Non Executive Directorships

The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) Board – Chair x1

Location: London

Date Posted: 24/03/2023

Closing Date: 21/04/2023

£654/day

Vacancy Description

About LEASE

?LEASE is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body funded by DLUHC to provide free information and advice to leaseholders and park home owners in England and Wales, including on building safety issues. It currently aims to:

improve general knowledge and understanding of the practical implications of being a leaseholder or park home owner;
improve awareness and understanding of government actions and reforms on leasehold, commonhold, building safety and park homes;
enable leaseholders and park home owners to make informed decisions on next steps as they embark on their journey towards an outcome; and
support improved outcomes for leaseholders and park home owners who are facing an issue.

These objectives are delivered through LEASE’s comprehensive range of online information and resources and its enquiry service which allows customers to receive advice by email or a fifteen-minute telephone call. LEASE’s current operating budget is c.£1.9m p.a and it has around 20 staff, mainly trained legal advisers who work alongside support staff.

You will be accountable to Ministers for LEASE’s performance, stewardship of public funds and how you manage the Board and Executive Team to deliver their priorities.

Further information on LEASE can be found through its website: https://www.lease-advice.org

?About the Board

The Board comprises of a Chair and members appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Currently LEASE has only one Board member which is sufficient to meet its quoracy requirements, but the new Chair will be expected to participate in a recruitment process which will support Ministerial decisions on the appointment of further Board members to ensure LEASE has the governance and capabilities it needs at this time. Information about the current Board can be found here: https://www.lease-advice.org/about-us/lease-board/?

Both the Chair and the Board members are expected to abide by the Nolan values of public office and Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Corporate Governance in Central Government departments throughout their terms.?

?Key LEASE Chair Role and Responsibilities?

The Chair will be expected to do the following (amongst other things):

Transformation

Oversee reforms to the LEASE service, including contributing to service improvement and working with the Department on what this means for LEASE.
Oversee the creation and delivery of robust and regular insights to DLUHC and the Welsh government on the issues that leaseholders and park homeowners are facing to support Government action where needed.

Strategic Direction

Provide clear strategic direction for the organisation and Executive/Non-Executive teams, using engagement with the Minister and DLUHC/Welsh Government officials to fully understand priorities and what these mean for LEASE.
Lead the work of the Non-Executive and Executive teams in establishing how LEASE will take action to deliver on objectives and priorities set by Ministers and DLUHC/Welsh Government officials, formalising this in an annual business plan which sets out how objectives and KPIs will be delivered.

Performance

Closely monitor service delivery and take prompt action to support improvements in performance against KPIs, escalating issues to the Department where needed.
Monitor the performance of the CEO and Board (individually and as a collective), including identifying strengths and development areas and how these can be addressed.

Relationship building

Ensure that LEASE works closely with leasehold and park homeowner stakeholder groups to understand their perspective on the issues leaseholders and park home owners face and what this should mean for how LEASE delivers its services and which other services it should direct customers towards.
Ensure that LEASE is viewed by customers and stakeholders as providing a trusted, reliable and impactful service which both helps leaseholders and park homeowners and effectively highlights the issues they face.
Represent the organisation to key stakeholders, including Ministers, government departments and organisations within the sector.
Build and maintain a strong relationship with Ministers and DLUHC/Welsh Government officials to support achieving a shared understanding of priorities and challenges and the effective resolution of any challenge and issues that arise.

Finance/Governance

Monitor LEASE’s financial performance, ensuring that the organisation is delivering a value for money service and making appropriate use of public funds.
Ensure LEASE has the governance capabilities and processes it needs to meet its legislative, policy and other requirements.
Ensure the organisation is operating within its delegated authority and meeting its financial governance requirements in line with expectations of a public body.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

1. Experience of overseeing or delivering organisational transformation and leading and managing change effectively, including maintaining effective delivery alongside pushing forward key service improvements and helping staff to understand how changes to delivery and their role will support organisational objectives.

2. Experience of a senior leadership role, ideally as a Chair or in a Non-Executive role at a consumer-focused organisation which works with government, including the ability to shape, champion and deliver good governance and robust approaches to identifying and managing risks.

3. Ability to build and oversee effective Non-Executive and Executive teams to transform an organisation and ensure delivery of objectives and priorities, including finding consensus, facilitating effective and evidence-based decision-making, and holding teams to account on performance, delivery and other issues.

4. Demonstrable track record of working effectively with a wide range of senior stakeholders including others operating in the field, and with consumers, to agree and deliver on shared goals and objectives – particularly in environments where change is needed for citizens and where insights are needed to support the case for change and/or policy development, and where consumers need support (for instance, the support leaseholders will need to understand and benefit from planned reforms and following changes already in place under the Building Safety Act).

5. Ability to communicate effectively with staff and senior stakeholders (including Ministers), and in so doing demonstrating a strong commitment both to public service and to the role of an organisation in supporting individuals to resolve consumer issues.

6. Proven track record in delivering/overseeing effective performance, ideally within an organisation which provides information and/or advice in a customer friendly manner.

Desirable Criteria

1. Understanding of the housing sector and how to help individuals navigate legal complexity to resolve issues or disputes with third parties that relate to their homes.

2. Experience of overseeing digital improvement projects.

How to Apply

Please submit the required documentation listed at 1-3 below to [email protected] by 11.00 pm on 18 April 2023. If not provided, your application will not be taken forward. Late applications will not be considered.? Please ensure you include ‘LEASE Chair’ as the subject line of your email and provide the following: ?

?1. Curriculum Vitae(maximum 2 pages). Include your education, professional qualifications and full employment history. ?

?2. An accompanying Supporting Letter (maximum 2 pages). Please tailor setting out your suitability for the role(s) and how you meet the Selection Criteria. We suggest you use specific examples to demonstrate how you meet the Criteria. ?

3. ?Application and Diversity Information Form. This is an online form at https://forms.office.com/e/usk6Sdd9AJ. You should declare any potential issues including conflicts of interest (perceived, potential or actual), this includes your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to LEASE, DLUHC or HM Government, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised. The Panel will explore your declarations during the interview process. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated. ?

?Candidates should note that ‘due diligence’ will be carried out as part of the assessment process if you are called to interview and will be shared with the Panel and Ministers, this will include searches on social media, blogs and/or other publicly available information. ?

Diversity data will be treated in confidence and is used for data gathering information only and will not affect your application. Please complete the Disability Confident section if relevant. ?

?You will receive an automated acknowledgement of your application.

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