Chair of the NDRP Board Application and Nomination

Introduction

The National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) is an Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 (ADS) initiative and is being set up to be an independent not-for-profit Company governed by a Board of Directors.

The NDRP will fund research led by and with people with disability. An initial $15 million of funding is being provided to the NDRP, to June 2026, through a Commonwealth Government grant. This will help to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive disability research program that builds evidence for successful policy and practice.

The NDRP will launch around the middle of 2024 and is looking for the Chair of the Board. The desired composition of the Board’s 11 Directors is:

1. 25% people who undertake disability research
2. 25% people who either are a family member, carer, friend, supporter or ally of people with disability, and
3. 15% people who identify as either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or who have a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

The majority of Directors on the NDRP Board will be people with disability. The Board will aim to have a gender balance and for Directors to come from around Australia, including people from regional, rural and remote areas.

Up until December 2023, background work to establish the NDRP has been led by the University of Melbourne and directed by a Working Party made up of researchers and people with disability from across Australia. Work produced includes a draft NDRP Research Agenda and a disability research capacity strengthening plan.

The Board’s job is to guide the NDRP to maintain its objective to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive disability research program that builds the evidence for developing policy and practice decisions. Attracting funding for research from a range of sources will be important to support the NDRP’s independence.

Further information of the NDRP can be found at the NDRP website (www.ndrp.org.au).

More information about this EOI is available in the Frequently Asked Questions

NDRP Guiding Principles

The NDRP Guiding Principles guide the NDRP’s work and decisions and are outlined in Rule 8 of the Constitution. All directors will be asked to formally acknowledge and support the NDRP principles which are to:

1. Advance high quality research that informs disability policy and practice in Australia
2. Value the knowledge of people with disability in research
3. Strengthen disability research capacity
4. Share research findings widely in useful and accessible ways

Skills, Experience and Attributes

The NDRP will have a skills-based board made up of individuals who have:

1. experience and/or knowledge of disability research and government disability policy,
2. knowledge and understanding of effective governance,
3. able to build a strong professional network, and/or
4. influence people, lead a team and work effectively with others.

The Chair is not expected to possess all these skills. However, when combined with the other directors of the board, the board must be able to deliver on the company objectives.

Assessment Criteria

Demonstrate your skills and/or experience on the following 6 criteria (A guide on what to include in your application has been included under each criterion):

1. Leadership

• Leadership style, method of providing directions and behaviours to motivate, influence or guide people.
• Ability to lead a Board and/or committee/s with examples of your understanding of successful conduct of meetings.

2. Governance

• On boards or similar organisations; establishing and/or maintaining a board and/or committees with knowledge of a company’s constitution, legal and ethical duties.
• Understanding of good governance, and the importance of rules, direction, problem solving and decision making.
• In the not-for-profit sector-relevant with a company who is a registered charity with charitable purposes, and/or knowledge of the Australian Charities and not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Act.
• Understanding and compliance of legal structures, the Australian Security Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Corporations Act 2001.

3. Communication

• Communication and collaboration styles, and ability to work with others, and to communicate the views of a Board, CEO, organisation.
• Dealing with the public sector (Commonwealth, state or territory, and local governments).
• Skills in establishing and maintaining relationships and partnerships, managing competing stakeholder interests, and ensuring that the voices of intersectional and marginalised stakeholder groups are heard.

4. Strategy, Finance and Risk Management

• Involvement in planning, developing and implementing strategic directions and annual plans; risk management frameworks and standards.
• Financial, auditing and record management processes, understanding of financial reports.
• Attracting sustainable funding.

5. Organisational Experience

• Organisational experience, running a company and/or working closely with a Chief Executive Officer.
• Project Management, contract management and/or Grant Agreement management experience.
• Organisational policy development, legal and/or insurance policy experience.

6. Disability Research

• Understanding of the Australian disability research sector, how it operates, and where disability research capacity needs to be built.
• Understanding of how governments operate, and the disability policy and programs at of governments (including Commonwealth, state and territory, and local government).
• Ability to identify priority areas for research that will have the greatest impact on policy that will improve the lives of people with disability.

Purpose of this form

This form is used to nominate for the position of Chair of the NDRP Board with the National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) Ltd.

Steps

There are 4 steps you must complete. You can use this section as a checklist.

Step 1: Eligibility

Step 2: Applicant Details

Step 3: Your Skills and Experience

Step 4: Submit

Step 1: Eligibility

To be considered for the role of Chair of the NDRP Board, a person must:

1. be at least 18 years of age;
2. be a person with a disability;
3. have a valid Director Identification Number;
4. not be employed by the Commonwealth, State or Territory government; and
5. not be disqualified under the Corporation Act 2001, by the Australian Charities Not-for-profit Commission, or any other regulatory authority.

If you meet this eligibility, please proceed to Step 2.

The NDRP will check if an applicant is disqualified and may arrange for any other background checks deemed necessary before a person is appointed to the board.

• Nomination form PDF (500kB)
• Nomination form DOCX (1.3MB)