The Geospatial Commission is an expert committee that is part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It is the UK Government lead on geospatial policy, focused on delivering innovation and economic value through advanced use of location data and technologies.

The Geospatial Commission:

• Provides strategic oversight of the geospatial ecosystem in the UK, setting geospatial strategy, policy and standards
• Holds the budget for the public sector’s largest investment in geospatial data
• Makes targeted investments in data projects that accelerate innovation and adoption of geospatial data applications

In June 2020, the Geospatial Commission published the UK’s Geospatial Strategy to unlock the significant economic, social and environmental value of location data. The Strategy sets out four key missions, together with a combination of actions, serving as its blueprint for collaboration and targeted priorities.

The Commission’s agenda is crucial for effective delivery of many of the government's key aims including through supporting infrastructure delivery and construction as part of the COVID-19 economic recovery, helping to put the UK on the front foot in its transition out of the EU through further developing a technology and science capability where the UK is a recognised exemplar, and driving public sector efficiencies and reform through access to improved location data.

For more details on the Commission please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/geospatial-commission

Partner bodies

The Commission has a formal relationship with six, core ‘partner bodies’ (known as the Geo6). Each of these partners play a central role in the delivery of the UK’s Geospatial Strategy - both through the geospatial data they hold and their extensive expertise. The partner bodies are:

The British Geological Survey
The Coal Authority
HM Land Registry
Ordnance Survey
UK Hydrographic Office
The Valuation Office Agency

The successful candidate will provide guidance and challenge on all aspects of the Government’s UK-wide Geospatial Strategy. The Geospatial Commission is an Expert Committee within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and has a cross-cutting remit, including leading programmes to improve the use of location data to support a holistic approach to land use, improving the property and planning systems, future transport and logistics, and economic growth.

It is in the second year of the build-phase of the National Underground Asset Register, which will revolutionise the way it installs, maintains, operates and repairs its buried infrastructure. Alongside its sector focus, in the past year the Geospatial Commission published an investment methodology for location data improvements building on previous seminal economic work on understanding the UK’s geospatial ecosystem. It also undertook a public dialogue on location data ethics and published a policy paper proposing shared values to build public trust in the use of location data.

The successful candidate will provide robust, impartial advice under a high level of public interest and scrutiny, using their public profile to build consensus. They will work closely with the Chair and wider Board members to support implementation of the UK Geospatial Strategy to drive investment and innovation across the UK economy and act as a source of advice and support to the executive management team.

Ongoing responsibilities of the Commissioner will be:

• Providing expert, impartial advice to the government on geospatial data, including advice on prioritisation and value for money
• Building broad cross-sector support and consensus around Commission recommendations
• Supporting the monitoring of performance of public sector bodies responsible for delivering the Geospatial Strategy
• Chairing Commission working groups, facilitating deep dives into priority areas via detailed, collaborative, stakeholder engagement
• Engaging with stakeholders, including industry, government, academia, interest groups and the public
• Representing the Commission in public, including at industry events

Essential:

• A highly regarded leader in their field, with demonstrable experience of strategic leadership at senior levels of industry, academia or government
• A capacity to operate strategically and with influence and to communicate their views persuasively to a wide range of stakeholders/customers
• An understanding of location data and its current and future applications
• Ability to work within complex systems to identify clear policy/business goals, take a long- term view and weigh probabilities to drive clear outcomes

Significant experience in any of the following areas:

• Economics
• Digital innovation
• Application of data to deliver improved real world outcomes

Desirable:

• Understanding of how to develop and implement government policy

Sir Bernard Silverman, Chair

Nigel Clifford, Deputy Chair

Thalia Baldwin, Director
Professor Louise Heathwaite CBE, Commissioner

Steve Unger, Commissioner

Alexandra Notay, Commissioner

The appointment will be for a term of three to five years. The Board of Commissioners meets formally four times per year. There will be other commitments throughout the year to provide leadership and engagement with key stakeholders. The time commitment is therefore expected to be around 30 days per year.

Commencement of appointment: Successful candidate would ideally be able to take up the post by the end of Spring 2023.

Conflict of Interest

The Commission advises on issues with wide implications across the economy and society more broadly. It will be important that the Commissioner’s other commitments do not cast any doubt on their ability to act independently and impartially in discharging the role; any potential conflict of interest must be declared.

The location for this role is London, with potential travel around the UK for quarterly board meetings.

Applications are encouraged from all candidates regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity. Geospatial Commission welcome applications from those based outside London, women, those with a disability and those from a black or ethnic minority background. It would also welcome applications from those currently working in, or with experience of, the private sector, and those who have not previously held public appointments. It wants to explore the widest possible pool of talent for these important appointments. For this reason, it asks all applicants to complete a diversity monitoring form. It hopes you will help it by providing this information.

This Diversity Monitoring form will be sent to you once you submit a formal application.

Offering an interview to disabled people (GIS scheme)

As a Disability Confident employer, Geospatial Commission will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

For more information please visit the Public Appointments website.

If you wish to indicate that you are disabled or have a long-term health condition, please complete the Disability Confident - Offering an Interview to Disabled People declaration in the supporting documents and send it to [email protected]