Consumer Council for Northern Ireland - appointment of five Board Members

Consumer Council for Northern Ireland - Appointment of Five Board Members

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has launched a public appointments competition to recruit five new members to the Board of the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.

The Consumer Council is a public body, independent from government, working to bring about change to benefit Northern Ireland consumers. Its aim is to make the consumer voice heard and make it count. It has specific functions in relation to energy, water, transport, postal servicesand food.

The Department wishes to appeal to individuals from a wide range of backgrounds in order to maximise the relevance of the Consumer Council and bring a fresh perspectives on consumer issues from their own practical experience. Those with a community or voluntary sector background or from a rural community are especially encouraged to apply.

The new members will be appointed with effect from 1 January 2016 for a term of three years. The time commitment is expected to amount to approximately one day per month. Remuneration of £104.40 per day (£52.21 for a half day) is payable.  Members will also receive reimbursement for all reasonable travel and subsistence costs, and any dependant-carer expenses incurred whilst undertaking board duties.

No specific academic qualifications are required for the posts. Applicants are required to demonstrate experience in four criteria - thinking strategically, working in partnership, communication skills and either governance in an organisation or practical experience of consumer issues and representation. The appointments will be made on merit.

People with a disability and ethnic minority communities are currently under-represented on the Board and applications from members of these groups would be particularly welcome. The Department will operate the Guaranteed Interview Scheme in this competition for applicants with a disability.

Application packs can be made available on request in other formats such as braille, large print, audio, etc.  All reasonable adjustments will be made to accomodate the needs of applicants/candidates with a disability.

This is an open competition which involves an application form and interview. The closing date for receipt of applications is noon on Friday 2 October 2015.  Interviews are scheduled to take place in the week commencing 16 November 2015.

An application pack with full details can be downloaded below or may be obtained from:

The Department is committed to the principles of public appointments based on merit with independent assessment, openness and transparency of process. The Department is also committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes application forms from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of religious belief, gender, race, political opinion, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or whether or not they have dependants.