Government Relations Adviser in London

Team: Corporate & Public Affairs

Directorate: Communications and Corporate Affairs

Contract details: Full-time

Location: Southwark, London SE1, with hybrid working. Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Overview of project/role:

As part of TfL’s wider Public Affairs function, our Government Relations team plays a pivotal role in shaping how we engage with the political landscape across London and the UK. Acting as the single point of contact for Ministers, Parliamentarians, London Assembly Members and key government bodies, the team leads on building strong, trusted relationships that help inform decision‑making and support the delivery of London’s transport priorities. Our work connects TfL with national and regional institutions, UK cities and international organisations—ensuring our voice is heard and that we stay closely aligned with the evolving political, policy and funding environment.

We’re looking for a proactive and collaborative Government Relations Adviser who brings sound political judgement and a strong understanding of the needs and priorities of our key political stakeholders. Reporting to a Head of Desk, you’ll play a central role in delivering TfL’s public affairs strategy—working closely with senior managers to build constructive, influential relationships across the political landscape.

In this role, you’ll draft clear and compelling responses to correspondence from elected representatives, develop tailored communications plans to support political understanding of TfL’s strategy, and coordinate visits and events for high‑profile stakeholders. You’ll also lead on specific subject‑matter areas for your desk, represent the team in key meetings, prepare responses to Mayor’s Questions, and support senior leaders ahead of national and regional committee sessions. It’s a position for someone who enjoys variety, values collaboration, and thrives on work that sits at the heart of shaping London’s transport conversations.

Key Accountabilities:

• Building stakeholder relationships by developing and managing effective, trusted connections with key political figures—including Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, Government departments, the London Assembly and other UK cities—and acting as the primary point of contact for an allocated group of MPs and London Assembly Members.
• Supporting senior leaders by preparing Executive Committee members and other senior managers for meetings, scrutiny sessions and engagements with political and external stakeholders.
• Safeguarding TfL’s reputation through coordinated, accurate and timely responses to political correspondence, and by tracking and managing activity linked to scrutiny, including Mayor’s Questions, committees and government announcements.
• Representing TfL confidently and professionally with assigned stakeholder audiences, resolving issues, addressing concerns and escalating matters where needed to ensure swift and appropriate outcomes.
• Monitoring the political landscape by analysing and communicating relevant policy and political developments to ensure senior managers and colleagues across TfL remain informed and well positioned to respond.
• Shaping the external environment by working with senior managers to support the design and delivery of campaigns that help secure a favourable funding, policy and legislative context for TfL.
• Collaborating across TfL by working closely with colleagues in Government Relations, the wider Public Affairs teams and the Communications and Corporate Affairs directorate to ensure aligned messaging and support the effective delivery of TfL and Mayoral priorities.

Skills:

• Able to produce and adapt clear and concise research on complex issues often to tight deadlines, including drafting position papers and correspondence (Essential).
• Confidence to play a full and active part in internal meetings up to senior management level (including briefing the Executive Committee) and in meetings with external stakeholders (Essential).
• Proven ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing on complex issues, to edit and improve the written work of others (Essential).
• Proven ability to build strong collaborative working relationships with senior colleagues and external political groups (Essential).
• Politically astute, with a sound awareness of the key policy issues affecting transport decisions in London (Essential).
• Exceptional written and verbal skills, with an ability to perform well in high‑pressure situations (Essential).
• Excellent influencing and negotiating skills (Desirable).

Knowledge:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject, or with relevant professional experience (Essential).
• Understanding of the political environment in which TfL operates nationally and regionally, including relationships with Government, Parliament, the Mayor of London and the London Assembly as appropriate (Essential).
• Excellent understanding of the way that policy is developed and implemented, and how political engagement influences this (Essential).
• Excellent understanding of the challenges London faces and TfL's corporate and engagement strategy (Desirable).
• Understanding of the relationship between the Mayor's priorities, business strategy and public affairs strategy (Desirable).
• Understanding of emerging policy in transport (Desirable).

Experience:

• Experience of working in a fast‑paced team, dealing with a range of conflicting priorities and pressures (Essential).
• Experience of working in a mainstream public affairs environment, working with a number of stakeholder audiences, including politicians and government officials as appropriate (Essential).
• Experience of proactively engaging with external audiences and political institutions, and also of encouraging third‑party advocacy and mitigating criticism (Essential).
• Experience of working in a political environment, specifically within the transport sector (Essential).
• Excellent record of delivering results on time and within budget (Desirable).

Equality, diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Benefits:

• Final salary pension scheme.
• Free travel for you on the TfL network.
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home.
• 30 days annual leave plus public holidays.