Guidance

Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons Expert Committee: recruitment information pack (accessible version)

Published 6 October 2025

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 3 November 2025, 11:59pm.

Email: millwec.secretariat@homeoffice.gov.uk

1. Background

1.1 About the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons Expert Committee

Science, technology, analysis, and research are vital to the Home Office as they provide the capabilities and evidence-base underpinning our policies and operational practice across public safety, homeland security, and migration and borders.

The Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons Expert Committee (MILLWEC) supports the Home Office by providing independent science advice to policy and operations, to ensure that decisions involving LLWs are informed by robust medical evidence.

It is within the committee’s responsibility to:

• Provide advice on medical aspects of generic classes of LLW systems and some specialist munitions in relation to the effects of these systems on the users and the population they may be used upon;
• Produce independent statements on the medical implications of use of specified LLW systems under clearly defined criteria (including consideration of test results, user training and guidance and user maintenance). This covers new systems, or any changes to approved systems.
• Provide advice on the risk of injury, including injuries to specific areas of the body, from specific LLW systems. This advice will be provided in a format that will both assist policymakers and help to inform tactical decision making by operational users.
• Provide considerations of medically-related outcomes in the operational use of LLW systems, recommending where evidence points to changes to practice to improve the safety in use of LLW systems. MILLWEC is an independent expert committee sponsored by the Home Office. An expert committee is a non-administratively classified government entity so is not considered an arms-length body.

1.2 Governance

The Secretariat will be the link between the government and the Council members. MILLWEC adopts the government’s Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees (CoPSAC). Members will be expected to abide by the Public Service Values and Standards in Public Service, including the Seven Principles of Public Life (Annex A). MILLWEC members should interact with government transparently and openly, whilst ensuring that they act in an unbiased and independent manner.

1.3 Introduction to the Home Office

The Home Office is one of the great departments of state and its purpose is fundamentally important: to keep our citizens safe and country secure. The Home Office is dedicated to tackling issues at the heart of the government’s agenda including strengthening border security, delivering safer streets and reducing homeland security risks to the UK’s people. With the challenges we face changing rapidly within the global environment in which we operate.

To achieve its purpose the Home Office is structured around three overarching systems: Homeland Security, Public Safety (including delivery of the Safer Streets mission), and Migration and Borders. Science, Technology Analysis and Research (STAR), provides the cross-cutting scientific function which enables evidence to be at the forefront of decision making.

2. Role of a committee member

Role: Members are expected to attend at least 2 meetings as well as respond to shorter turnaround requests if needed. The Home Office may also request advice from the committee in emergencies. As well as responding to incoming work, members should proactively share their ideas and knowledge where they consider it will add value.

Committee members are expected to:

• Contribute to MILLWEC meetings
• Act collectively with other MILLWEC or co-opted members to ensure that the committee fulfils its responsibilities in providing impartial, independent, balanced, evidence-based advice to the department and CSA.
• Examine and challenge the assumptions on which advice is formulated.
• Consider and evaluate evidence on a given issue, and where appropriate, the concerns and values of stakeholders before a decision is taken.
• Consider the wider context in which their expertise is employed when formulating advice.

Location: Committee-level meetings will normally take place at the Home Office Headquarters, 2 Marsham Street, London. Some MILLWEC meetings may take place at a suitable external venue or be held virtually.

Appointment: Members will be appointed through fair and open competition by a selection panel including the Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser. All members must be able to work within the parameters set out in their Terms of Appointment and with necessary discretion/confidentiality and classification levels, keeping MILLWEC business private.

Duration: Members will be appointed for a three-year term in the first instance and may be re-appointed to a maximum of 10 years.

Time commitment: Committee members will be expected to commit approximately 10 to 15 days per year – this is an upper limit and will be dependent on the volume of commissions.

2.1 Person specification

Your supporting statement should provide evidence of your skills and experience against the criteria set out below. Please be clear about the scope of your qualifications, the scale and significance of your role and any relevant achievements. The evidence you provide against the selection criteria will be used by the selection panel to determine your suitability for the role.

