Principal Policy Officer

Communities & Skills is led by Executive Director, Tunde Olayinka and is comprised of the following units: Civil Society & Sport, Communities & Social Policy, Group Public Health Unit, Skills and Employment and Health, Children and Young Londoners.

The Skills & Employment unit is responsible for overseeing adult skills delivery in London following delegation of the Adult Skills Fund from the DfE to the GLA in 2019 and the introduction of Skills Bootcamps in 2022.

About The Role: Sitting in the wider Funding Policy and Systems Team, the role will support the Funding Policy side of the team to ensure that the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) allocations are timely and accurate, lead the ASF reconciliation end of year process and any business growth processes stemming. The successful candidate will support the Senior Skills Funding Policy Manager in drafting Mayoral Board papers, ASF guidance documents such as the ASF Funding Rules and Rates and the design and successful management of any ASF competitive grant-award process.

What your day will look like:

• Lead work to ensure that the ASF funds are allocated in a timely and accurate manner, lead on annual ASF reconciliation process and manage any subsequent business growth funding process.
• Draft relevant Mayoral Board papers in line with the governance process and the Skills and Employment assurance framework, draft and publish the ASF Funding Rules and other guidance documents as required to reflect any GLA/DfE changes.
• Provide support in the drafting and design of ASF tender documents, manage the successful completion of competitive grant award process where necessary.
• Provide support and work collaboratively with members of the other teams within the Skills and Employment Unit such as the Delivery team, the Policy team and the Programmes Management Office team.
• Provide emotionally intelligent and inclusive line management and support to the FPS Systems team during a period of change.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience: To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• Demonstrate experience of computer literacy including excel spreadsheets and presentation software, providing data analysis and technical advice across a range of adult skills funds whilst promoting a positive team culture that respects diversity and deals with barriers to inclusion.
• Have, or be able to rapidly develop, an expert knowledge of adult skills funded programmes including funding rules, funding rates and formula.
• An understanding of skills and employment priorities in the Capital specifically in relation to funding systems design.
• Experience of working with procurement and/or legal colleagues in order to design and implement skills or employment programmes is desirable.
• A successful track record, in a high-profile organisation, of influencing policy, especially skills or funding policy.
• Experience of working with the ILR or similar datasets is desirable.
• Seek and incorporate diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address complex issues.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:

• Communicating and Influencing: Presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.
• Building and Managing Relationships: Developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.
• Problem Solving: Analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.
• Research and Analysis: Gathering intelligence (information, opinion and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits.
• Organisational Awareness: Understanding and being sensitive to organisational dynamics, culture and politics across and beyond the GLA and shaping our approach accordingly.
• Planning and Organising: Thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.

How to apply: If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following:

• Up to date CV
• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert.

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the CV and Cover Letters section of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement. Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., CV applicant name - 012345).

As part of GLAs continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from CVs and Personal Statements that could cause discrimination.

If you have questions about the role: If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Lubomira Anastassova-Chirmiciu would be happy to speak to you. Please contact her at lubomira.chirmiciu[at]london.gov.uk.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the glaopdcrecruitment[at]tfl.gov.uk who support the GLA with recruitment.

Assessment process: Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel. If shortlisted, you'll be invited to an interview/assessment. The interview/assessment date is: w/c 16/07/2025 (may be subject to change).

Equality, diversity and inclusion: London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part-time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

Benefits: GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days annual leave, interest-free season ticket loan, interest-free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.

Additional Information: Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application form is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check but some roles may require additional security screening.

More Support: If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact resourcingteam[at]london.gov.uk. The GLA is proud to be a Level 2: Disability Confident employer. We are committed to becoming a more inclusive and accessible organisation, and creating a truly inclusive and accessible workplace and culture for our disabled staff. We have named Disability Equality as a key corporate priority within our EDI Strategy. We welcome and encourage applications from disabled applicants. Should you wish to opt into the scheme, please let us know during your application.

Please note all applications for this vacancy must be submitted via our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs alone for this role. Please upload a personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words to the Additional Documents section of the form, ensuring you address the following technical requirements and competencies in your personal statement. Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images.