Non-Executive Directors

Constitution Group

Elections and electoral registration change and resilience

Information Pack for applicants

Closing Date for Applications is: 23:00 | 15th September 2017

Contents

Page

Introduction / 2
Role of the Non-Executive Directors / 6
Skills and experience required / 7
Details of appointment / 8
How to apply / 9

Introduction

  1. Cabinet Office is a ministerial department, supported by 19 agencies and public bodies. We support the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government. We are also the corporate headquarters for government, in partnership with HM Treasury, and we take the lead in certain critical policy areas including political and constitutional reform.
  1. The Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore MP, is committed to building a flourishing democracy by ensuring that everyone eligible to register to vote is able to and is supported to participate in the democratic process.
  1. The Constitution Group is part of the UK Governance Group which brings together under one command in the Cabinet Office the Constitution Group, the Scotland Office, the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland and the Wales Office. The group is headed up by Director General Lucy Smith.
  1. Responsibility for the work of the Constitution Group, including law and policy on elections, referendums and political party funding, the Government’s devolution policy, and constitutional settlement lies with the Constitution Group Director. A new Director is currently being appointed and is expected to be in post in the autumn. The Director is also the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Modern Electoral Registration Programme (MERP) and the Individual Electoral Registration (IER) Digital Service which sit within Modern Registration Division (MRD). MRD is headed up by Gareth Baynham-Hughes. MRD works extremely closely with Elections Division, headed up by Simon James. This separate Division is responsible for wide-ranging business as usual policy work (on election spending, the franchise and some registration matters) as well as a number of change projects that will be relevant to the work of the NEDs. Elections Division also has lead responsibility for the Department’s relationship with the Electoral Commission.

Responsibilities

  1. Modern Registration Division is responsible for public service form to maximise the benefits of Individual Electoral Registration:
  1. The Modern Electoral Registration Programme (2016-2020) launched in April 2016 to further develop a first rate, efficient and trusted electoral registration system for all citizens, building on the success of the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration. Working closely with electoral services teams, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Scottish Assessors Association, the Society of Local Government Chief Executives, the Electoral Commission and the Devolved Administrations, it aims to create an electoral registration system which:
  1. Is quick, convenient and accessible to all;
  2. Improves the completeness and accuracy of the register, particularly with regard to under-registered groups;
  3. Is trusted and secure, with minimal potential for fraud;
  4. Is streamlined and cost effective, removing mandated processes in favour of an outcomes-based, data-driven approach;
  5. Is digital by default;
  6. Builds capacity to innovate and improve, and is resilient to future change.
  1. The IER Digital Service (IERDS), now part of BAU, is managed by the IER Live Service Team who oversee the operational and development aspects of the site. The Live Service is responsible for ensuring all electoral registration applications[1] submitted via the digital service go through a process of verification by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and are returned each day to Local Authorities for further processing. During election periods, the service enters a critical period of enhanced support which ensures the website and the verification process are able to cope with increases in user demand, usually experienced at these times. The service also engages with Local Authorities and other stakeholders on a regular basis, keeping them up to date with information and news relating to the service and electoral registration.
  1. Elections Division plays the lead role within Government in ensuring that everyone can have their say at the ballot box, that elections are fair, secure and inclusive and that the results are accurate. There are three expert teams. The Electoral Administration team is responsible for law and policy on the administration and conduct of elections, funding of elections and electoral integrity. The Political Parties and Referendums team leads on law and policy on referendums, the funding and regulation of political parties, non-party campaigners and candidates and the statutory framework governing the role of the Electoral Commission. The Registration and Franchise team is responsible for policy on who is able to vote and how they register. This includes overseas electors, service personnel, anonymous voters and prisoner voting rights. It also includes policy on access to the edited and full electoral registers.

Priorities

  1. The Modern Electoral Registration Programme (MERP) will deliver over the course of this Parliament a programme of public service reform, required to enable the electoral registration system to realise the full benefits of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) and to deliver even better outcomes for taxpayers and citizens.
  1. Immediate priorities include:

●Delivering a series of pilots to test alternative approaches to the annual electoral registration canvass and building the evidence base for permanent change

●Delivering cost optimisation measures and increased efficiencies

●Working with the Electoral Commission to develop an approach to monitoring and measuring Electoral Registration Officer performance through the resulting register and effectiveness of methods, rather than compliance with prescribed process

●Encouraging registration, particularly amongst those groups who are least likely to be on the electoral register, engaging with local authorities to ensure delivery of projects.

  1. The IERDS became fully operational following the closure of the programme to set it up (the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme) in March 2016. It is a successful service, used by nearly 30 million citizens with a user satisfaction score well above 90 per cent. The service has been recently upgraded, including a replatforming. It supported the general election in 2017, which saw a record number of people applying to register to vote in a single day and led to the largest ever electoral register. We want to keep ahead of citizen expectations and ensure the service is operating in the best possible way. This is especially important at the time of elections.
  2. In Elections Division, current priorities in which the Non-Executive Directors could be expected to play a part include:

●Delivering a pilot of ID in polling stations as part of a wider programme of electoral integrity measures

●Improving the current approach to funding for UK Parliamentary elections

●Making changes to the system of anonymous registration so that it responds more flexibly to citizen needs.

