UCC is Seeking External Members for its Governing Body

On 26^th June 2023, UCC will launch a call for expressions of interest for external members of its new Governing Body. Six external members will be selected from this call to take office on UCC’s new Governing Body from 8^th November 2023.

Role of Governing Body and UCC’s Strategic Plan

Governing Body is tasked with the overall governance of the University and provides active strategic direction and leadership to enable the University to succeed in its mission of education and research. UCC is seeking individuals who can make a substantial contribution to the effective and efficient performance by Governing Body of these functions.

Role of Governing Body

UCC’s vision is to connect and empower people to create knowledge that shapes a sustainable and inclusive world. Our mission is to create and sustain an inclusive environment and culture to enable transformative research and learning for the enrichment of society and stewardship of our planet.

UCC’s Strategic Plan 2023-2028 – Securing our Future  has the following strategic goals:

1. research and innovation
2. student success
3. global engagement
4. our staff, our culture
5. our place, our footprint.

Key enablers of the strategy are people, wellbeing and EDI; effective communications; resources; philanthropy and stakeholder engagement; operational excellence; strategic partnerships; digital capabilities and quality data; governance.

Candidate Profile

The University is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates to fill the positions of external member on the next Governing Body of University College Cork. 

Candidates should have a career history at a sufficiently senior level in a complex organisation of scale and equivalent experience of relevance to Governing Body membership in areas such as:

• Governance
• Strategy
• Executive/Management and Organisational Experience
• Soft Skills and Attributes
• Research and Innovation
• Teaching and learning
• Student Success
• Staff and Culture
• Sustainability and Climate action
• Infrastructure
• Financial

Further details for interested applicants are available in the Governor Profile.

To ensure the new Governing Body is competency based, the current Governing Body approved a Competency Framework to be utilised to assess the competencies of those interested in applying for membership of the new Governing Body. This Framework sets out the essential and the desirable skills required from the collective membership of the new Governing Body.

Skills, Experience and Competency Framework (“The Competency Framework”)

Selection Process

This Selection Process will launch 26th of June 2023

To express an interest in becoming an external member of Governing Body, candidates will complete the following:

1. An expression of interest form
2. A self-assessment using the Comeptency Framework
3. Attach a two page candidate profile demonstrating how the individual meets the competencies they have assessed themselves as having.

A Select Committee appointed by Governing Body will review prospective candidates and make recommendation to Governing Body of six most suitable candidates. Governing Body will consider the recommendation and approve six individuals as external members of Governing Body to take office on 8^th November 2023.

A term of office for a selected external member will be for a period determined by Governing Body but will not exceed four years.

Further Information

If you have any queries regarding becoming a member of UCC’s Governing Body, please contact us at governance@ucc.ie.