PUBLIC APPOINTMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Seeking Public Appointment Advisers [up to 4] and a Diversity Consultant [1] 

The Ethical Standards Commissioner is seeking to expand the cohort and add to the wealth of skills, knowledge, experience and other attributes brought by their Public Appointment Advisers (PAA’s) to the public appointments process in Scotland. Also being sought is a Diversity Consultant to Develop a draft revised diversity strategy, based on the findings of the ‘state of the nation’ report, informed and shaped by the views of a wide range of stakeholders and including recommendations to improve the diversity of Scotland’s public body boards.

The full requirements for both roles, including key dates for the tender submission process, are outlined in the Invitation to Tender documents: https://www.ethicalstandards.org.uk/vacancies-tenders  

OR

https://www.ethicalstandards.org.uk/tender/invitation-tender-public-appointments-advisers (Public Appointment Adviser)

https://www.ethicalstandards.org.uk/tender/invitation-tender-refreshing-diversity-strategy-scotlands-public-appointments-process (Diversity Consultant)

The closing date for expressions of interest for these opportunities is Friday 9 August 2024 and the tender submission date is 12 noon on Friday 30 August 2024.

Regulated public bodies in Scotland are responsible for an annual expenditure exceeding £22 billion. They touch on every aspect of our lives – from health to housing, the environment to education, the economy to enterprise, creativity to culture, policing to public transport and the reduction of poverty to social security. The boards of these bodies provide the governance oversight of these services, and the appointments to these boards are typically made by Scottish Ministers.

One of the roles of the Ethical Standards Commissioner is to regulate appointments to the majority of these public body boards (100 in total), to ensure that appointments are made using processes that are fair and transparent and that they are made on merit. The Commissioner’s role includes trying to increase the diversity of these boards. We currently have two opportunities to tender with the organisation as:

  • Public Appointment Advisers: to provide advice and support to recruitment panels who are making appointments to the boards of public bodies, and….
  • Diversity Consultant: to refresh the diversity strategy for Scotland’s Public Appointments Process.

Public Appointment Advisers

Part of the ESC’s regulatory function includes producing a Code of Practice to guide Scottish Ministers in making fair and open appointment decisions based on the merit of those who apply. The Commissioner also issues guidance to assist all parties to comply with the Code’s provisions. The Code is intended to help selection panels design appointment rounds that are welcoming and accessible to people from all backgrounds, and that appointment rounds identify the right people for the right roles. The Code encourages selection panels to innovate and improve on appointment practices over time, based on evidence of what works well.

In order to provide effective regulation and oversight of public appointment processes, the ESC contracts with a number of Public Appointment Advisers (PAAs). While the appointments process is run by Scottish Government officials on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, PAAs carry out functions on behalf of the Commissioner by:

  • providing advice and guidance to selection panels on the application of the Code
  • providing independent scrutiny of the methods and practices used during appointments processes
  • highlighting any breaches of the Code where these occur and
  • advising selection panels on good practice in open, transparent and accessible recruitment and selection techniques

At the beginning of any appointment round, the Commissioner assigns an oversight level which determines the stages during which the PAA will oversee the process – this may be for early or full planning phases only, during assessment stages, for a full round or a combination of these stages. For any part(s) of the process that the PAA is involved, they are considered a full panel member and contribute to panel discussion and deliberation alongside the other selection panel members chosen by the appointing minister.

It is therefore essential that PAAs have the following attributes:

  • well developed influencing and communication skills
  • able to apply a Code or system of regulation in practical situations
  • a significant track record in promoting diversity and ensuring equality through providing advice on and taking an active role in recruitment and selection processes.

Each appointment round for each body should be designed to find a choice of suitable candidates for the appointing minister. It is our aspiration that each round will be bespoke to the position being filled, with considerable tailoring involved to deliver that outcome. Our advisers are skilled at and comfortable with providing advice to selection panels in all types of situation, with a view to securing the right outcome for the body, the minister and ultimately the people that the body serves.

Refreshing the Diversity Strategy for Scotland’s Public Appointment’s Process

In addition to its regulatory functions the ESC is committed, as with the Scottish Ministers, to the making of appointments that reflect Scotland’s diverse population. In 2008 the Public Appointments Commissioner (as they were known at the time) published Scotland’s first public appointments diversity strategy, along with a series of recommendations with a view to encouraging diversity in public appointments. We monitor progress against the recommendations and targets in the strategy annually in our annual report and in our more extensive Public Appointments Annual Report. We are encouraged by the evident progress that has been made, whilst acknowledging that it has been incremental. All parties are dedicated to increasing diversity in public appointments. We now need to find new recommendations to accelerate and build on the progress made thus far.

Now, 16 years after its launch, there is a need to understand both the relevance and effectiveness of the existing strategy, and how the public perception of and landscape for public appointments has changed since the last strategy was written. It is important that the revised strategy is not limited to protected characteristics. We are committed to the wider definition of diversity and understand the value of disparate viewpoints to effective governance and decision-making.

The strategy has to be based on an understanding of the barriers to application for all those who are under reflected. This is particularly for those who are disadvantaged on an intersectional basis. It must also be based on an understanding of and build in the measures for succession planning. These measures will be intended to embed diversity as a continual and progressive consideration when considering future appointments to our boards. The strategy must also take account of human rights as well as diversity.

We are therefore seeking a consultant who will:

  • provide a ‘state of the nation’ assessment report, analysing the current strategy, how the landscape has changed since it was published, what the effects of implementation have been – both positive and negative – and how the general public (particularly interest groups and those sharing protected characteristics that are under-reflected) view public appointments and the process of applying for them.
  • Develop a draft revised diversity strategy, based on the findings of the ‘state of the nation’ report, informed and shaped by the views of a wide range of stakeholders and including recommendations to improve the diversity of Scotland’s public body boards.

These reports will require substantial research and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. Full details of the project and its requirements, including key dates for the tender submission process, can be found in the https://www.ethicalstandards.org.uk/tender/invitation-tender-refreshing-diversity-strategy-scotlands-public-appointments-process. The closing date for expressions of interest for this opportunity is Friday 9 August 2024 and the tender submission date is 12 noon on Friday 30 August 2024.

A key part of this project will be consultation with our stakeholders including the Scottish Government on behalf of Scottish Ministers, groups with a particular interest in public appointments (those who share protected characteristics which are under-reflected and those representing wider diversity) and the general public.

If you do not intend to apply for the diversity consultant role but are interested in being included in our consultation distribution list please do get in touch at: appointments@ethicalstandards.org.uk

All other enquires relating to both opportunities, where one of the team will come back to you can also be sent to: appointments@ethicalstandards.org.uk

Other links:

 

The Ethical Standards Commissioner – Regulating Public Appointments in Scotland