Chair

Term of office: The Chair is appointed for an initial period of three years. The appointment may be renewed by the National Trading Standards Board a maximum of twice, subject to satisfactory review. 

At National Trading Standards, we deliver national and regional consumer protection enforcement. Our purpose is to protect consumers and safeguard legitimate businesses by tackling serious national and regional consumer protection issues and organised criminality and protecting food supplies by ensuring the animal feed chain is safe.

National Trading Standards (NTS) was set up in 2012 as part of the Consumer Landscape changes and is an unincorporated body distinct from local trading standards services and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

Whilst we work closely with many partners to help us in our goals, our remit is focused solely on commissioning trading standards related work, based on our priorities, to tackle issues on a regional and national basis. National Trading Standards recognises that it is important to co-ordinate activities and to clearly communicate priorities for case selection and the deployment of resources.

Each year, we undertake a strategic assessment to identify the key national threats and emerging issues, which allows us to identify our priority areas for action. Our current priorities include tackling the illegal tobacco trade, doorstep crime and cold calling and mass market scams.

The NTS Board comprises 10 Heads of Trading Standards, each representing an English region or Wales. We are seeking a new Chair to lead our Board now that our inaugural Chair, Lord Toby Harris, has concluded his term of office.

As Chair, you will use your experience and expertise to lead discussions on behalf of NTS with Ministers, senior Government officials, national and regional bodies, local authorities, businesses or individuals, being an effective and influential ambassador for the Board. You will lead the NTS Board in setting the strategic direction and defining clear objectives, facilitating effective decision-making and encouraging constructive debate and ensuring effective implementation of decisions.

Accustomed to a high level of accountability, you will need to bring exceptional communication skills to enable you to be an effective ambassador and influencer on behalf of NTS and be capable of building constructive relationships with a broad stakeholder base. Politically astute, you will be able to grasp relevant issues and understand the relationships between interested parties. You will also need to be able to deploy these skills internally, to ensure the Board is chaired effectively and in line with good governance best practice. Above all, you will be able to show a commitment to consumer protection values and principles.

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact:

• Duncan Ewart on duncan.ewart@gatenbysanderson.com
• Julie Myers on julie.myers@gatenbysanderson.com

Recruitment Timetable

Closing Date
Midday, Friday 4 February 2022

Longlist Meeting
w/c Monday 21 February 2022

Preliminary Interviews
w/c Monday 28 February 2022

Shortlist Meeting
w/c Monday 7 March 2022

Informal Meetings
w/c Monday 14 March 2022

Final Panel
Thursday 24 March 2022 (afternoon)

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following: 

• An up to date copy of your CV
• A Supporting Statement (of no more than two pages) that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification, using examples to demonstrate how you meet the essential requirements.
• Daytime, evening and/or mobile telephone numbers as well as your personal email address (to be used with discretion)
• Names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees. We will not approach your referees without your prior permission.
• Details of any dates you when you are not available or where you may have difficulty with the indicative timetable.
• A completed diversity monitoring form, the questionnaire is part of the online application process and will appear on screen.

Contacts