Non-executive director jobs · non-executive director roles and where to find them

Non-executive director jobs: where they are advertised

First, what we do not do. Our job board lists live senior executive roles. It does not list non-executive director jobs: our pipeline refuses them, because many NED seats are never advertised on a job board and we will not pad a list with roles we cannot check. The board further down this page shows senior executive roles and is labelled as such. What follows are the places UK NED and board roles are advertised by the people who appoint to them.

Public appointments

Ministers appoint the boards of many public bodies. Those roles are advertised on the Cabinet Office’s Apply for a public appointment service, where you can search vacancies and set up alerts. The service describes public appointees as people who help guide the strategy of some of the most important institutions in the country. The process is governed by the Governance Code on Public Appointments, revised in October 2025, and regulated by the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments.

NHS trust boards

NHS England appoints the chairs and non-executive directors of NHS trusts, and chairs of integrated care boards. It lists current vacancies on its non-executive opportunities pages, including associate non-executive director roles. Its support for candidates says applicants should live in, or have strong connections with, the area the trust serves, and that the roles are competitive.

Charity trustee roles

A charity trustee sits on the charity’s governing board: the nearest thing the voluntary sector has to a NED seat. Charities recruit their own trustees, and the Charity Commission’s guidance on finding and appointing new trustees tells them to identify the skills the board needs, write a role description and advertise. Reach Volunteering, a charity, lists trustee and skills-based volunteer roles and connects professionals with the charities that need them.

School governors and academy trustees

School governors and academy trustees set their school or trust’s strategic direction, hold the headteacher to account and make sure the budget is properly managed. GOV.UK says anyone can volunteer: contact a school or trust near you, your local council, or a recruitment charity such as Governors for Schools, which matches skilled volunteers with governing boards and academy trusts.

Private and listed company boards

Company NED seats are the least often advertised. A listed company following the FRC’s UK Corporate Governance Code should generally use open advertising or an external search consultancy to appoint non-executive directors, so some listed roles are advertised and others go through search. Private companies are not bound by the Code and may fill the seat through the chair’s network, their investors or a search firm. The way in is usually a track record the board can see, often built on the public, charity and school boards above.

Are non-executive director roles paid?

Company NED roles are paid a fee, which varies with the size of the company, its sector, whether it is listed or regulated, and the seat itself. We do not publish a fee band here; our page on non-executive director recruitment explains how NED fees are set and taxed.

Charity trustees are, in the Charity Commission’s words, almost always unpaid. School governors and academy trustees are not paid, though GOV.UK notes expenses such as travel or childcare can be covered. Public appointments vary: each vacancy states its terms.