He is the chair of the government-appointed communities and victims panel into the August 2011 riots. He joined Ernst & Young's local public sector advisory team in January 2012. Between November 2009-September 2011 he was the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, taking over from Mel Groves. Before joining DWP in November 2009, Darra had been the Chief Executive Officer of Ealing Council for four years and prior to that had been the Chief Executive of Luton Council. He grew up in Bradford and read law at Newcastle Polytechnic (now the University of Northumbria at Newcastle upon Tyne).