UK SBS PS17033 UKRI Executive Search for the Chief Finance Officer (CFO)

Tender description

**Please do not submit bids directly to the Buyer** UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is a new research and innovation body which will be set up to strengthen the strategic approach to future challenges and maximise value from government's investment of over £6bn per annum in research and innovation. It will deliver a strengthened, unified voice for the UK's research and innovation funding system, facilitating the dialogue with government and partners on the global stage. It will build on the UK's world class research and innovation performance enabling the system to respond rapidly and effectively to current and future challenges. Delivering these benefits requires strong and empowered leadership within UKRI. The creation of UKRI will retain the key characteristics of the current system that have underpinned the UK's success, such as discipline leadership and autonomy, and dual funding. UKRI will provide strategic oversight of the functions of the seven Research Councils , Innovate UK, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) research and knowledge exchange funding functions (to be known as Research England). The UKRI Chief Finance Officer will be integral in ensuring the success of this new organisation. Membership of the UKRI Board is a key issue for stakeholders during the passage of the Higher Education and Research Bill, and will be critical to ensuring the success of UKRI. The UKRI Board will consist of the Chairman, UKRI Chief Executive Officer, UKRI Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and 12 Non-Executive Directors. This campaign is specifically for the recruitment of the UKRI Chief Finance Officer. Government are interested in candidates from the national and international field with the appropriate corporate governance skills and include high-quality scientific leaders familiar with the academic, philanthropic and business research communities. The appointed search and recruitment firm will be required to deliver search requirements for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)vacancy in order for the successful applicant to be appointed no later than May/ June 2017. This post is not currently regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). However, the campaign process will still aim to follow the best practice according to those appointment principles. The job specification contains aspects which would usually be associated with a Chief Operating Officer (COO) role. The successful head hunters will need to identify candidates that can undertake the combined typical CFO and COO roles as fully described within the job specification as well as individuals that would only be suitable to undertake those roles typically associated with a CFO.