External Member of the Remuneration Committee

External member of the Remuneration Committee

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Information pack for applicants

Reference REM1

Closing date for applications is 15March2013 at noon

Overview

Indicative timetable

Advert date:w/c 18February2013

Closing date: 15March2013 at noon

Shortlisting complete by:20March2013

Interviews held:26March2013

Appointment start date:April2013

(Applicants should be available to attend an induction and Remuneration Committee meeting on 18 April 2013)

Qualitiesand experienceWe areseeking candidates with the following qualities and experience:

Remuneration policy experience at a senior(executive or non-executive) level
Non-registrant ie. not a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician
Background from outside the pharmacy sector
General understanding of and interest in regulation, healthcare professions and pharmacy in Great Britain.

Competencies (as detailed on pages 4-5)

required:

Public interest and accountability
Intellectual flexibility, sound judgement and motivation
Effective influencing and communication
Strategic direction
Effective teamworking

The initial sift will be based on evidence provided by candidates relating to the above criteria. If shortlisted, the competencies will be explored further at interview.

Remuneration:£1200 per annum

Time commitment:Approximately 4 days per year including up to 3 meetings

2013 Meeting dates: Thursday 18 April and Thursday 5 September

Key contact:For information regarding the selection and appointment process, please contact:

Ms Alison Readman, General Pharmaceutical Council

129 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7BT

Tel: 020 3365 3450

Email:

If you have any queries about the role itself please contact Liz Kay, Chair of the Remuneration Committee on 0113 3926290 for an informal discussion

Please contact us if you require a copy of the information pack and application form in a large print, Braille or a different format (including Welsh language), or if you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process. We value diversity and wish to promote it on our Council and Committees. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Please quote referenceREM1in all correspondence

About the General Pharmaceutical Council

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the independent regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises in Great Britain. The Council’s role is to promote and maintain the safety and health of pharmacy service users.

You can find information about the GPhC on our website

Information about the Council of the GPhC

The Council is the governing body of the GPhCand has 14 members including the Chair. The Council has equal numbers of lay and registrant members who are independently appointed.

The Council sets the strategic direction of the regulator, making sure that it is able to fulfil its statutory duties in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The Council is also responsible for ensuring that systems are in place to enable effective monitoring of the GPhC’s performance.

Information about the GPhC’s Remuneration Committee

The Council has established a Remuneration Committee as an important part of its governance framework. The Committee:

approves or rejects the remuneration packages for the Chief Executive & Registrar and those members of the executive who report directly to the Chief Executive & Registrar;
approves or rejects the remuneration framework for the remainder of the GPhC’s employees; and
advises the Council on remuneration and expenses policy for Council members, committee members, visitors to education & training providers and any other groups specified by the Council, including advising on appropriate remuneration for any recipients of honoraria.

The Committee’s remit is at Appendix 1.

Qualities required for the role of Remuneration Committee Member

Experience and knowledge

To help you decide if you wish to be considered for appointment to this role, we have listed below the criteria that will be applied when assessing applicants. To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and experience to meet the criteria.

Candidates will need to provide evidence in their application form of relevant knowledge and experience. In particular, we are seeking candidates with:

Remuneration policy experience at a senior (executive or non-executive) level
Non-registrant ie. not a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician
Background from outside the pharmacy sector
General understanding of and interest in regulation, healthcare professions and pharmacy in Great Britain.

Competencies

Once your application has been assessed, if you are shortlisted for interview, you will also need to demonstrate that you have the competencies required to be effective in this demanding role. Some examples of how these may be tested and met at interview are shown below.

Competence / Evidence
Public interest and accountability /

Commitment to the Nolan Principles of Public Life

Overriding commitment to protecting patients and the public and promoting high professional standards

Willing to maintain and uphold accountability

A high level of probity, integrity, discretion and fairness and the ability to maintain confidentiality

Able to uphold the principles of effective corporate governance

Intellectual flexibility,
sound judgement and
motivation /

Thinks clearly, analytically and creatively

Considers the bigger picture as well as detail

Weighs up other people’s ideas

Has own ideas

Objective - able to analyse complex information and situations before reaching a conclusion Willing to modify thinking in the light of new information or dialogue

High levels of motivation and a willingness to constantly review and improve performance

Tests and probes constructively and effectively to achieve the best outcomes for the GPhC and its statutory functions

Effective influencing
and communication /

Can influence and persuade others using well reasoned arguments

Capacity to give and take advice

Respects the views of others

Debates cogently, using evidence to support views

Open to change

Strategic direction /

Commitment to the aims and objectives of the GPhC, without being unduly influenced by individual interest groups

Effective team working /

Builds constructive relationships and works effectively in a team

Understands and maintains the separation between the non-executive and executive function

On appointment

Remuneration

The appointee will receive £1200 per annum.
There is no stationery/computer consumables allowance or preparation fee for committee members. These items are considered to be covered by the annual remuneration for committee members.

