appointment of board members to the skills advisory board ......appointment to the skills advisory...

Appointment of Board Members to the Skills Advisory Board

of The Data Lab Innovation Centre

Applicant Information Closing date for applications: Friday 6th September 2019

APPOINTMENT TO THE SKILLS ADVISORY BOARD OF THE DATA LAB:

APPLICANT INFORMATION

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Dear Potential Skills Advisory Board Applicant

The Data Lab is one of eight Innovation Centres in Scotland, recently re-funded with an £13.5M

grant from the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise

and Scottish Government to generate significant economic, social and scientific value from

data. Hosted by The University of Edinburgh, The Data Lab enables industry, public sector and

world-class university researchers to innovate and develop new data science and artificial

intelligence capabilities in a collaborative environment.

The Data Lab has been operational for over 4 years and has a wide range of activities and

projects underway across our three core areas: Support to Innovate, Skills & Talent and

Community & Events. Additional information on The Data Lab and our current and past

activities can be found on our website at www.thedatalab.com

The aims and objectives of the Skills Advisory Board (SAB) are to:

• Establishing the vision and strategy and promoting Skills and Talent activity of The Data

Lab.

• Determining which Skills and Talent programmes will be covered and any major

changes in programme activities or projects undertaken.

• Determining The Data Lab Skills and Talent priorities and actions.

• Approving the Skills and Talent plans & budget.

• Approving the Skills and Talent investments such as MSc University selections, Online

Learning selections and Industrial Doctorate selections.

• Assuring The Data Lab performance against KPIs as they relate to Skills and Talent.

• Assessing the contribution of the Skills and Talent programmes to the overall

effectiveness of The Data Lab in achieving its goals and mission.

We are looking to reconstitute our Skills Advisory Board and will be recruiting new Board

members for all positions excluding the Chair and The Data Lab representatives. We anticipate

ensuring we have a breadth of experience as well as diversity of thought, background, industry

and geography across out appointed board members.

http://www.thedatalab.com/



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If you are in any doubt, I would encourage you to apply for this post – it is vital that we have

a diverse range of applicants as we recognise the need for fresh ideas and different

perspectives and approaches as we look to take The Data Lab forward.

Please forward your CV and covering letter detailing why you have applied to join The Data

Lab Skills Advisory Board and what you bring to the role on or before the closing date of Friday

6th September 2019 to [email protected].

Yours sincerely,

John Brodie

Chair

The Data Lab Skills Advisory Board



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THE DATA LAB

BOARD TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Data Lab is an Innovation Centre funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Scottish Enterprise (SE) and

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in partnership with the Scottish Government (SG) known as the

Stakeholders.

Funding for Phase 2 of The Data Lab was awarded to the University of Edinburgh to host of The Data Lab which

will deliver activities as agreed in the Phase 2 Contract.

In terms of its funding conditions, the stakeholders require the University of Edinburgh to set up a Governance

Board to manage the funding in accordance with the approved The Data Lab business plan (Phase 2).

The governance structure of The Data Lab comprises four main elements:

The Terms of Reference shall be reviewed on an annual basis and will be displayed on The Data Lab’s website.

1. Governance Board. Responsible for formulating, directing and

guiding the implementation of the policies and strategies;

2. Innovation Advisory Board. Responsible for advising on

collaboration project activity, reporting to the Governance Board

(“IAB”);

3. Skills Advisory Board. Responsible for advising on skills and talent

activity, reporting to the Governance Board (“SAB”);

4. Management Team. Responsible for implementing the policies and

strategy as well as all day-to-day management, reporting to the

Governance Board.



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1. THE GOVERNANCE BOARD

1A. INTRODUCTION

The aims and objectives are to:

1A1 Establish the vision and strategic objectives of The Data Lab.

1A2 Ensure broad membership agreement.

1A3 Direct action to implement key activities.

1A4 Monitor progress though the key performance indicators (KPIs) set out in The Data Lab Business Plan.

1A5 Act as a sounding board for the Chief Executive Officer in the day-to-day management of The Data Lab.

