***THIS JOB VACANCY HAS NOW CLOSED***
| Body: | Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families |
|---|---|
| Appointing Department: | Ministry of Defence |
| Sectors: | Defence, Regulation |
| Location: | London |
| Skills required: | Business / Commercial, Communication / Media / Marketing, HR, IT / Digital, Legal / Judicial, Major Projects, Regulation, Transformation |
| Number of Vacancies: | 1 |
| Remuneration: | No |
| Time Requirements: | The veterans’ arena is a complex and congested environment and there is always more that can be done to improve outcomes for the veteran community; the VAPC role can, therefore, take as much of your time as you are willing and able to give. However, current tasking levels demand some 30-40 hours of activity for the Chair each month combining working from home and attending meetings. |
The Veterans Advisory & Pensions Committees (VAPCs) are Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies divided into 13 geographical regions. Appointments of Chairs and Members to the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees (VAPCs) is made by the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families (MinDPVSF). Each appointment is for a term of 3 years with a possible reappointment for 1 further term of 3 years subject to satisfactory performance.
Each VAPC is an independent regional statutory committee that acts independently of its sponsoring and other government departments. Members of VAPCs are given functions in two different capacities by different means:
- one set of functions by statutory provision as members of a statutory committee, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1133/made and
- another set of functions as members of a regional informal group by Supplementary Terms of Reference (TORs)
The TORs provide direction relating to performance for an initial period of 12 months and invite the members of the regional VAPCs to act as members of informal regional groups enabling them to carry out activities relating to all veterans and their families. Following the initial 12-month period (November 2021 to 2022), the Minister will review the TORs and performance against the activities set out in them, and will make a determination on next steps (e.g. extending the TORs, replacing them or withdrawing them). The TORs will stay in effect until the outcome of the review.
Together, the existing legislation and the TORs enable the members of VAPCs to:
- provide a distinct, identifiable, and independent point of reference for the Veteran community and all those supporting it to raise, respond to, promote and raise awareness of issues relating to Veterans Services, the Strategy for our Veterans, the Armed Forces Covenant and the War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes and the availability of cross-Government support from multiple Departments to the Armed Forces, their families and Veterans
- act from an independent standpoint as an advocate, promoter, facilitator, or communicator of Veterans Services provided by government, central and local authorities, stakeholders, charities and others;
- report and make representations from an independent standpoint on strategy and the delivery of the above to Ministers and others.
- act as bodies to enable and foster consultation by the Secretary of State, the MOD, Veterans UK and the Armed Forces Covenant Team on issues affecting those entitled to payments under the War Pension/Armed Forces Compensation Schemes.
- support Veterans UK by providing an independent quality assurance overview related to the service delivery of the Welfare Service at a local level. Develop relations with Vets UK Regional Welfare Managers to gain an awareness of Veterans’ welfare concerns at a regional level and advise as to how best to maximise effective welfare support.
The VAPC Chairperson and members play a central role in their region in promoting the interests and welfare of the Armed Forces community, including its Veterans cohort, and their families. The committees and informal regional groups meet formally a minimum of 2 times per year and members are expected to be involved in a wide-ranging agenda of issues relating to the functions set out above. This will require a blend of sub-group, informal regional group and ad hoc meetings to be managed alongside the formal set piece meetings.
Suitable candidates for the Chair role may come from a wide range of backgrounds and, whilst knowledge of service life would be useful, it is not essential. What is most important is that applicants should have a real commitment to supporting Veterans and their Families.
