Panel Member, Membership Accountability Panel

Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward whoever they are, and whatever their problem.

The Member Accountability Panel (MAP) is established to provide independent and objective decision-making within our revised Member Accountability Framework. Its primary purpose is to protect the reputation and credibility of the Citizens Advice Service by addressing cases where member organisations persistently fail to meet standards or bring the service into disrepute.

We are seeking to appoint no fewer than 8 panel members. It is not a standing panel and will be called only as required.Panels will consist of 3 members drawn from the pool and shall operate on behalf of the national Trustee Board but independently of the national Citizens Advice executive. Selection of Panel members from the pool will take account of:

• Member availability
• Specialist knowledge or experience relating to the substantive issues
• Equitable allocation of work between members of the pool

Members of the panel will be expected to:

• Conduct Formal Hearings (Stage 2): Conduct formal discussions (typically online) to consider cases referred by National Citizens Advice.
• Evaluate Evidence: Review written and verbal evidence from both National Citizens Advice and the member organisation to make objective decisions.
• Issue Directions: Direct member organisations to take specific, time-bound actions to remedy performance or reputational issues.
• Conduct Progress Reviews (Stage 3): Review a member’s progress against issued directions to determine if the issue has been resolved or if further action is required.
• Make Critical Recommendations: Where a member has failed to resolve serious issues, make recommendations to the national Trustee Board regarding the termination of membership

We’re looking for individuals to act as an independent decision-makers within the Member Accountability Framework, ensuring that the reputation and credibility of the Citizens Advice service are protected while maintaining a fair, transparent, and solution-focused approach to member accountability.

Experience and Knowledge

• Sector Expertise: Broad knowledge of the Citizens Advice service or the wider advice sector.
• Organisational Leadership: Understanding of charity governance, particularly the roles and responsibilities of Trustee Boards and Chief Executives.
• Performance Frameworks: Familiarity with performance and quality frameworks
• Background: May include previous network or national trustees, senior staff, or individuals from other advice networks with reciprocal arrangements. Experience of federated structures would be beneficial.

Desirable skills or experience

• Objective Decision-Making: Ability to promote objectivity of views and make independent decisions on behalf of the national Trustee Board.
• Analytical Skills: Capability to evaluate written and verbal evidence to determine outcomes and/or to issue specific directions.
• Root Cause Analysis: Ability to look beyond surface-level issues to understand the organisational context and underlying reasons why a member may not meet standards.
• Solution-Focused Thinking: Skill in identifying actions and directions aimed at improving service delivery, organisational viability, or restoring reputation.
• Communication: Ability to participate in formal hearings (often online) and treat all parties with dignity and respect, even during disagreements.
• Proven Commitment to accountability: drawing out lessons learned and any potential further action, through review of outcomes.

To apply, please provide:

• A CV (no more than three sides) or equivalent biographical information.
• A short covering letter that explains your motivation, suitability, availability and confirms that you would not be subject to any conflict of interest.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service.

Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We follow the social model of disability. We will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

We have been awarded the top charity in Third sectors' employer index, where it's recognised that Citizens Advice is an organization that not only prioritizes the people we serve but also values the wellbeing of its employees.

Please note, in the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.

This vacancy closes at 23.59 on the closing date.

Need help with your application, see our useful how to guides on the following page - Guidance notes for applicants