How to find Advertised NED Vacancies in the UK

A study compiled last year found that 82% of organisations in the UK who have boards recruited a new board member in the last 12 months. Frankly, I find that hard to believe. A similar Australian study found that the number was 50% – that seems more reasonable. In that case, it means tens of thousands of board vacancies are filled each year. That is the good news.  So the question is not ‘Are there NED opportunities available?’ but rather ‘How and where can I find them?’ One route is via advertised opportunities. However, if you have ever looked for an advertised Non-Executive Director (NED) vacancy, you will have discovered that they are not easy to find.

Finding UK Board Vacancies can be challenging

Less than  20% of board vacancies are advertised either by the recruiting organisation directly or via the recruitment firm hired to source candidates. Whilst there are more successful ways to get appointed, if you are serious about gaining a board role, then you will, at some point, need to find and respond to advertised opportunities. In the first instance, though, you will need to find them. In this article, I will suggest some places where you can find NED vacancies. 

Where to find advertised NED vacancies – All sectors

• • Print Media – was traditionally the first place to turn to when trying to find NED vacancies, particularly for the more significant roles. However, with the rise of digital media, online recruitment platforms and job databases, this is no longer the case.
    
    The Times and The Sunday Times remain trusted sources of news and insights in the business and finance sectors. They also host the Appointments database, where you can find advertisements for senior vacancies, including some NED vacancies.
    
    
  • Organisations – At times, NED vacancies are advertised in industry or trade magazines. However, they are more likely to be advertised via industry newsletters, websites and/or social media pages. My advice is first to compile a list of your target organisations, then subscribe to their newsletters and social media feeds, as well as those of affiliated industry bodies.
    
    
  • Job vacancy websites – will often have listings for board vacancies. These sites include Monster, Reed, TotalJobs, Indeed and GlassDoor. Keeping up with these and regularly checking suitable vacancies can be tedious and time-consuming. On some, you may also find the search and filtering functions limited when searching for board director, committee, trustee and governance roles. Initially, you may need to keep an eye on a number of them until you can select just those that list the most suitable vacancies for your board aspirations.
    
    
  • LinkedIn – is where the majority of recruitment firms and individual recruiters advertise NED vacancies.
    
    
  • Recruitment firms – Whilst it is near impossible to follow every recruiter that may currently or in the future advertise a board role that you are interested in, you should subscribe to recruiter websites or their socials to get notifications for new NED opportunities.

Where to find advertised NED vacancies – Not for Profit

For those focusing on Not-for-Profit or charity roles, frequently visiting the Charity Jobs or Not for Profit People is highly recommended. They list board, committee and trustee roles, but sometimes it isn’t easy to find them specifically.

The Charity Commission’s website is another resource. Whilst it doesn’t provide vacancy information, it does list all registered charities in England & Wales. The listings provide relevant information about the organisation that can help you narrow down which organisations to focus your attention on. Once you have your list of organisations you are interested in serving on their boards, subscribe to their socials and emails to be alerted to future opportunities.

Where to find advertised NED vacancies – Commercial Organisations

Commercial organisations seldom advertise their NED roles. When they do, they often use one or more of the methods mentioned above. If you’re pursuing a NED or portfolio career that includes commercial appointments, how do you find and gain NED appointments that are not advertised?

I suggest adopting some more proactive approaches, including:

• • Exploring and networking with various Private Equity or Venture Capital firms can be advantageous. These firms frequently seek out board or advisory board members whom they trust to oversee their investments effectively.
  • Professional service firms can be a good source for advertised and non-advertised NED vacancies. These firms provide specialist knowledge and advice to their clients across accounting, legal, risk, consulting, and engineering. Their advice might include adding NED members to the board or establishing advisory committees or boards.
  • You may come across some small consultancies or start-ups with advertising NED roles that seem perfect, stating that no board experience is required. A word of warning here, if they refer to the role as a ‘value add director’. This is often a red flag for a capital-raising exercise in which you are asked to invest in the company to gain a board seat … sneaky!
  • You will have also come across online businesses that purport to ‘connect’ you with board opportunities. They often promise the world with well-polished websites. I am sceptical of their success and have heard unfavourable feedback from numerous individuals who have paid for their services. Their promise, however, is reliant on their having exclusive access to a large number of organisations that need new board members.

NED Vacancies – Government

If you are interested in public appointments at any level of government, the good news is that these positions are usually publicly advertised. Apply for a Public Appointment UK along with the HM Government Public Appointments LinkedIn page.

If you want something closer to home, check for vacancies and resources on your local city council’s website.

NED – Recruiters

Whilst not technically ‘advertising’ NED vacancies, recruiters, headhunters or executive search firms might be a good place to focus your attention. It would be convenient if there were just a handful of firms specialising in board recruitment; however, there aren’t. There are around 3870 executive search firms in the UK, many of which handle occasional board member recruitment assignments.

Let our team find advertised NED Vacancies for you

Since its inception, Board Appointments UK has sourced and listed 17,000+ board vacancies for 5000+ individual organisations. My team (not robots or AI) researches and compiles the UK’s largest and most diverse list of advertised NED, advisory board, committee and trustee vacancies. This saves our members time by providing access to all advertised vacancies and opportunities in one place. We send all our subscribers an email each week to ensure they never miss an opportunity.

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