1A6 Ensure that the host university is not asked to perform activities that may risk potential issues around

charitable status, state aid or other matters that may compromise their reputation or integrity.

1B. FUNCTION

The Governance Board is the ultimate decision-making body of The Data Lab and is responsible for:

1B1 Establishing the vision and strategy and promoting the values of The Data Lab.

1B2 Determining which industry sectors will be covered and any major changes in programme activities or

projects undertaken.

1B3 Establishing the Innovation Advisory Board, the Skills Advisory Board and appointing the Chair of each.

The recruitment of each Chair will be conducted in an open and transparent manner, with an

advertisement included on The Data Lab’s website, the Host University’s website and on the Public

Appointments Scotland website.

1B4 Establishing criteria for membership.

1B5 Determining The Data Lab priorities and actions.

1B6 Approving the annual business plan & budget.

1B7 Approving the annual accounts and submitting to the University of Edinburgh.

1B8 Reviewing the Risk Register and any other items deemed appropriate.

1B9 Assuring Chief Executive Officer and Management Team performance against KPIs.

1B10 Assessing the overall effectiveness of The Data Lab in achieving its goals and mission.

1B11 The Data Lab is not a legal entity in itself and therefore the University of Edinburgh is legally responsible.

1C. MEMBERSHIP AND STRUCTURE

1C1 Board Members will normally be from private companies, the public sector or organisations engaged in

The Data Lab activities, although this requirement may be waived in special circumstances.

1C2 Nominees should add credibility to The Data Lab Board and it is The Data Lab’s aim to have a diverse

Board in terms of gender, race, disability and other protected characteristics.

1C3 Consideration will be given to:

(i) ensure effective representation of industry sectors and a suitable spread of company sizes as

deemed relevant to The Data Lab; and

(ii) ensure appropriate representation with respect to the academic sector.

1C4 The Governance Board should consist of a majority of members from industry. Therefore, membership

will comprise of:

• Governance Board Chair;

• Chief Executive Officer;

• Seven Industry representatives from both public (one representative) and private sectors (six

representatives) recruited via an open and transparent process;

• Chair of the Innovation Advisory Board

• Chair of the Skills Advisory Board

• Two Academic representatives nominated by the Host University and Scottish Informatics and

Computer Science Alliance (SICSA);



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• One representative from each of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and

Scottish Funding Council (observers) as nominated by each organisation.

1C5 In addition to attending Board meetings, Board Members are expected to:

• Attend a minimum of 4 events per annum in their Board capacity;

• Promote The Data Lab to other businesses within the industry and across the public sector;

• Contribute to The Data Lab marketing campaigns as appropriate, by providing 1-2 case

studies/articles/contributions per annum.

1D. PROCESS AND VOTING

1D1 All agreed relevant papers will normally be sent electronically to Governance Board Members at least 5

working days before the date of the Governance Board Meeting.

1D2 Draft Minutes will normally be distributed to Governance Board Members within 10 working days of that

Governance Board Meeting for comment. Governance Board Minutes will be in draft form until formally

approved at the following Governance Board Meeting.

1D3 The Chair shall be responsible for the Agenda which will include (but not limited to):

a. Attendance and apologies for absence;

b. Conflicts of interest;

c. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising;

d. CEO Report, including: Financial Performance; Delivery Performance and Risk Register;

e. IAB and SAB update.

1D4 The Governance Board will keep non-confidential Minutes of its proceedings and make these available

to the representatives of the founding partners and funding bodies. Minutes may not be shared by Board

Members without the prior written consent of the Chair. Minutes may be subject to the Freedom of

Information Act.

1D5 Any urgent or emergency items requiring Governance Board approval shall be dealt with through a

special meeting process as requested by the Chair and requires a Quorate (see 1G1) to be present for

such approvals to be given.

1D6 All matters requiring decisions of the Governance Board will be decided by a simple majority of votes,

with the Chair’s vote carrying the casting vote.

1E. DELEGATION OF POWERS

1E1 In the event that the Chair is unable to attend, the Chair will nominate an IAB Member (excluding the

CEO) to act in that capacity in their absence.

