeking experience in sectors responsible for investment or experience in financial management
- Paralympic Experience – experience of working within or alongside the Paralympic high performance sport sector is sought to contribute to strategic decisions enabling success in Paralympic sport
- The Elite Sport System – experience of the Elite Sport System in the UK, which provides the environment to drive success
- Technology and Data Analytics – in an industry where data and technology is growing in significance, we are seeking demonstrable experience of these sectors that can be applied in sport
Additional commitments
In addition to their role on the Board, Members are asked to contribute to the work of a number of formal and informal UK Sport advisory panels as follows:
- Audit Committee: Not less than three UK Sport Board Members, one of whom will act as Chair of the Committee
- Major Events Panel: Not less than two UK Sport Board Members, one of whom will act as Chair of the Panel
- Remuneration Committee: Not less than three Board Members including the Chair of the Board, who shall act as Chair of the Committee
- Eligibility Panel: Three attendees from a pool of Board Members and Independent Members
- The English Institute of Sport (a wholly owned subsidiary of UK Sport servicing the science, medical and technology needs of UK funded athletes and sports): UK Sport has the right to appoint three Directors to the EIS Board and one shall be the Chair of EIS. None of these need be UK Sport Board Members, but current practice is to have one UK Sport Board Member plus UK Sport’s Director of Performance.
- Ad hoc working groups: Set up from time to time.
Additional Information
About UK Sport
UK Sport is the nation’s high-performance sports agency, funded by the Government and The National Lottery. It’s vision is a nation inspired by Olympic and Paralympic success, and its mission is to drive and showcase British medal success on the world stage. UK Sport’s investment and strategic direction helped British sports and athletes deliver 65 Olympic and 120 Paralympic medals at London 2012, four Olympic and six Paralympic medals at Sochi 2014, a record 67 Olympic and 147 Paralympic medals at Rio 2016 and five Olympic and seven Paralympic medals at PyeongChang 2018. It has also helped to establish the UK a leading host of international sporting events, including the Tour de France and the World Athletics Championships.
How to Apply
Applications should be made by submitting:
- a CV of no more than two pages setting out details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any publications or awards;
- a supporting statement, also of up to two pages which sets out how you meet the essential criteria of the role.
- You should also complete the conflict of interest and the political activity/diversity monitoring form. The diversity monitoring form will be kept separately from the main form and will not be seen by the selection panel in order to meet the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Please return your completed applications to: publicappointments@culture.gov.uk and put ‘UK Sport’ in the subject line. Please indicate if you are applying for a particular role.
If you have any questions about the Public Appointments Process please contact:
Priya Mistry, Public Appointments Campaign Manager, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Email: publicappointments@culture.gov.uk
Closing date for applications is 16 August 2019
Interviews to be held on 15 and 23 October 2019
DCMS promotes an equal opportunities policy. Appointments are made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, and these appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Applications are welcomed regardless of gender, age, marital status, disability, religion, ethnic origin, political opinion, sexual orientation or whether or not you have dependents. More details, including the regulations that appointing bodies are required to follow, are available at the OCPA website: http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/
All applicants are expected to have adhered to the Seven Principles of Public Life