2.2 Required expertise

The committee is seeking to recruit members who can demonstrate the ability to meet one or more of the following essential criteria.

Candidates with a scientific background must have clinical, academic and/or research experience at a senior level in one of the following areas of expertise relevant to the human effects of less-lethal weapons:

• Anaesthesia
• Cardiology
• Emergency medicine
• Ergonomics
• Forensic and legal medicine
• Forensic pathology
• Human factors
• Medical ethics
• Neurophysiology
• Paediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Respiratory medicine
• Toxicology
• Trauma

Candidates with a lay background must demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• A commitment to acquiring significant knowledge in the medical effects of less-lethal weapons systems
• Confidence in their ability to provide independent and external perspectives and a public interest perspective
• Strong critical thinking and judgement
• Exceptional analytical and communication skills.
• An ability to command the confidence of ministers, stakeholders and the public

Desirable, but not essential, backgrounds:

• Experience in public health, human rights, policing oversight,
• Previous involvement in public advisory roles or ethics committees
• Awareness of the social impact of policing technologies

In addition, all applicants should:

• Have effective communication, interpersonal and influencing skills at all levels.
• Have experience of working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary groups to advise on complex and/or strategic scientific or technical questions.
• Be able to evaluate complex issues, considering conflicting expert opinions and values to generate options and reach a consensus.
• Have strong analytical and judgement skills whilst being open to challenge and group discussions.
• Have experience of having an impact in the equality, diversity and inclusivity space and being a positive champion for equality, diversity and inclusion.

3. Recruitment process

3.1 Response instructions

If you wish to apply for this position, please submit:

• A concise CV (maximum 2 sides of A4) outlining your most relevant career history, with key responsibilities and achievements.
• A cover letter (maximum 2 sides of A4) highlighting your suitability and setting out how you meet the essential criteria. Please note that this supporting statement is an important part of your application and will be considered alongside the CV.
• A completed diversity monitoring form as found in Annex B (please note that you are permitted to answer “Prefer not to say” for any or all questions)

Completed applications should be emailed to millwec.secretariat@homeoffice.gov.uk by 3rd November 2025. Please contact millwec.secretariat@homeoffice.gov.uk with any questions.

3.2 Covering letter

Your covering letter should provide evidence of your skills and experience against the essential and desirable selection criteria set out above. Please be clear about the scale and significance of your current role, previous roles, expertise and achievements. The evidence you provide against the selection criteria will be used by the selection panel to determine your suitability for the role.

3.3 Selection process

Applicants will be assessed by an appointment’s selection panel comprising the Home Office Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser, and independent panellists. The panel will consider those candidates who best demonstrate that they meet the stipulated criteria as set out in this information pack. Before the interview stage of the selection process, there will be a sift and all candidates will be informed of the outcome of the sift stage by email before interviews are conducted.

The panel members will be:

• Nicholas Moiseiwitsch (Home Office)
• Lizzy Gummer (Home Office)
• William Proud (Independent)

3.4 Due diligence

Please note that as part of the recruitment process due diligence will be undertaken on the appointable candidates.

The Chair of the panel will inform applicants of the outcome of the interviews. At the point of acceptance, the successful applicant will be asked to submit relevant details so that the process of security clearance can be commenced. Once security clearance has been completed, the new member will be informed that their appointment has been confirmed.

Please note: Expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be reimbursed by the Home Office except in exceptional circumstances and only when agreed in advance.

3.5 Indicative timetable

Please note that these dates are indicative and could be subject to change. Please let us know in your application letter if you are unable to meet these timeframes.

Milestone	Date
Advert closing	3 November 2025
Shortlist meeting (internal)	W/c 3 November 2025
Final panel interviews	W/c 17 November 2025

3.6 Appointment to MILLWEC

A selection panel including the Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser are responsible for the appointment and reappointment of members to MILLWEC.

Appointment is usually for three years with the option of reappointment to a maximum of 10 years. The appointment will be terminated immediately due to breaches of the contract or grave misconduct. This will be judged by the Chief Scientific Adviser and a panel of independent advisors.