1E2 In the event that the CEO is unable to attend, the CEO will nominate a member of the Management Team

to attend in their absence.

1E3 In the event that any other member of the Governance Board is unable to attend, the member will

nominate a deputy to attend in their absence, with such deputy requiring the approval by the Chair in

advance of a Board Meeting. The deputy must sign The Data Lab’s Confidentiality Agreement in advance

of the Governance Board Meeting, otherwise attendance will not be permitted.

1F. LENGTH OF APPOINTMENT

1F1 Governance Board Members will normally serve on the Governance Board for a period of two years with

the option to extend this by an additional one year at the request of the Chair, after which they will be

required to retire from the Governance Board. They may offer themselves for re-election thereafter.

Governance Board Members will normally serve no more than two terms. This time period does not apply

to Academic Representatives and Observers.

1F2 The Chair will be selected by the Governance Board and serve a period of three years.

1F3 On the retirement of the Chair, the Governance Board will be responsible for appointing a new Chair.



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1F4 In order to rotate the membership of the Governance Board on a regular basis, one third of the

Governance Board will retire each year.

1G. QUORATE

1G1 The Governance Board will be Quorate if the Chair and CEO (or a nominated deputy are present and

there is a minimum of one representative from each of the main stakeholder groups (Academic, Industry

and Public Sector) and the majority of Board Members attending are from Industry. Deputies acting on

behalf of Governance Board Members will be also counted.



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2. INNOVATION ADVISORY BOARD

2A. INTRODUCTION

The aims and objectives of the IAB are to:

2A1 Be responsible for reviewing and approving Collaborative Innovative Project investment spend of over

£20K on projects.

2A2 Ensure The Data Lab is targeting and identifying appropriate projects.

2A3 Monitor project progress and completion through the KPIs set out in The Data Lab Business Plan as it

applies to Collaborative Innovation Projects.

2A4 Act as a sounding board for the Head of Business Development in Industry targeting.

2A5 Ensure The Data Lab has a balanced engagement across our Academic Partners.

2B. FUNCTION

The IAB is the ultimate decision making body for The Data Lab’s Collaborative Innovative Projects and is

responsible for:

2B1 Establishing the vision and strategy and promoting the values of The Data Lab’s collaborative innovation

approach.

2B2 Determining which industry sectors will be covered and any major changes in programme activities or

projects undertaken.

2B3 Assuring Chief Executive Officer and Management Board performance against KPIs.

2B4 Assessing the overall effectiveness of The Data Lab in achieving its goals and mission as applicable to

collaborative innovation projects.


2C1 IAB Members will normally be from private companies, the public sector and Academia, although this

requirement may be waived in special circumstances.

2C2 Members should add credibility to the IAB and it is The Data Lab’s aim to have a diverse IAB in terms of

gender, race, disability and other protected characteristics.

2C3 Consideration will be given to ensure effective representation of industry sectors and a suitable spread

of company sizes and individual experience.

2C4 The IAB will consist of:

• IAB Chair;


• Four Industry representatives from either public and private sector (one Industry representative

must be from the investment community) via an open and transparent recruitment process;

• One Academic representative as identified by The Data Lab in conjunction with Scottish

Informatics and Computer Science Alliance;

• One representative from Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise or Scottish

Funding Council (Observer status) as nominated by these organisations.

2C5 In addition to attending IAB meetings, IAB Board Members are expected to:

• Attend a pre-IAB conference call to agree to a project shortlist to be invited to present at the

main IAB;


• Promote The Data Lab to other businesses within the Industry and across the public sector;

• Contribute to The Data Lab marketing campaigns as appropriate.




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2D1 All agreed relevant papers will normally be sent electronically to IAB Members at least 5 working days

before the date of the IAB Meeting.

2D2 Draft Minutes will normally be distributed to IAB Members within 10 working days of that IAB for

comment. IAB Minutes will be in draft form until formally approved at the following IAB.


(a) Attendance and apologies for absence;

(b) Conflicts of interest;

(c) Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising;

(d) Project Presentations and Q&A, Review Discussion and Scoring;

(e) CEO / Head of Business Development Update on The Data Lab activity.

