About the role
Introduction from the Secretary of State
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of the Office for Place. I am seeking to appoint the first permanent Non-Executive Directors to the Board, who will play a crucial role supporting the incoming Chair to take forward its aims to help support the creation and stewardship of popular, healthy, beautiful and sustainable places.
The Office for Place has been established to help deliver the Department’s long-term vision for building new homes, a more effective planning system and the stewardship of places which enable people to live healthy and fulfilling lives. It is seeking to catalyse a fundamental change within and across all levels of government, communities and the development, planning and design industries to de-risk new development and promote provably popular design. The Office for Place will help neighbourhoods and communities to ask for and deliver new places that foster a sense of local pride and belonging.
The challenge to improve the quality of the built environment is clear. But so are the benefits. Improving the design of our homes, neighbourhoods and communities will deliver better health, happiness, prosperity and productivity. You can therefore expect a high level of interest from all stakeholders.
Office for Place Non-Executive Directors have both the corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Office for Place fulfils its objectives, and ensuring that it complies with statutory and administrative requirements. As a recently established government company, you will be joining at a key time in the organisation’s development and will be expected to ensure that it meets the highest standards of corporate and public governance.
I hope that you will be inspired by this exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the standard of design in the built environment and to help deliver the benefits that this brings. If you believe you have the experience and qualities that we are seeking, we look forward to receiving your application.
We are looking to appoint up to eight new Non-Executive Directors to establish the first permanent Board of the organisation. We are particularly seeking candidates with senior experience in audit and risk management. We hope to receive applications from a diverse range of individuals.
Thank you for bringing your skills and energy to this important role.
The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
Role description
The Non-Executive Directors have responsibilities for:
- Taking forward the strategic aims and objectives of the Office for Place within the policy and resources framework determined by the Secretary of State.
- Holding the Executive team to account for the effective and efficient delivery of the annual business plan and for the day-to-day management, delivery and performance of the Office for Place.
- Acting as a champion for the work and role of the Office for Place.
- Ensuring that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and control and demonstrate high standards of corporate governance.
- Ensure that the financial and human resources are in place for the Office for Place to meet its objectives.
- Working effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and use their skills to understand sector issues.
- Providing knowledge and independent advice according to their areas of expertise, based on their wider experience.
- Ensuring that any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds are complied with; that the Board operates within the limits of its statutory authority and any delegated authority agreed with the shareholder department, and in accordance with any other conditions relating to the use of public funds; and that, in reaching decisions, the Board takes into account guidance issued by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities.
Organisation description
The Office for Place is a new non departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to help create beautiful, successful and enduring places that foster a sense of community, local pride and belonging.
It supports local authorities and communities to implement government policy and legislation by enabling them to set standards of design that all new development should meet. This will be achieved through the provision of independent, technical expertise and the publication of tools, templates, training events, best practice and research. In turn, it also provides expert, independent advice to government to raise the standard of design in the built environment across the country.
The Office for Place is in its first year as a new non departmental public body and will be looking to grow and expand delivery over the coming years. It will build on its successes of delivering online training and masterclasses to over 200 local planning authorities, commissioning research and holding the first Office for Place conference in Stoke-on-Trent that was attended by over 180 people.
You can find out more about our work and publications here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-place
Board composition
The role of the board is to deliver the aims and objectives of the Office for Place, as agreed with the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities. Board members have statutory, regulatory and common law duties, and should ensure that the highest standards of governance are met.
Both the Chair and the Board members are expected to abide by the Nolan values of public office, the Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments and planning propriety guidance throughout their terms.
An interim Chair and board of six interim non-executive directors (including a Department senior official) are currently in post, pending the recruitment of the permanent Chair and board.
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website
You can find out more about the role below:
https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/8113
