Members of the executive team have authority delegated to them by the executive who may task them with areas of interest as they see fit.
However, when members of the executive team act, they do so entirely in the scope of the executive’s accountability and responsibility and have no individual portfolio of their own per se.
This isn't to say that those members shouldn't have opinions, skills and specialisms. The executive team as a whole needs to be able to assess finance, consider security and balance risk, understand strategy, and everything else that would be considered a constraint or an enabler in a modern organisation.
The important thing is ensuring that their interests are fully and completely aligned with the executive: they have no portfolio and no agenda of their own.
SFIA levels of responsibility
The following SFIA levels of responsibility are appropriate for PDO Executive team members. They represent a minimum rather than a level of attainment.
This text has been copied verbatim from the SFIA site.
Autonomy
Level 5 - ensure, advise
Works under broad direction. Work is often self-initiated. Is fully responsible for meeting allocated technical and/or group objectives. Analyses, designs, plans, executes and evaluates work to time, cost and quality targets. Establishes milestones and has a significant role in the assignment of tasks and/or responsibilities.
Influence
Level 6 - initiate, influence
Influences policy and strategy formation. Initiates influential relationships with internal and external customers, suppliers and partners at senior management level, including industry leaders. Leads on collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders across competing objectives within the organisation. Makes decisions which impact the achievement of organisational objectives and financial performance.
Complexity
Level 6 - initiate, influence
Contributes to the development and implementation of policy and strategy. Performs highly complex work activities covering technical, financial and quality aspects. Has deep expertise in own specialism(s) and an understanding of its impact on the broader business and wider customer/organisation.
Business skills
Level 4 - enable
- Communicates fluently, orally and in writing, and can present complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences when engaging with colleagues, users/customers, suppliers and partners.
- Selects appropriately from, and assesses the impact of change to applicable standards, methods, tools, applications and processes relevant to own specialism.
- Demonstrates an awareness of risk and takes an analytical approach to work.
- Maximises the capabilities of applications for their role and evaluates and supports the use of new technologies and digital tools.
- Contributes specialist expertise to requirements definition in support of proposals.
- Shares knowledge and experience in own specialism to help others.
- Learning and professional development — maintains an awareness of developing practices and their application and takes responsibility for driving own development.
- Takes the initiative in identifying and negotiating their own and supporting team members' appropriate development opportunities. Contributes to the development of others.
- Security, privacy and ethics — fully understands the importance and application to own work and the operation of the organisation. Engages or works with specialists as necessary.
Knowledge
Level 7 - set strategy, inspire, mobilise
Has established a broad and deep business knowledge including the activities and practices of own organisation and a broad knowledge of those of suppliers, partners, competitors and clients. Fosters a culture to encourage the strategic application of generic and specific bodies of knowledge within their own area of influence.