2D4 The IAB will keep non-confidential Minutes of its proceedings and make these available to the

Governance Board, representatives of the founding partners and funding bodies. Minutes may not be

shared by IAB Members without the prior written consent of the Chair. Minutes may be subject to the

Freedom of Information Act.

2D5 Any urgent or emergency items requiring IAB approval shall be dealt with through a special meeting

process as required by the Chair and requires a Quorate (see 2G1) to be present for such approvals to be

given.

2D6 Project approvals are based on scoring criteria made on the following elements and must score 60 or

more out of 100 for approval**:

(a) Economic or Social Impact of the Project (40%)

(b) Ability to Execute of the Project Partners (40%)

(c) Novel and Innovation application of Data Science (20%)

**Projects above the value of £150,000 must be referred to the Governance Board for approval.


2E1 In the event that the IAB Chair is unable to attend, the IAB Chair will nominate an IAB Member (excluding

the CEO) to act in that capacity in their absence.



2E3 In the event that any other member of the IAB is unable to attend, the member will nominate a deputy

to attend in their absence, with such deputy requiring the approval by the Chair in advance of a Board

Meeting. The deputy must sign The Data Lab’s Confidentiality Agreement in advance of the IAB Meeting,

otherwise attendance will not be permitted.


2F1 IAB Members will normally serve on the IAB for a period of two years with the option to extend this by

an additional one year at the request of the IAB Chair, after which they will be required to retire from the

IAB. They may offer themselves for re-election thereafter. IAB Members will normally serve no more than

two terms. This time period does not apply to Academic Representative(s) and Observer(s).

2F2 The IAB Chair will be selected by the Governance Board and serve a period of three years.

2F3 On the retirement of the IAB Chair, the Governance Board will be responsible for appointing a new Chair.

2F4 In order to rotate the membership of the IAB on a regular basis, one IAB Member will retire each year.

2G. QUORATE

2G1 The IAB will be Quorate if the Chair and CEO (or a nominated deputy) are present and there is a minimum

of one Industry representative and one Academic representative. Deputies acting on behalf of IAB

Members will also be counted.



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3. SKILLS ADVISORY BOARD

3A. INTRODUCTION

The aims and objectives of the SAB are to:

3A1 Establish the vision and strategic objectives of Skills and Talent programmes of The Data Lab.

3A2 Direct action to implement key activities.

3A3 Monitor progress though the KPIs as applicable to Skills and Talent programmes.

3A4 Act as a sounding board for the Skills Manager in the day-to-day management of the Skills and Talent

activity of The Data Lab.

3B. FUNCTION

The SAB is the ultimate decision-making body for the Skills and Talent activity of The Data Lab and is responsible

for:

3B1 Establishing the vision and strategy and promoting Skills and Talent activity of The Data Lab.

3B2 Determining which Skills and Talent programmes will be covered and any major changes in programme

activities or projects undertaken.

3B3 Establishing criteria for membership of the SAB.

3B4 Determining The Data Lab Skills and Talent priorities and actions.

3B5 Approving the Skills and Talent plans & budget.

3B6 Approving the Skills and Talent investments such as MSc University selections, Online Learning selections

and Industrial Doctorate selections.

3B7 Assuring The Data Lab performance against KPIs as they relate to Skills and Talent.

3B8 Assessing the contribution of the Skills and Talent programmes to the overall effectiveness of The Data

Lab in achieving its goals and mission.


3C1 SAB Members will normally be from private companies, the public sector, academia or organisations

engaged in The Data Lab activities, although this requirement may be waived in special circumstances.

3C2 Nominees should add credibility to the SAB and it is The Data Lab’s aim to have a diverse Board in terms

of gender, race, disability and other protected characteristics.

3C3 Consideration will be given to ensure effective representation of industry sectors and a suitable spread

of company sizes and experience.

3C4 The SAB would consist of a majority of members from industry. Therefore, membership should comprise

of:

• SAB Chair;


• The Data Lab Head of Data;

• Four Industry representatives from both public and private sectors via an open and transparent

recruitment process;

• Two Academic representatives as identified by The Data Lab with support from SICSA and

Colleges Scotland;

• One representative from Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise or Scottish

Funding Council (observer status) as nominated by these organisations.

3C5 In addition to attending SAB Meetings, SAB Members are expected to:


• Promote The Data Lab to other businesses within the industry and across the public sector;

• Contribute to The Data Lab marketing campaigns as appropriate.




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3D1 All agreed relevant papers will normally be sent electronically to SAB at least 5 working days before the

date of the SAB Meeting.

3D2 Draft Minutes will normally be distributed to SAB within 10 working days of that SAB for comment. SAB

will be in draft form until formally approved at the following SAB.


(a) Attendance and apologies for absence;

(b) Conflicts of interest;

(c) Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising;

(d) Skills and Talent Activity Report, including: Financial Performance and Delivery Performance.

3D4 The SAB will keep non-confidential Minutes of its proceedings and make these available to the

Governance Board, representatives of the founding partners and funding bodies. Minutes may not be

shared by SAB Members without the prior written consent of the Chair. Minutes may be subject to the

Freedom of Information Act.

3D5 Any urgent or emergency items requiring SAB approval shall be dealt with through a special meeting

process as requested by the Chair and requires a Quorate (see 3G1) to be present for such approvals to

be given.

3D6 All matters requiring decisions of the SAB will be decided by a simple majority of votes, with the Chair’s

vote carrying the casting vote.


3E1 In the event that the SAB Chair is unable to attend, the SAB Chair will nominate an SAB Member (excluding

the CEO) to act in that capacity in their absence.



3E3 In the event that any other member of the SAB is unable to attend, the SAB Member will nominate a

deputy to attend in their absence, with such deputy requiring the approval by the Chair in advance of a

Board Meeting. The deputy must sign The Data Lab’s Confidentiality Agreement in advance of the SAB

Meeting, otherwise attendance will not be permitted.


3F1 SAB Members will normally serve on the SAB for a period of two years with the option to extend this by

an additional one year at the request of the SAB Chair, after which they will be required to retire from the

SAB. They may offer themselves for re-election thereafter. SAB Members will normally serve no more

than two terms. This time period does not apply to Academic Representative(s) and Observer(s).

3F2 The SAB Chair will be selected by the Governance Board and serve a period of three years.

3F3 On the retirement of the SAB Chair, the Governance Board will be responsible for appointing a new Chair.

3F4 In order to rotate the membership of the SAB on a regular basis, one third of the SAB will retire each year.

3G. QUORATE

3G1 The SAB will be quorate if the Chair and CEO (or a nominated deputy) are present and there is a minimum

of two SAB representatives. Deputies acting on behalf of SAB Members will also be counted.



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4. MANAGEMENT TEAM

4A. INTRODUCTION

4A1 The Management Team are responsible for implementing The Data Lab’s policies and strategy that have

been agreed with the Governance Board and also for the day-to-day management of all the activities

associated with delivery in accordance with The Data Lab Business Plan.

4B. MEMBERSHIP AND STRUCTURE

4B1 The members of the Management Team are:

• The Chief Executive Officer

• Head of Business Development

• Head of Data

• Head of Operations

• Head of Finance

4B2 New members can be appointed to the Management Team by promotion by the Chief Executive Officer

on achievement of the relevant grade.

4C. FUNCTION

4C1 Work together as an integrated team to deliver The Data Lab’s Business Plan to schedule and budget.

4C2 Manage all The Data Lab’s staff, located at the four hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen

and to foster a team spirit and general wellbeing whilst adhering to the Host University’s HR policies.

4C3 Facilitate the creation and delivery of commercial and public body led projects in the field of Data Science

with University partners which deliver true value, be that financial or social.

4C4 Set up processes and systems that facilitate and enable effective internal and external collaboration,

subject to the Host University’s policies and procedures.

4C5 Generate a Data Science Community in Scotland to catalyse the potential value creation by matching a

‘business need’ with appropriate academic expertise.

