Political Group Officer in Walthamstow

Salary: PO2-PO4 £42,771 - £52,194

Contract Type: Full-time, fixed term for the lifetime of the administration and will end no later than the date of the Annual General Meeting in May 2030.

Working hours per week: 36 hours, will require some evening and flexible working.

Application Deadline: 29/05/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): 05/06/2026

Reference: 2146

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role:

We are looking for a capable, enthusiastic and experienced individual to support the work of the Green Group within Waltham Forest, to assist Group Officers in discharging their functions as Members of the Council in respect of Group business, and plan and manage the heavy workload of the Group Office. You will be central to the smooth running of the Green Group Office and will work closely with the Leader and Cabinet. You will support the Group to deliver its manifesto commitments and wider policy aims. You will build relationships both internally and with other bodies including local, regional and national government organisations. You will be responsible for research, analysis, briefings and providing a comprehensive media and social media service to the group. You will also prepare speeches, amendments and questions for council meetings.

About you:

• Experience of delivering genuine impact in a public affairs and campaigning environment
• Excellent organisation and communication skills with sound judgment and self-motivation
• Proven ability to proactively build relationships and networks
• Able to multi-task and deal with rapidly changing priorities
• Experience of Green party politics and/or local government
• Good interpersonal and IT skills are essential, as is discretion in handling confidential matters

This role is certainly fast-paced and challenging, and you will need to be a hard-working and reliable team player who can handle a pressurised environment in a composed and responsive manner. This position is fixed term for the lifetime of the administration and will end no later than the date of the Annual General Meeting in May 2030. We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor; however, for this specific role we are not able to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. To be considered, you must already hold a form of UK work authorisation that does not require sponsorship.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
• Satisfactory declaration of interest;
• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives:

• Promoting equality of opportunity
• Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage
• Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels.
• Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all.

Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Emily Wood, Head of Democratic Services at emily.wood@walthamforest.gov.uk. If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk. The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

Fraud Awareness Notice:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic). We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process. If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information. If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to: fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk.