IaN CHESHIRE, the head of Britain's biggest DIY chain, is poised to bring some fix-it skills to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).  The chief executive of B&Qowner Kingfisher is expected to be drafted into the DWP as a lead non-executive director in the next fortnight by Francis Maude, minister for the cabinet office. Talks are at an advanced stage but no final agreement has been reached, Whitehall sources said.  Cheshire, a key supporter of David Cameron, will be one of Maude's biggest-name hires since he outlined plans to lure heavy hitters from the private sector to shake up government departments. He will join andrew Witty, chief executive of Glaxo Smith Kline, who is lead non-executive at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Sara Weller, managing director of argos, who has gone in at the Department for Communities and Local Government.  The first batch of directors started this month and it includes Iain Ferguson, former chief executive of Tate & Lyle, at rural affairs, and Baroness Hogg in the Treasury. as well as work and pensions, appointments in health, defence and energy and climate change are expected imminently.  The DWP, headed by Iain Duncan Smith, the secretary of state, is viewed as one of the most challenging departments.  Its responsibilities range from employment and benefits to disability issues and child poverty.  Non-executives have been tasked with steering their department's "strategic and operational leadership". "They will also provide advice and support to ministers and civil servants, challenge discussions and discuss any performance issues with the prime minister," according to the cabinet office.