4C6 Agree on the appropriate Data Lab presence at conferences and related events.

4C7 Manage stakeholder relationships and engagements.

4C8 Create living Strategic and Operational Plans which are reviewed and approved by the Governance Board.

4C9 Prepare quarterly Governance Board reports and SFC reports in a timely manner.

4C10 Highlight to the Governance Board any matters of risk, opportunity or significant investment that requires

Governance Board consideration and approval. A Risk Register will be maintained.

4D. MEETINGS AND PROCESS

4D1 The Management Team will meet on a weekly basis, as determined by the Management Team.

4D2 The Meeting will be chaired by the CEO or another member from the Management Team may be

nominated by the CEO as appropriate.

4D3 The Meeting is intended to be an informal, round table update of recent developments and forthcoming

events.

4D4 The Agenda for the Management Board Meetings will be determined by the Management Team.

4D5 Relevant content from the Meeting will be shared either verbally or in writing with The Data Lab staff as

appropriate.

4E. REPORTING

4E1 The Management Team report to The Data Lab CEO who in turn reports to the Governance Board Chair.

The CEO is also a member of the Governance Board.



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4E2 The CEO will also regularly update The Data Lab key stakeholders on progress against The Data Lab’s

Business Plan and KPIs.



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5. MATTERS WHICH APPLY TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNANCE BOARD,

IAB AND SAB

5A. REGISTER OF INTERESTS (“Register”)

5A1 All Board Members (including their deputies), observers and officers must disclose to the CEO and

relevant Chair, all interests which could reasonably be deemed to conflict with their duties owed to The

Data Lab. For the avoidance of doubt, a Board Member must not participate in any decisions which relate

to the funding of projects or activities proposed by their own organisations.

5A2 The Register will be available for inspection by the public on The Data Lab’s website.

5A3 Board Members are required to keep their entries in the Register up-to-date.

5A4 Any Board Member (including their deputy), observer or officer who has a pecuniary, family or other

personal interest in any matter under discussion at any meeting of the relevant Board at which he / she

is present shall – if not already done so – disclose the fact of his / her interest to the meeting and shall

withdraw from that part of the meeting.

5A5 The Register should be reviewed by the CEO and each Chair on an annual basis.

5B. BOARD MEMBER NOMINATIONS

5B1 The relevant Chair will be tasked with appointing new Members to its Board, and may draw upon other

Board Members to nominate and/or review candidates as required. An open and transparent recruitment

process will be conducted.

5B2 The objective is to maintain the appropriate quality and coverage of representation on each of the Boards.

5B3 The relevant Chair shall oversee the rotation of Board Members according to the policy agreed with the

Governance Board.

5B4 The relevant Chair shall invite and receive applications for Board Membership in a transparent manner,

review and accept or reject applications and provide reasons to the Governance Board.

5B5 Nominations will be considered in light of the current Board structure, representation and the aims of

The Data Lab. Nominees must be willing and able to devote sufficient time pro bono to actively contribute

to The Data Lab including agreeing to author or co-author a relevant paper once a year for publication

to support the recognition of The Data Lab.

5B6 The relevant Chair will advise nominees as to whether or not they have been successful. Decisions are

final and there is no obligation to disclose the reason to the nominee.



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5C. APPOINTMENT LETTERS

5C1 Each Board Member (including deputies, observers and officers) shall sign the appointment letter within

thirty (30) days of receiving the letter.

5C2 Each Board Member (including deputies, observers and officers) must sign the appointment letter before

attending their first Board Meeting and will not be able to attend until such letter is signed and delivered

to the Chair of the relevant Board.

5D. CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

5D1 All Board Members, including their representatives, must sign The Data Lab’s Confidentiality Agreement.

Failure to do so will mean that attendance at the relevant Board Meeting will not be permitted. Requests

must be sent to the relevant Chair and CEO in advance of the relevant Board Meeting to ensure a

Confidentiality Agreement can be actioned timeously.

______________________________________________________________________________________



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SKILLS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE

There are 4 scheduled SAB meetings per annum, (one per quarter scheduled for first

Wednesday of February, May, August and November) and are scheduled for 2 and are held

at The Data Lab in Edinburgh or in rotation in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.



