Senior Leadership Group

The Senior Leadership Group (SLG) is headed by the Registrar and is responsible for managing and overseeing all aspects of ARB’s operations.

Declaration

All members of the Senior Leadership Group have declared that they have no financial or other personal interest, direct or indirect, in any matter that raises or may raise a conflict with their duties as a staff member at the Architects Registration Board.

Purpose

The purpose of the Senior Leadership Group (SLG) is to manage the operations of the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to facilitate ARB’s effective delivery of the Board’s purpose and objectives.

Membership

The members of the SLG are:

Registrar and Chief Executive
Director of Registration and Accreditation
Director of Governance and International
Director of Standards
Director of Resources
Director of Policy and Communications

The Executive Assistant attends on request to record action points.

Meetings and Procedures

Short diary and planning meetings are held at the beginning of each week. These meetings are intended for information sharing, raising issues of consistency on staffing matters where they are time critical and dealing with any urgent decisions needed by the group. Reports to the group are targeted on external involvement in events or the progress of work within ARB.

The SLG also meets weekly to discuss relevant matters in more detail. This meeting is divided into two sessions: firstly covering, more general operational matters, followed by confidential HR and other issues. The SLG agenda includes a number of standing items, and members are invited to add relevant items in advance of the meeting.

The Registrar and Chief Executive, or in their absence another member of the SLG, chairs all meetings.

The Executive Assistant will record brief action points of the monthly meetings, supplemented by any note taken of the confidential session by one of the Directors present and nominated to do so. When agreed by the group, the notes will be circulated to staff.

Roles and functions

The SLG has the following roles and functions:

• To advise the Registrar and Chief Executive on policy matters, including HR policies and remuneration issues to be considered by the Remuneration and Appointments Committee
• To prepare and recommend to the Board the Business Plan, Budget, risk strategy and changes to resources
• To manage risk within ARB
• To manage the implementation of ARB’s single equality scheme
• To ensure ARB’s compliance with the Department for Communities and Local Government Framework Agreement
• To manage the delivery of the Business Plan within budget
• To manage the Board’s agenda of work
• To share information in order to ensure that ARB is working as a unified, well-informed unit
• To deliver and ensure the consistent operation of:
  • HR policies and remuneration
  • Staff welfare
  • Performance management and performance indicators
• To respond to major incidents affecting the delivery of ARB’s operations
• To support the development of the SLG members as individuals and as a group
• To consider any issue relating to the smooth running of ARB’s business.

In fulfilling the group’s terms of reference, the group will take decisions collectively, but may reach a view by majority vote. However, where decisions rest with the Registrar under statute or under the scheme of decision making, the Registrar may take the decision alone having taken the advice of the group into account.

Reporting

SLG diary meetings are not minuted. Where any decisions or precedents on HR matters are agreed at any SLG meeting, the Director of Resources  will note the discussion/decision for future reference.

SLG monthly meetings are recorded by action points. Once agreed, these are distributed to staff, who may then raise any points for discussion at staff meetings. SLG members are responsible for actioning any outcomes in their own area of responsibility.

Whilst action points are circulated to staff and are not confidential, discussions within the group should generally be regarded as confidential to ensure that those present can speak freely before a decision is taken.