Start with the ‘why’

One of the main reasons why I started this website, just over a year ago, was to draw attention to the opportunities to work on Boards in Wales. At the time there was no ‘one stop shop’ for Board appointments, so when I was advising potential candidates for the Board where to look I had to refer to a number of different sites.

What difference does this make?

Well, it’s impossible to know empirically because I don’t have access to recruitment data. Anecdotally, I have received more than a few messages indicating that the website has been useful in helping people identify and apply for Board positions; and also messages from organizations that have benefited from having their Board opportunities presented to a wider audience.

On top of that – the Welsh Boards audience continues to grow every month. The website’s statistics show an average of 1,000 visitors per month (November was a record with more than 1,500), and the LinkedIn page has almost 1,500 followers.

I don’t claim to be able to present every Board opportunity in Wales, but I can honestly say that I publicise almost every one I become aware of (if I don’t, it’s usually because the deadline is only a day or two away).

There are two ways for me to be aware of Board positions:

• My own searches
• People submit their Board posts for me to publish

So far, the first method has been by far the most prolific – but I get about two a month on average from people directly presenting opportunities (and thanks to those who do!). By the way, I would be happy to get feedback on ways to make this process easier, or on alternative suggestions for submitting Board positions.

What about the data?

In March 2025 I decided that I would try to start tracking the opportunities on the Board. At the time, I wasn’t sure what the benefit would be; it is certainly an additional time cost. But I have noted the following which may be useful for people looking for positions on the Board:

• Publishing pay rates, types of roles and organisational details helps people see how public appointments work, improving confidence in fairness and accountability.
• There is clear information about daily rates, responsibilities, and expectations of a chairman vs. members help individuals judge whether a role is right for them, especially if it can be compared with job descriptions from previous opportunities
• Understanding how boards work and what they pay can help manage expectations when applying for positions on the Board

In terms of the benefits to organisations:

• When pay, role design and expectations are visible across Wales, organisations can benchmark their offer, ensuring it is competitive and fair.
• Viewing the number of jobs across sectors helps organisations understand:
  • where the competition for candidates is highest
  • what daily rates are typical
  • how the roles of chairs differ in terms of pay and responsibilities
• Linking directly to job descriptions supports shared standards for governance, role clarity, and public appointment processes. This could also be useful for recruitment processes where previous job descriptions from different organisations are available

For the Welsh Government, regulators and public bodies, aggregated data helps to:

• Track vacancies and appointment cycles
• Identify skills gaps across Wales
• Planning targeted leadership programs and developing talent

I hope that the publication of the data will make an additional contribution to the civic infrastructure of Wales by improving transparency, supporting diverse talent pipelines and helping to bridge the gap in understanding between Boards and the people who might want to serve on them.

In case you missed the link at the top of the page, here is the link to the database.

Warnings

• As I mentioned earlier, the data is just the things I come across. There are dozens more jobs available every month that no doubt advertise locally through other means.
• The daily rate calculations are sometimes taken by using an annual amount, divided by the number of days the job description says are necessary. A word of caution; some organisations will expect many more ‘days’ from you than stated in the job description! These would normally be larger and more complex bodies
• I only started recording this data in March 2025.

Finally, I am not a lawyer, but I want to say that this database is the product of my best efforts and intentions, and I in no way accept any liability for consequences arising from its use or misuse. All the data is already in the public domain.

This blog entry is the personal opinion of David Clubb. No AI was used for any part of the creation or refinement of this blog entry. It is entirely the product of my own brain.