Remuneration is taxable under Schedule E and subject to Class I National Insurance contributions. It is not pensionable.
Committee members are eligible to claim expenses, at rates set centrally, for travel, accommodation and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on GPhC business.

Appointment and tenure of office

Initial appointment to the Remuneration Committee will be until 31 March 2016. No Committee member may serve for more than eight years in total.
Re-appointment can be made at the end of the first period of appointment for a further period of up to four years, subject to satisfactory performance and the needs of the GPhC. However, a degree of change is often sought and there should therefore be no expectation of automatic reappointment.
Applicants should be willing to undertake training as provided or arranged by the GPhC.

You should be aware that this post is an office holder rather than an employed position.

Time commitment

Approximately 4 days per year including up to 3 meetings

Location

Meetings are usually held in London. Occasional travel to other locations may be required.

Training

An induction covering the duties, stakeholders, vision and strategy, governance arrangements and key issues of the General Pharmaceutical Council and the role of the committee will be provided. You will be expected to attend EDI training as part of your role.

Standards in public life

You will be expected to demonstrate high standards of corporate and personal conduct. All committee members are required to uphold the GPhC’s values and to subscribe to a Code of Conduct, both of which incorporate the principles set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life– see Appendix 2.

Conflict of Interests

You should note particularly the requirement to declare any conflict of interest that arises in the course of committee business and the need to declare any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organisations relevant to the business of the General Pharmaceutical Council.

How to Apply

Applicants are required to complete an application form and preparea cover letter outlining:

The reason for your application
A summary of your individual skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the post.

and send it to:

Ms Alison Readman, General Pharmaceutical Council, 129 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7BT,

Email .

CVs can be used to support an application but a CV without a completed application form will not be accepted.

Factors affecting suitability:

Other factors which will affect an applicant’s suitability include, but are not limited to:

Criminal convictions or outstanding criminal charges
A finding of impaired fitness to practise by any regulatory body
Disqualification from a profession or as a company director
Bankruptcy
Dismissal, other than by reason of redundancy, from any paid employment with a health service body.

Applicants must disclose full details if any of the above applies to them. You will be asked to declare whether any of the factors above apply to you in the application form.

How we will handle your application

The advertisement and this information pack will give you details of how to apply for the vacancy.

We will acknowledge receipt of your application form as soon as possible.

The Selection Panel will assess your completed form to see whether you have the qualities, experience, skills and diary availability specified for the post for which you have applied. The candidates who best demonstrate to the Selection Panel that they meet these requirements will be selected for interview. We will let you know whether or not you will be interviewed. If you have been selected for interview, references may be taken up before interview.

The Selection Panel comprises the Chair of the GPhC, a registrant Council member and a lay Council member.

You will be asked questions by the Selection Panel to assess whether you can demonstrate you have the qualities, skills and experience specified.

Interviews will take place in London. Where a candidate is unable to attend an interview on the set date then an alternative date will only be offered at the discretion of the panel.

If successful, you will receive a letter from the GPhC confirming your appointment to the Remuneration Committee. If you are not selected you will also be notified.

For queries about your application, please telephone or email . Phone 020 3365 3450.

If you have any queries about the role itself please contact Liz Kay, Chair of the Remuneration Committee on 0113 3926290 for an informal discussion.

Use of your personal information

Your personal information will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. You will not receive unsolicited paper or electronic mail as a result of sending us any personal information. No personal information will be passed on to third parties for commercial purposes.

When we ask you for personal information, we promise we will:

only ask for what we need, and not collect too much or irrelevant information;
ensure you know why we need it;
protect it and insofar as is possible, make sure nobody has access to it who shouldn't;
ensure you know what choice you have about giving us information;
make sure we don't keep it longer than necessary;
only use your information for the purposes you have authorised.

