For the first time ever, the Bank of England is publicly advertising for the position of governor, with Mervyn King stepping down next summer after completing his term.

A spokesperson for the Treasury, which will oversee the process, tells Recruiter that “the government has said for a long time it’s committed to transparency; it’s also committed to finding the right person for the job”. No executive search firm or external recruitment body is involved, the spokesperson adds.

In fact, it was previous chancellor Alastair Darling who announced in 2009 the intention to advertise for a replacement, but speaking on the BBC’s Newsnight yesterday, he suggested the search would have to be very far-reaching indeed, saying: “We should look around the world. It’s a huge job. It requires a superhuman.”

As such, alongside advertising on Cabinet Office-run job site Public Appointments, the ad will also run in the favourite magazine of superheroes worldwide, The Economist, and online here.