Non–Executive Director, Ofcom Advisory Committee for Scotland

Non–Executive Director, Ofcom Advisory Committee for Scotland
Edinburgh
GBPCompetitive

Purpose of the Role

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, postal services, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

Members of the Advisory Committee for Scotland provide advice to Ofcom about the interests and opinions of people living in Scotland across the range of issues Ofcom is responsible for.

The Committee strives to ensure that Ofcom's work is informed by the widest possible understanding of the experience of consumers and citizens in Scotland, capturing the distinctive needs of people living in different parts of Scotland.

We wish to appoint one Member to the Advisory Committee for Scotland with a starting date, ideally, early in the first half of 2021. On this occasion, we are specifically seeking a candidate with experience of the post and/or parcel markets.

In addition, the role of Chair of the Advisory Committee for Scotland will become vacant in January 2021. The Chair is appointed from the Committee by Ofcom. The successful applicants for this role, together with existing Committee Members, will be eligible to apply for the role of Chair. The Chair is expected to have a track record of performing a top leadership role and the ability to achieve consensus through balanced discussion. The Chair role carries an additional time commitment.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Applicants will be able to demonstrate:

– Knowledge and/or experience of one or more of the communication sectors Ofcom regulates
– An awareness of Ofcom's role and responsibilities in a complex political landscape
– Appreciation of Scotland's diverse economy, society and culture
– The ability to articulate the varied needs and views of citizens and consumers in Scotland
– Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, in order to guide responses to consultations
– The ability to work as part of a committee

On this occasion, candidates will also be able:
– To demonstrate relevant knowledge and understanding of the challenges of delivering postal/parcel services to Scotland's rural and remote areas
– To demonstrate an understanding of the market conditions of the post/parcel markets in Scotland
– To provide an advisory function that underpins Ofcom's work on sustaining the universal postal service where we will ensure postal users have access to a sustainable and efficient service

Further Information

The Committee meets formally 4 times per year, usually in Edinburgh and all Members are asked to commit to a total of a minimum of 12 days per year to this work, for which Ofcom pays an annual fee. There are also other stakeholder meetings, conference calls, and preparation of consultation responses.

No Member of the Committee may be directly employed by organisations that Ofcom regulates or licenses or derive the majority of their employment income from such a company even if not directly employed.

To comply with Ofcom's status as an independent regulator, it is inappropriate for any Member to engage in active politics. This includes holding, or being a candidate for, political office at a national, regional or local level, active political campaigning in support of a candidate/political party and making a donation or donations to a candidate/political party in a calendar year in excess of GBP7,500. Working full time for any Central Government department or as an official in the civil service (including in the devolved nations) or for local government is also not acceptable.

Members must exercise careful judgement to ensure that their position on this Committee is not perceived to be in conflict with any other activities, professional or otherwise. If you are in any doubt about a potential conflict of interest, please contact Ofcom's Scotland Director, Glenn Preston for an informal discussion. Potential or actual conflicts of interest from a financial or business perspective must be declared and discussed at interview. Applicants must have personal integrity of a high order and ensure that their conduct accords with the 7 principles of public life.

To apply, please click the 'apply' icon. You need to submit a CV and a covering letter. In your covering letter, you must include a section which gives evidence of how you meet the key competencies for the role which are detailed in the Essential Skills/Experience of the Job Description and those areas of specific experience identified in the job advert. The responses should be presented in an objective, consistent and focused manner.

As a Disability Confident employer, applicants who self–identify as disabled or with a long–term condition and who meet the minimum criteria for the role will be invited for an interview. If you require an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us.

The sifting process will be based on a consideration of the totality of the evidence provided. Failure to demonstrate how a candidate successfully meets each of the competencies will have a direct bearing on whether an individual will be shortlisted to interview stage.

To apply for the role of Non–Executive Director, please apply via the button shown.

This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

Other organisations may call this role Director, NED, Board Member, Committee Member, Independent Board Member, or Chair