About OPDC:

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), established by the Mayor of London to secure the regeneration of the Old Oak Opportunity area, spanning land in three London boroughs – Ealing, Brent and Hammersmith & Fulham. Working with the local boroughs, residents, businesses, and partners, OPDC is both shaping and accelerating the full regeneration potential created by the arrival of the High Speed 2 (HS2) Old Oak Common interchange station.

An exceptional opportunity to lead London’s largest new regeneration project:

OPDC has been tasked by the Mayor of London to lead, organise and deliver this potential. Working with government, rail agencies, residents and partners to create a shared, comprehensive and long-term regeneration plan, OPDC is well underway with the assembly of the land required to bring this to fruition.

Already OPDC has seen thousands of new and affordable homes built in the area, and is investing in sustainable new infrastructure, local community initiatives, support for business and jobs, and driving forward innovative industrial intensification in Park Royal.

As OPDC moves into delivery mode, the Mayor of London is seeking a new Chair of the Board to promote and deliver the corporation’s purpose:

“The ambition is simple; to create an exemplar new part of our capital city that is safer, greener and more prosperous; a super-connected place of opportunity for those who already live, work and invest here, and for the many more who will follow in the generations to come.

“The £1.7bn public investment in the new Old Oak Common station – the largest ever constructed in the UK – and the substantial adjacent development sites, are the catalyst for lasting physical, social and environmental regeneration. The scale of change here is huge; up to 25,000 new and affordable homes, tens of thousands of new jobs, parks, leisure and community amenities, all fully integrated into a sustainable, dynamic and inclusive economy with rapid local, regional, national and international connectivity.”

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

Principal accountabilities of the Chair

• Provide entrepreneurial leadership of the board, ensuring the delivery of the strategic objectives of the corporation;
• Provide the strategic leadership and decision-making to achieve the comprehensive regeneration of Old Oak and Park Royal Opportunity Area;
• Oversight of OPDC sub-committees ensuring that they fulfil their objectives;
• Ensure prudent and effective corporate governance and controls appropriate to a body responsible for the use of public funds;
• Chair board meetings, and ensure the efficient conduct of corporation board meetings;
• Set the corporation’s values and standards and ensure that the objectives and obligations to others are understood and met;
• Offer strategic challenge and support to the executive of the organisation;
• Hold the Chief Executive to account for executive actions and performance;
• Assess the performance of board members on a periodic basis;
• Communicate regularly with the Mayor and the Mayor’s office;
• Act as a spokesperson and ambassador for the corporation, engaging key stakeholders at a senior level, and representing the Corporation in the media and at public events.

Person Specification:

Applications are welcomed from candidates who can demonstrate:

• The ability to successfully navigate political environments and build and maintain strong relationships with relevant public and private sector organisations and interests;
• Strong business acumen and commercial knowledge to aid economic development and support businesses;
• An appreciation of the local area, its stakeholders and communities;
• Experience of chairing a board and/or working closely with a board to understand the governance processes and requirements to hold others to account;
• Experience as a lead spokesperson and ambassador, including public speaking and media appearances;
• A track record of overseeing and successfully implementing and embedding strategic priorities;
• Extensive knowledge and experience of housing, infrastructure and development sectors;
• A strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, with organisational experience of advocating and actively embedding these values;
• A commitment to public service values and to upholding and demonstrating the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Time Commitment Required

The board meets quarterly although special meetings may be called as required. The time commitment for this appointment is expected to be approximately 2/3 days per month, plus additional time as required. This will include the potential for a couple of additional out-of-cycle meetings each year, events, speaking engagements, key stakeholder meetings, and meetings with the mayor. In addition, the Chair may be required to attend other Board sub-committees.

The current published Board meeting dates are up until June 2025.

Tenure and Remuneration

The Chair is appointed for a term of up to 4 years, at the Mayor’s discretion, and remuneration for this role is £25,000 per annum.

For more information about the role, please see the recruitment pack.  RECRUITMENT PACK

How to Apply

If this role is of interest, please submit your CV and supporting statement via the link below.

Your statement should be up to 2 pages long (no more than 900 words), answering the following questions:

• Your motivation to join OPDC as chair.
• Identify the core skills, capabilities and experience that you have based on the person specification.

Closing Date: Sunday 22nd September 2024 at 23:59

If you would like to discuss the role before applying, please feel free to contact - Paula from Diversifying Group at Paula@diversifying.com.

Equal opportunities monitoring

OPDC is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, and sexual orientation.

As part of the application process, we ask candidates to complete equal opportunities monitoring information. This will help us to monitor selection decisions to assess whether equality of opportunity is being achieved and identify where we can improve in this area. The information on the form will be treated as confidential and used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of your application.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

OPDC is a committed Disability Confident employer and as such, operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for candidates with a disability. We are committed to interviewing all applicants with a disability who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post, as set out in this applicant pack.

To be eligible, your disability must be within the definition laid down in the Equality Act 2010. A disabled person is defined by the Equality Act 2010 as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to perform normal day-to-day activities. For the purposes of this policy, these words have the following meanings:

• ‘Substantial’ means more than minor or trivial;
• ‘Long-term’ means that the effect of the impairment has lasted, or is likely to last, 12 months (there are special rules covering recurring or fluctuating conditions);
• ‘Normal day-to-day activities’ include everyday things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping.

Should you consider yourself eligible to apply for this post under the Disability Confident Scheme, please complete this form here and upload it together with your CV and Suitability Statement.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to apply for this role. All data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act.