Senior Lay Member of Court

Founded in the 15th century, St Andrews is Scotlands first university and the third oldest in the English-speaking world. It is one of the top-rated universities globally for research, teaching quality and student satisfaction and is consistently ranked among the UKs top five in leading independent league tables. It is also Scotlands most international university, with around one-half of the student body coming from overseas.  The Universitys new Strategy for 2018-2023 was launched in October 2018. With a strong statement of commitment to social responsibility at its heart, the Strategy sets out how the University will act on its core qualities and key ambitions to grow in size, scale and impact and consolidate its strengths.  The Strategy expresses the Universitys ambitions across four distinct but equally important themes: World-leading St Andrews, Diverse St Andrews, Global St Andrews and Entrepreneurial St Andrews.

Read more on the University's 2018-2023 Strategic Plan.

University Court is the senior governing body of St Andrews and is responsible for providing oversight for senior management in delivery of the strategy. The University is looking to appoint a Senior Lay Member who will play a leading role in the governance of the University, with specific responsibilities under statute for the leadership and effectiveness of Court and ensuring an appropriate balance of authority between Court and senior management. The Court holds senior management to account but equally importantly is involved in the life and wider culture of the University.

Applicants for Senior Lay Member should be familiar with the demands of board-level governance and trusteeship, and have a keen interest in, and awareness of, the Higher Education sector. Good candidates will bring well developed strategic abilities coupled with strong leadership qualities established through senior posts in organisations of comparable scale and complexity. 

The Senior Lay Member is elected to serve for a period of 4 years from the date of their appointment.  The postholder is eligible to claim remuneration equivalent to the Scottish Governments minimum daily fee framework for Band 1 Chairs of Public Bodies (£327 in 2019/20) for a maximum of 50 days per annum, plus reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses in line with University policies.

The University of St Andrews is fully committed to respect and fair treatment for everyone, eliminating discrimination and actively promoting equality of opportunity and delivering fairness to all.  The University aims to ensure that equality is embedded in all its functions, operations and activities. Women, BAME, and LGBT+ people are currently under-represented on Court, and expressions of interest from these groups are particularly welcome. 

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to The University of St Andrews on this appointment.  

For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference RAOE.  Alternatively, please telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours).  Applications should be received by noon on Monday 30 September.

For further information on the University visit: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/