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PERSON SPECIFICATION

What skills, experience & personal qualities are desirable for The Data Lab Innovation

Advisory Board (SAB) Members?

It is important that we have people with a variety of different skills and experience to enable

the SAB to work effectively. All SAB members need to have some general skills and personal

qualities that enable them to make a full contribution to the work of the SAB but these do not

have to have been gained by working in a management post or at a senior level. You may just

have a natural aptitude in these areas or you may have gained them through being active in

your community, in a voluntary capacity or just through your own personal life experience –

these are listed in the ‘General skills & personal qualities’ section and we have explained exactly

what we will be looking for and how they will be tested.

The Data Lab also needs people who bring some very specific skills and experience to the SAB

and these will take priority during the appointment process – these are listed in the ‘Priority

experience/skill’ section and, again, we have explained what we will be looking for and how

they will be tested. It is very important that there is the right balance of skills on the SAB so

the Chair will be taking account of which ‘priority’ skill each applicant is able to demonstrate

when selecting applicants for appointment. It is also important that The Data Lab has SAB

members from all geographic regions in Scotland so this will also be a factor in the decisions

which are made at all stages in the appointment process.

There are several priority experience/skill areas listed but we will only be looking for you to

demonstrate one of these. If you believe you can demonstrate more than one, then you will

have the opportunity to tell us about this during the selection process.



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Priority experience/skill (you will only need to demonstrate one of these)

Experience/skill What does this mean How will this be tested

Knowledge/understanding

of how data can be

leveraged for industry

competitiveness

You may be employed in an Industry leveraging data

to create new products or services or optimise

productivity and improve processes. You may have

gained understanding of the impact of data in an

industry vertical such as Digital Economy, or Finance.

We will want you to tell us about your

knowledge/understanding and how this has

been gained in your CV or covering letter. We

will discuss this with you during the interview.

A practical knowledge &

understanding of the Data

Science

You have a day to day involvement within data

science or analytics. You may work in an organisation

which creatively uses data to solve business

challenges or in the creation of new products or

services.



been gained in the written application. We will

discuss this with you during the interview.

Industry Business Leader

We need a person who has experience of working in

senior role within a business or industry relevant for

Scotland. These industry verticals include Finance,

Energy, and the Digital Sector.


experience and how this has been gained in

your CV or covering letter. We will discuss this

with you during the interview.

A practical knowledge &

understanding of training

or education

You have a day to day involvement within a training

or academic organisation.



been gained in the written application. We will

discuss this with you during the interview.

General skills & personal qualities (we will want all applicants to demonstrate these)



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Skill/quality What does this mean? How will this be tested?

Working collaboratively &

constructively with others

• appreciating the knowledge/skills of colleagues

• supporting colleagues whenever possible

• sharing knowledge at every opportunity

• showing respect for colleagues and

stakeholders

• striving to achieve consensus

• able to accept a consensus decision even if it

goes against a personal view

During the interview we will ask you to give us

some practical examples of situations where

you have worked collaboratively and

constructively with others.

Challenging the views of

others in a constructive

and supportive way

• being confident in questioning proposals and

debating issues.

• putting forward your views in an objective way

• not being too dogmatic about your own

perspective.

• helping others to consider their own position

in a non-confrontational way



you have challenged the views of others in a

constructive way.

Seeing the ‘bigger picture’ • able to look ahead and consider issues/topics

within different timeframes

• identifying relevant implications from what is

being discussed such as challenges, risks etc.

• seeing beyond your own personal experience

or specialism and considering other

information and perspectives

• does not take a short term, parochial view

• it is not necessary to have experience of

developing or implementing a strategy



you have taken a broader and more holistic

view.



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Analysing information and

making decisions

• using information which is available to reach

conclusions

• clearly explain how conclusions have been

reached

• identifying some of the implications associated

with what you are considering – priorities, risks,

opportunities etc.

• recognising when information is limited and

where more information might be needed

• being able to balance a number of different

considerations



you have analysed information and used this

information to reach conclusions.