Reappointment is decided by the Chief Scientific Adviser depending on several factors. The Chair’s performance will be reviewed annually as is the performance of all Council members.

The reappointment process will also consider:

• The balance of expertise that covers current and future needs of the Home Office.
• The need to ensure that MILLWEC membership is refreshed periodically.
• The need to retain expertise and ensure continuity.
• The aim of maintaining some continuity of membership when new members are recruited.

A member may, at any time, resign by notice in writing to the Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser jointly with the MILLWEC Chair.

3.7 Pay and expenses

Committee members are unremunerated for their role. Travel expenses and reasonable subsistence will be covered.

3.8 Gifts and hospitality

All members are expected to ensure that acceptance of gifts and hospitality can stand up to public scrutiny.

3.9 Conflicts of interest

Every member will have to complete their Register of Interests which is uploaded onto the gov.uk page. Any updates to this document should be communicated to the Secretariat. Should a matter give rise to a conflict of interest, members are required to inform the Chair in advance and withdraw from discussions or consideration of the matter. Guidance on handling conflicts of interests is provided in the government’s Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees (CoPSAC).

A member is expected to inform the Secretariat and Chair of MILLWEC in advance of a new appointment that may impinge on their duties as a member of MILLWEC. Members should report annually even if this information is unchanged. Members are required to inform the Chair and Secretariat if they intend to accept a prominent position in any political party and understand that this could impact their MILLWEC appointment.

3.10 Freedom of Information Act 2000

MILLWEC maintain openness and transparency by publishing meeting minutes along with MILLWEC written statements. MILLWEC abide by the statutory right to information provided by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. All significant statements should be published as soon as possible once MILLWEC has delivered its advice, unless non-disclosure is justified under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

3.11 Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to obtain Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC) before taking up post. Depending on the nature of commissions received, subsequent vetting may be required.

3.12 Equal opportunities monitoring

As part of the application process, we ask candidates to complete the Home Office Equal Opportunities form (found in a separate attachment). This will help us to follow the recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, that employers should monitor selection decisions to assess whether equality of opportunity is being achieved. The information on the form will be treated as confidential and used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of your application.

The diversity monitoring form also requests some additional information. Please also tell us if you have:

• ever been convicted of any offence (other than minor motoring offences) which are not spent in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974;
• any charges outstanding;
• become bankrupt over the past ten years;
• been dismissed from any office or employment over the past ten years and the reasons for this; and
• ever been disqualified from acting as a company director or in the conduct of a Company ever been a director, partner or manager of a company which has gone into liquidation.

3.13 Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled persons

The Home Office is an accredited user of the government’s “Disability Confident” disability symbol, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled applicants. Applicants who meet the minimum criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview. Selection will be on merit. If you wish to apply for consideration under this scheme, please complete the form next to this pack on the gov.uk site. It is not necessary to state the nature of your disability.

3.14 Data Protection

The Home Office takes its obligations under the Data Protection Act seriously. Any data about you will be held in secure conditions with access restricted to those who need it in connection with dealing with your application. Data may also be used for the purposes of monitoring the effectiveness of the recruitment process, but in these circumstances will be kept anonymous. The ethnic monitoring form is used for monitoring the selection process only. If you do not want these details to be recorded please return the form uncompleted. If unsuccessful, your personal data relating to application will be destroyed. If successful, necessary data will be retained.

3.15 Further information

Complaints: If you are not completely satisfied with the way your application is handled at any stage of the competition, please raise any complaint in the first instance with: millwec.secretariat@homeoffice.gov.uk. We will reply to your complaint within 20 working days.

4. Annex A - The Committee on Standards in Public Life

4.1 The Seven Principles of Public Life

Selflessness:

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity:

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity:

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability:

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness:

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honesty:

Holders of public office should be truthful.

Leadership:

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

5. Annex B - Diversity monitoring

Download and complete the diversity monitoring form from the MILLWEC vacancies page and return it alongside your application.