Chair

Timeline

The Sustainability Panel

The CAA has a number of purposes, one of which is to support the aviation and aerospace sectors as they manage and reduce their negative environmental impacts, including emissions and noise. With this in mind, the CAA is establishing a Sustainability Panel: a non-statutory body which acts as a ‘critical friend’ to the regulator. It will provide expert technical advice to the CAA to inform the environmental and sustainability interests are considered in CAA policy development. The key activities of the Chair are to:

• Provision of expert technical advice to the CAA to support the CAA’s environmental roles, or on specific tasks as requested by the CAA
• Help the CAA to understand and take account of environmental interests and impacts in its regulatory policy and framework (not on individual regulatory decisions)
• Support progress towards the CAA’s strategic focus on improving environmental performance, including informing delivery of the CAA’s future environment strategy
• Provide advice or critique on research undertaken  by the CAA, or help identify where further research may be needed to inform the CAA’s sustainability agenda

The Panel will not campaign publicly (although it may feed into responses to relevent external consultations that the CAA is responding to), nor does it deal with individual complaints from the public, represent or correspond directly with air travelers, industry or community groups. Local issues affecting individuals, such as noise from flight paths, do not fall under the Panel’s remit.

Role of the panel

The CAA Sustainability Panel supports the CAA in delivering its vision.  By sharing sustainability related intelligence and technical expertise, the Panel will work in partnership with CAA colleagues on a range of targeted projects and issues.

Much of the success of the Panel depends on the quality of its membership.  The Panel needs to be informed, in touch and expert. It will need to work in a constructive and collegiate way, both with the CAA and with each other.

The Panel will be operational from April 2022 and will have an initial focus which will include:

• Strengthening the CAA’s sustainability roles and ambitions through providing technical advise on the delivery of the CAA’s new Sustainability Strategy
• Providing technical expertise to support analysis into trade offs between carbon, noise and air quality and other factors from an aviation perspective
• Informing the CAA’s ambition to increase transparency around the publication of environmental performance, including regular reporting on aviation noise in the UK
• Provision of technical advice to support the development of ‘Best Practice’ guides on managing environmental impacts including noise and carbon

The work plan of the Panel will be agreed annual by both the Panel and the CAA.

Structure

The Panel will be supported by a dedicated Secretariat and Engagement function based within the CAA Strategy and Policy Group.  The Panel will publish an Annual Report which is to be shared with the CAA Board. The CAA will  work closely with the Panel to ensure the Panel’s Work Programme is aligned with the CAA’s strategic ambition in order for the Panel to have the maximum impact.

Alongside developing a constructive working relationship, the CAA recognises the need to ensure the Panel has sufficient independence of mind on the issues it is assisting with to make a difference.  It is important that the Panel Chair has an ability to speak with authority and to question and challenge the CAA if appropriate.  To support this, the Panel Chair will meet with the CAA Board and the CAA Chair and Chief Executive regularly.

The Panel has no statutory basis and governance of the Panel falls within the corporate structure of the CAA.

Remuneration and the time commitment

Panel members are paid £450 per day before tax through a 3^rd party agency and are expected to commit to 20 days of Panel work per year.  This includes attendance at up to 6 half-day Panel meetings as well as contributing to sub groups and committees as required. The expectation is that you will make a contribution in between formal Panel meetings. General daily expenses (such as lunch) should be covered by the daily rate. The CAA will reimburse reasonable travel expenses for members making extensive journeys to meet Panel commitments.

Appointment terms

The Chair and Members are required to work towards the objectives of the Panel, and not promote their own interests or those of any group or organisation for which they work, or of which they are members. No employee of the CAA may be Chair or a Member of the Panel.

Appointment of Members will be made by the CAA on the advice of the Chair of the Panel. Appointments will be for a term of up to three years which may be renewed for a maximum of one further term of up to three years.

Person Specification

The CAA are looking for an experienced and accomplished Chair who are committed to helping us shape the CAA’s regulatory activity in light of the significant sustainability challenge here and now. The CAA want candidates who can bring a deep understanding of and keen interest in sustainability as it relates to aviation generally.  The CAA welcome applications from all areas of society and expect the Panel to be representative of UK society as a whole.

The Chair will need to be free from conflicts of interests which could impact how they deliver free and frank advice to the CAA.  This means the Chair and Panel members are not to be direct employees of entities regulated by the CAA, nor currently play an active advocacy role for local issues such as environmental noise around airports.   There will be a requirement to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest you may have in being appointed at the application stage.  Any actual or perceived conflicts of interest will be fully explored by the hiring panel at interview stage.

Skills required

Candidates should be able to demonstrate all of the skills below as a minimum:

• Expertise of providing collaborative and inclusive leadership at board level in a complex organisation combined with experience chairing groups with diverse skills and experience
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to challenge and engage courteously with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Develop collective agreement on outcomes across complex, challenging and technical issues
• Excellent technical understanding of externalities associated with aviation, such as carbon, noise, air quality, ecology
• Demonstrate the ability to absorb and understand complex and environmental issues impacting the sector
• Ability to listen and challenge in a constructive manner, providing an objective and independent point of view, and influence outcomes based on sound technical advice and insight
• Work collaboratively with the ability to take account of different perspectives as part of a collegiate decision making process and to take ownership for decisions made, and take a neutral approach to complex, nuanced issues
• Be able to analyse and evaluate complex information, including qualitative and quantitative research and market data, in order to form opinions and make fair, balanced and proportionate decisions based on evidence and reasoned argument

Experience and Knowledge

In addition to the above minimum skills, the CAA are looking for candidates who are able to demonstrate one or more competencies from the list below:

• Expertise in technology and innovation, and understanding of how this may impact aviation
• Expertise in environmental economics or other behavioral or social science fields
• Expertise in best practice community engagement
• Expertise in research including a broad understanding of both primary and secondary research methodologies, familiarity with analytical tools and processes, experience in engaging with and obtaining the views of those who may be more difficult to reach, and an ability to communicate observations
• Experience advising on sustainability issues within the aviation sector or other modes of transport

The CAA expects its independent panels, including the Sustainability Panel, to be inclusive and represent a diverse range of views, and this is something we will consider as part of the recruitment process.