The Cabinet Office has launched a recruitment process to appoint the next chair of the UK Statistics Authority.
The chair leads the UK Statistics Authority's board, which oversees the work of the Office for National Statistics, the Office for Statistics Regulation and the wider statistical system.
Sir Robert Chote, who has been chair since June 2022, announced his resignation last month in preparation for becoming president of Trinity College, Oxford. A former chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, Chote will leave UKSA at the end of September.
Penny Young, deputy chair of UKSA's board, will take over in the interim period before the appointment of the next chair.
A salary of £71,250 to £85,500 is on offer for the next chair, with a time commitment of three days per week.
Chote said: “It has been a privilege to chair the authority over the last three years. As our five-year strategy, Statistics for the Public Good, draws to its conclusion, the authority is looking for new leaders to reflect on the recent challenges and chart a new path to restore confidence in key economic official statistics."
He added: "I am delighted and grateful that Penny will be picking up the baton while we await the appointment of my successor. She will bring strong values, an open spirit and breadth of expertise, and I wish her and the authority every success in future.”
Young expressed her thanks for Chote's leadership "through what has been a challenging period" and said the board "wishes him all the best" in his new role at Trinity College.
"As someone who has worked in different parts of the statistics and research environment, I am committed to the authority’s purpose of promoting and safeguarding official statistics that serve the public good, and I look forward to working with the next chair of the authority once appointed," she said.
Young added that the board will "continue to work hard to support the ONS as it focuses on improvement, and recognises just how committed its people are to the organisation’s vital mission.”
The recruitment campaign for the UKSA chair comes as the ONS seeks a new permanent secretary and national statistician after ministers agreed to split the roles following a review by Sir Robert Devereux into failings at the ONS.
The advert for the public appointment says the Cabinet Office is seeking a chair with "experience leading a high-profile organisation in a complex and dynamic environment, setting a clear sense of purpose and direction for both internal and external stakeholders".
They should also have the ability to provide "robust challenge and oversight to the executive, ensuring the highest standards of conduct and delivery, and demonstrating the drive, energy, and resilience needed to achieve concrete benefits for customers, staff, and the broader public sector".
The ad also specifies the need for strategic and analytic experience, including the ability to analyse complex strategic issues clearly, anticipate future challenges, and understand both policy issues and public concerns. The chair also needs to be able to develop and communicate strategy effectively to a wide range of audiences and working under high levels of public interest and scrutiny, it adds.
Finally, it says the chair must have "a senior-level understanding of statistics and economic data use in and outside government", coupled with "a strong commitment to statistical independence, impartiality, and the ability to navigate complex debates with an independent, politically aware view".