The Cabinet Office is recruiting for a new chair of the post-government jobs watchdog, with Eric Pickles set to depart in the spring.
A salary of £16,000 per year is on offer for the next chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
The chair leads the committee, which independently advises the government, former ministers, senior civil servants and other crown servants on the rules around taking employment after leaving their jobs.
They are expected to work an average of two-to-three days per month (24-36 days per year), with those hours spread out across the month.
The chair is appointed for a fixed five-year, non-renewable term. Lord Pickles was appointed as the chair of the watchdog in March 2020 and begun the role on 1 April that year. His term finishes at the end of March next year.
Pickles succeeded Angela Browning, a fellow Conservative Party peer. Both were previously ministers in Conservative governments. Before Browning's appointment in 2015, the role was held by Sir Hugh Stevenson on an interim basis for nine months, following the departure of another Tory minister-turned-peer, Ian Lang. Lord Lang was chair of the watchdog from 2009 to 2014.
The advert for the public appointment says the essential criteria needed for the role are:
- The ability to lead a diverse team of influential people, and a personal style that demonstrates authority and inspires trust and confidence
- Excellent judgement, together with the ability to command the confidence of Parliament and the public, and all those subject to the post-government job rules
- Ability to analyse complex information from a range of sources, identify key issues and make objective and balanced decisions on complex issues
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
- Experience of acting with autonomy and resilience in the face of external pressures
- Personal integrity and strength of character.
Experience of dealing with conflicts of interest would also be desirable, the advert says.
The deadline for applications is midday on 22 November. The role is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Acoba has come in for regular criticism for being "toothless". Pickles said in July that the post-government jobs regulation system was "bust and needs fixing”.
The Cabinet Office ministerial team was recently asked in a parliamentary question whether it plans to reform the committee by making it statutory, providing it with greater enforcement powers and increasing its level of resourcing.
Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould responded: "The government has committed to reviewing and updating the business appointment Rules. An update on this work will be provided in due course."