We ask that you:

give us accurate information;
tell us as soon as possible of any changes;
tell us as soon as possible if you notice mistakes in the information we hold about you.

If you apply for a post, we will share some of the information you provide with the members of the selection panel for the post to which you apply, so that your application form and CV can be assessed. These individuals will usually be identified in the information pack. The monitoring information you provide is not used in the selection process and will not be shared with the selection panel assessing your application.

Monitoring information

Equal opportunities

The GPhC values equality and diversity and is committed to ensuring its processes and procedures are fair, transparent and free from unlawful discrimination. To ensure we are treating candidates fairly, we monitor diversity at all stages of the appointments process. The application process includes an equal opportunities monitoring form for completion and submission with the application form. Providing this information is optional, but we would be grateful for your cooperation.

Information provided will be treated as strictly confidential and will be used for monitoring purposes only. It will not be seen by anyone directly involved in the selection process, and will not be treated as part of your application. No information will be published or used in any way which allows any individuals to be identified.

We value diversity and wish to promote it on our Council. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Appendix 1

Remit of the Remuneration Committee

The Council has established a Remuneration Committee with the remit set out below.

Under delegated powers from the Council and within the Council’s policies:

to approve or reject (not amend) the remuneration packages, including the basis on which performance would be assessed and any bonuses awarded, for the Chief Executive & Registrar and those directors who report directly to the Chief Executive & Registrar;
to approve or reject the overall remuneration framework for the remainder of the GPhC’s employees (the responsibility to make recommendations on remuneration packages for directors and the overall remuneration framework falls to the Chief Executive & Registrar alone, as does the decision-making on remuneration for the GPhC’s employees other than the Chief Executive & Registrar and those directors who report directly to the Chief Executive & Registrar).

2.To advise the Council on:

remuneration policy for Council members, non-statutory committee members, and those associate groups established under legislation (statutory committee members, legal and clinical advisers to statutory committees, assessors and visitors), including advising on appropriate remuneration for any recipients of honoraria; and
the single expenses policy for the GPhC.

3.The Council members on the Remuneration Committee will have a conflict of interest and so the Committee should rely heavily on independent advice to inform its recommendations. The monitoring methodology should ensure compliance with policy in this area.

4.Other than as specified above, the Committee has no executive responsibilities or powers; its role is to advise the Council.

Accountability and Reporting

5.The Committee is accountable to the Council. The Committee should report its decisions to the Council without disclosing the remuneration of any individual other than the Chief Executive & Registrar.

6.The minutes of each Remuneration Committee meeting shall be circulated to the Council except where the Committee considers that all or part of its minutes should remain confidential to the Committee and its secretariat. The Committee may submit advice separately to the Council on issues where it considered that the Council should be taking action.

Authority

7.The Committee has delegated authority from the Council as detailed in the remit above.

8.The Committee is authorised by the Council to seek such information as it may reasonably require from any employee or member of the Council in order to fulfil its remit.

9.The Committee is authorised by the Council, when the fulfilment of its remit requires, to obtain external professional advice including the advice of independent remuneration consultants and to secure the attendance of external advisers at its meetings, if it considers this necessary, within the budget approved by the Council.

Composition

10.The Committee, including its Chair, is appointed through arrangements agreed by the Council. The Committee has five members comprising:

Up to four Council members, including the Chair of the Council, at least one lay member and one registrant member; and
Up to two external members with appropriate experience.

11.Where possible, one of the Council members serving on the Committee shall be designated as Chair, based on relevant background and skills, as this should facilitate the process of reporting to the Council. If this is not the case at any time, the Council should give serious consideration to the appointment of an independent chair. In the absence of the Chair, the Committee shall elect another of its members to chair the meeting.

12.The Chief Executive & Registrar and the Director of Resources & Corporate Development shall have the right to attend and speak at meetings of the Committee, except that they shall not be present during discussions relating directly to their own positions. Others may be called upon to attend and speak at the invitation of the Chair of the Committee.

Quorum

13.A quorum shall be three members of the Committee.

Frequency of Meetings

14.The Committee shall meet not less than once a year.

Christine Gray, Head of Governance,

Reference: GG/2012/27

Effective date: 12 January 2012

Review date: April 2013

Agreed by: January 2012 Council at minute 554

Appendix 2

Values of the GPhC Council

1. The Nolan principles of public life:

(1) Selflessness

Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

(2) Integrity

Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.