Background to the Organisation
The FCDO’s enduring purpose is to lead the Government’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world. Our overall aim is to position the UK as a reasonable, reliable, and effective international actor and partner, investing in the global relationships we need for the long-term.
The Foreign Secretary has set out how we will achieve these aims, establishing a strong ethos of taking the long view with an approach to foreign policy that will endure for decades. We will act with agility to respond to evolving priorities and emerging risks, and prioritise and plan thoroughly for known and likely scenarios and events. This also means sweating our assets, by playing to our strengths and drawing on all the tools available to achieve UK objectives, including diplomatic, economic, development, defence and security, technology and cultural. We will use our time, energy, money and global network to generate influence on the world stage and continue to stand up for our world view: championing the democratic values we believe in, including the right to freedom, justice, the rule of law and the integrity of sovereign states.
We do so to deliver the vision for the UK’s role in the world set out in the Integrated Review in 2021 and updated in the refresh published earlier in 2023 (IR2023): to promote and protect the UK’s core national interests of security, prosperity and sovereignty, while working to shape an open and stable international order.
Size and composition of the Board
The FCDO (Supervisory) Board (chaired by the Foreign Secretary) provides strategic direction, oversight, support and challenge, to encourage the long-term health, reputation and success of the FCDO. Membership comprises of the Non-Executive Directors, as well as the Ministerial Team, Permanent Under-Secretary and Director General of Finance and Corporate. The FCDO’s Management Board takes strategic choices for long-term departmental management where a cross-departmental view, impact or action is required. Non-Executive Directors have an open invitation to attend meetings and support specific pieces of departmental work. Both Boards operate according to these recognised principles of good corporate governance in business:
- leadership – communicate a clear vision for the department
- effectiveness – challenge and scrutinise performance
- accountability – promote the government’s goal of transparency through clear and fair reporting
- sustainability – take a long-term view about what the department is trying to achieve
Equality and Diversity
We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.
When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.