Non-Executive Board Member
National Crime Agency

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is looking to appoint an Non-Executive Board Member to its Board.

Time Commitment: Approximately 20 to 24days per annum.

Duration: 3 years.

Location: London, UKtravelmay be required on occasion.

Remuneration: £15,000.

Serious and organised crime costs the UK between £20bn and £40bn a year. It is identified as a national security threat in the Government’s National Security Strategy and manifests itself in daily criminality, damaging the economy, local communities and individual lives, and acting as an enabler for other national security threats such as instability overseas and terrorism. The UK’s response to serious and organised crime was transformed in 2013 with the creation of the National Crime Agency, delivering a step change in the UK’s capability to deal with this threat. The agency, which works in close partnership with policing, other law enforcement bodies and the security and intelligence agencies, plays a central role in protecting the public from serious and organised crime.

The NCA is an operationally independent crime fighting agency with officers located nationally and internationally with the capabilities to undertake and support operations across the full range of serious and organised crime threats.

The agency produces the UK’s intelligence picture of the threats to the UK from serious and organised crime, pursuing serious criminals and bringing them to justice, tackling priority threats including firearms, the sexual abuse of children, people smuggling, cyber crime and money laundering.

The agency provides specialist capabilities to other law enforcement partners to enable them to tackle serious and organised crime, including our global reach, through access to the biggest UK law enforcement network overseas and a range of high end technical capabilities.

The NCA is a non-ministerial department. It’s Director General is Lynne Owens who is directly accountable to the Home Secretary and through her to Parliament. The Home Secretary sets the NCA’s Strategic Priorities which are translated into the NCA Annual Plan. The NCA is currently undergoing a transformation programme enabling it to lead the fight to cut serious and organised crime in the most effective way.

For more information on the NCA please refer to:

Role of the Non-Executive Board Member:

The Non-Executive Board Member is a key role on the NCA Board, essential to the success of the agency. He or she will use their knowledge, skills and experience to bring an independent perspective, and to offer constructive advice and challenge and, where applicable, specialist knowledge to the Board’s strategic vision and performance of the agency.

There are currently three Non-Executive Board Members and the NCA is seeking a fourth to join the Board. Non-Executive Board Members report to the Director General, as Chair of the NCA Board.

To complement the experience of the existing Non-Executive Board Members, ideally this candidate will have senior experience in intelligence, security or counter-terrorism matters.

Governance:

Non-Executive Board Members attend meetings of the NCA Board chaired bythe Director General.

The Board’s functions are both advisory – setting overall direction for the agency within the scope of the Home Secretary's strategic priorities; and supervisory – scrutinising performance and challenging the agency on delivery.

In line with Government best practice, the responsibility of the Board includes the following areas:

  • Strategic Clarity: setting the vision and ensuring all activities contribute towards it;
  • Commercial Sense: ensuring sound financial management;scrutinising the allocation of financial and human resources; ensuring organisational design supports strategic objectives; setting the NCA's appetite for risk and ensuring controls are in place to manage risk and to ensure value for money;
  • Talent Management: ensuring the NCA has the people to deliver current and future needs; and
  • Performance Monitoring: agreeing the NCA business plan; monitoring and steering performance against the plan; scrutinising performance and setting values and standards; ensuring clear, consistent, comparable performance information is used to drive improvements.

The Board is supported by a number of sub-committees and Non-Executive Board Memberswill be expected to participate in at least one of these committees.

Key Responsibilities:

Non-Executive Board Members are expected to contribute to the work of the agency in the following areas:

  • Independence: providing an independent and diverse perspective and assurance, including advice to the Director General on the capability of the agency. Provide independent support, guidance and challenge on the progress and implementation of the business plan;
  • Strategy: constructively challenge and contribute to the development of strategy and business planning, including the setting and development of key objectives and targets;
  • Performance: scrutinise the performance of the agency in meeting agreed goals and objectives, and monitor the reporting of performance, including financial targets;
  • People: develop and encourage appropriate behaviours to maintain or improve the agency People Strategy, including ethical and directional issues such as diversity and senior jobholder moves;
  • Governance: satisfy themselves that governance, internal control and risk management systems are effective and capable of delivering relevant, accurate and timely management and financial information to the Board;
  • Support: the Board in developing skills and tools to help it engage with strategic issues in ways which have practical resonance;
  • Connect: the Board to people and organisations who can provide different perspectives, opinions and expertise which will assist in furthering the business of the agency; and
  • Specialist Responsibility: underpin, support and specialise in one or more areas of work, supplementing skills and experience already in place across National Security, Law Enforcement, Human Resources, International operations (whether in public or private sector), Information Technology, Finance, Operations and Commercial Business.

Person Specification:

The specific focus will be on the following knowledge, skills and experience:

  • A proven track record of leading and managing complex organisations at a senior level is essential, preferably at Board level or equivalent.
  • Experience of leading and managing organisational restructure or change. Individuals with expertise in professional standards and a background in successful culture change and change management would be particularly valuable.
  • Senior experience from within a UK intelligence or security organisation, with experience in intelligence, security or counter-terrorism matters is desirable.

Successful candidates will demonstrate the following skills and abilities:

  • First class communication skills, with the breadth of vision, innovation and credibility to understand what the agency can achieve and to advise on how to make it happen;
  • The ability to command the confidence of NCA Board members and wider stakeholders within government, law enforcement and beyond;
  • The ability to provide constructive challenge at Board level to established patterns of thinking;
  • The ability to deploy experience of working with a range of diverse organisations and values to bring benefit to the agency as a whole.

Application process:

All applications should be e-mailed to , direct telephone number 01925 896730, by the deadline of the 12 July 2016.

Your email application should include:

  • Covering letter;
  • CV;
  • Declaration of Interests Form;
  • NCA monitoring form (personal details); and
  • NCA monitoring form (political activity).

Closing date for applications is 12 July 2016.

Shortlisting is scheduled for week commencing: 18 July 2016.

Interviews are scheduled for week commencing: 25 July 2016.

All candidates invited for interview will be asked to disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. To support this process, candidates are asked to complete the Declaration of Interests Form and provide this with their application.

We may keep your details on file for a year, should further Non-Executive Board Member opportunities arise.

Please note that this role is not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).

Equalities Statement:

The Civil Service is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. We will not tolerate discrimination on any of the following: gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, religion, age, disability, HIV positivity, working pattern, caring responsibilities, trade union activity or political beliefs - or any other grounds.