Role of the Non-Executive Directors

  1. Two Non-Executive Directors are sought to challenge and support this work across two Divisions. We currently expected that one Non-Executive Director will focus in particular on the change aspects of our work and that the other will focus in particular on readiness and resilience issues, including digital elements. At the same time, the NEDs will together be required to enable cross-dependencies, where these exist, to be effectively linked at a strategic level and will be expected to make a significant contribution to facilitating and supporting our work with partners.
  1. The majority of the Programme projects and the IERDS are heavily underpinned by digital requirements and we particularly require NEDs who can bring an in-depth understanding of using technology to drive change, significant experience of business transformation and the ability to work in partnership with senior stakeholders at Board level. An in-depth expert understanding of digital and operational services is likely to be particularly important for the Non-Executive Director focused on these elements of our work.
  1. As a Non-Executive Board Member your function is to provide advice and expertise, underpinned by consideration from an independent standpoint, which informs the department’s decision making process. You should provide constructive challenge and support to the various governance boards and the Senior Responsible Owner. You will report as necessary to relevant Ministers and other Departmental governance.
  1. You will regularly meet with the Minister for the Constitution to reflect on your role, review your performance and evaluate arrangements in the Cabinet Office.
  1. We expect the Non-Executive Directors will chair relevant risk and assurance boards and will report on this work to the appropriate high-level governance boards, providing assurance that appropriate risk and issue management is in place throughout the programme, and assures programme deliverables, processes and procedures. Beyond these formal requirements, experience shows that the roles will require a degree of flexibility to support successful delivery of our work. This is likely to include becoming involved in some nitty gritty alongside offering strategic insight.

Skills and experience required

Essential Criteria
  1. Both successful candidates will have:

●The ability to work in partnership with senior stakeholders at Board level

●The ability to assimilate a range of evidence and perspectives

●The ability to deliver business transformation including using technology to drive change

●The ability to deliver complex programmes

●Knowledge of risk management

Desirable criteria
  1. Experience in one or more of the areas is also desirable:

●Contracting arrangements

●Commercial procurement

●An understanding of user centred service design

●Communications and customer relationship management

As mentioned above, we are also looking to benefit from experience and expert understanding of digital and operational services and, if possible, information security issues.

Details of appointment

  1. Non-Executive Directors will be appointed for a term of office up to 31 March 2020.

Salary and time commitment

  1. The Non-Executive Directors are expected to work for 16 days per year, with a fee of £400 per day.

Location

  1. The majority of the Non-Executive Directors work is done in central London, although travel within the UK is occasionally required.

Pension and redundancy

  1. This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon termination because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Selection and Recruitment Process

  1. This is an open competition and any suitably skilled and experienced individual may apply. The Non-Executive Directors will be recruited on merit following a fair and open competition.

The panel

  1. The panel will be confirmed in advance of interview.

Timetable

  1. The deadline for receipt of applications is 11:55pm Friday 15th September.

It is envisaged that the interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place during w/c 23rd October.

How to apply

  1. Applications should be in writing and include the following:

●An up to date CV;

●A short (maximum one side of A4) cover letter (expression of interest), explaining how you meet the requirements of the role, set out in the ‘skills and experience required’ section above;

●(if applicable) a statement of conflicts of interest – if you, your partner or dependents have any business interests or other activities that could be perceived as a conflict of interest with the work of the Cabinet Office, you should declare this when applying.

  1. Applications should be sent to:

By Email:

By Post: Modern Registration Division, Constitution Group, Cabinet Office, 4th Floor, Orange Zone, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ

  1. The deadline for receipt of applications is 23:00,Friday 15th September.

Equality and Diversity

  1. We are strongly committed to supporting the principle that everybody should have the same opportunities for employment, development and progression. This should be based on their ability, competence and suitability for the role.
  1. This means that no applicant should receive less favourable treatment on grounds of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, religion, transgender status, family or domestic responsibilities. Candidates who have specific requirements should contact the Secretariat and we will do our best to accommodate any reasonable adjustments.

Contacts

  1. For further information about the role or application process, including adjustments for applicants with disabilities or other requirements, in first instance please contact:

Liz Homans

Modern Registration Division

Constitution Group

Cabinet Office

4th Floor Orange Zone

1 Horse Guards Road

London SW1A 2HQ

Email:

M: 07468 711166

(21st August - 1st September, please contact Maria Kelly at the same e-mail address (); tel: 020 7271 2617

  1. If you feel this competition has not been conducted fairly, openly and with selection decisions taken solely on merit and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact:

Nicki Daniels

Centre for Public Appointments

Cabinet Office

70 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2AS

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