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Managing performance • an understanding of what The Data Lab and

the SAB are required to do

• able to explain the different responsibilities of

executive staff and SAB members

• an appreciation of the SAB’s responsibility for

ensuring effective governance

• personal experience of change with an

understanding of how it should be

implemented and the critical factors for

success

During the interview we will ask you some

questions about your knowledge and

understanding of what The Data Lab does and

the role & responsibilities of executive staff

and the SAB – you do not need any specific

experience to answer these questions but you

will need to do some background research

before the interview. We will want you to tell

us about your own personal experience of

‘change’

Communicating effectively • being focussed and succinct in your

communication with good listening skills

• confident in expressing views and opinions in a

group setting

• persuasive, able to influence others to your

own perspective

• able to adapt your style appropriately for

different situations

• satisfactory written skills

We will assess your written skills from the

completion of your covering letter and CV. We

will assess your verbal skills through your

responses in the interview

Enthusiastic and

passionate about Data

Science and Analytics and

the importance of this

capability to drive

economic and social

benefit for Scotland

• knowledge/understanding of data use and

some appreciation of how data can be used to

drive innovation

• able to explain how the use of data can benefit

organisations both private and public

• can enthuse others about data and our

capability in Scotland


personal interest in and enthusiasm for the

use of data in the written application. We will

also have a discussion with you about this

during the interview, as well as assessing your

knowledge/understanding of the opportunity

for Scotland.



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HOW TO APPLY

Please forward your CV and covering letter detailing why you have applied to join The Data Lab

Innovation Advisory Board and what you bring to the role on or before the closing date of Friday

6th September 2019 to [email protected].

Late applications will not be considered.

If you have any queries about this appointment process, please contact The Data Lab on 0131

651 4905 or email [email protected]

SELECTION

A discussion will be scheduled with John Brodie, Chair of the Skills Advisory Board and may

include other SAB members or members of The Data Lab leadership team.

To make sure that the process is transparent and the appointment is made on merit, the selection

panel will declare if they know anyone who has applied for these appointments.



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Nationality

If you’re a non-British national you can apply for, and be appointed to, the boards of Non-

Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs). However, you must be legally entitled to work in the UK.

Telling you about progress

If you aren’t invited to interview/discussion you will be told about the outcome of your application

in writing.

If you’re invited to interview/discussion you’ll be offered feedback. It will be based on:

• The assessment of your merit in relation to the skills, knowledge and experience required by

the Person Specification

• Any relevant feedback from the interview process

Expenses for attending interviews/discussion

If you’re invited for an interview/discussion you can claim for reasonable expenses involved in

attending. This includes childcare and dependent carer expenses. We expect you to use the most

efficient and economical means of travel, and the amount we reimburse will normally be restricted

to this. If you are invited for interview these rates, and a claim form, will be included in the

invitation letter. You must provide receipts to support all claims.

Valuing Diversity

The Data Lab is committed to diversity and equality.

We value having Members with different points of view and experiences on the SAB. So, we’re

hoping to receive applications from a wide range of talented people irrespective of their: religion

or belief, gender, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, political belief,

relationship status or caring responsibilities.

This appointments process promotes, demonstrates and upholds equality of opportunity for all

applicants.

The Data Lab particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented on

Scotland’s public bodies and technology companies, such as women, disabled people, ethnic

minorities.

Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts may relate to situations where there’s a clash between your role on this SAB and your

professional or personal interests.



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Also, if you and a panel member have a close relationship, the panel chair can decide that the

panel member shouldn’t be involved in your assessment, and may ask the panel member not to

take part in the appointment round.



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APPOINTMENT

What happens if you are appointed?

If you’re appointed, some of the information that you’ve given us will be made public in a media

release about your appointment and included on our website. It may include:

• your name

• a short description of The Data Lab

• a brief summary of the skills, knowledge and experience you bring to the role

• how long you’ve been appointed for and the time commitment

• details of any other private or public appointments you hold that are relevant to this role

appointment of board members to the skills advisory board ......appointment to the skills advisory...

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