Principal Policy Officer, Business Engagement

Join to apply for the Principal Policy Officer, Business Engagement role at Greater London Authority. Good Growth is responsible for delivering and implementing the Mayor’s environment, transport and economic strategies and for the effective implementation of the London Plan. The Directorate is also responsible for regeneration, enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work.

About The Team

Our friendly Business Engagement and International Promotion Team serve as the gateway for the private sector into the Mayor of London and his team and the Greater London Authority (GLA). We champion mayoral and GLA priorities to the private sector both domestically and internationally and get their buy in. We manage mayoral business boards and engagement with the private sector. We engage the private sector in policy and decision-making at the GLA to achieve economic growth, making sure London is the best place to do business in the world.

About The Role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed individual to join the Business Engagement & International Promotion team at a crucial time for London’s growth. You will have experience of working with, or alongside, the public and private sector, and a good understanding of the differences in their perspectives and values. Our ideal candidate is self‑motivated and proactive, can manage multiple projects in a fast‑paced and changing environment and can demonstrate excellent attention to detail.

You will play a key role in helping the Mayor of London to build and maintain effective relationships with key private sector contacts and leading employers. You will manage and lead business engagement activities through building relationships with business, planning and delivering projects and events, gathering insight about the needs and key issues facing the capital’s businesses and delivering business‑facing campaigns. You will need to take a strategic overview of the Mayor’s priorities for economic development in the capital. You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage senior stakeholders and provide advice to the Mayor’s Office.

What your day will look like:

• Meet with key sector stakeholders to gather insight and understand global and local challenges and opportunities to keep an up‑to‑date understanding of business perspectives that will shape your policy advice and decisions.
• Represent the GLA at external meetings and events to influence key business stakeholders and get their buy in for mayoral priorities, using strong communication and persuasion skills to influence outcomes and navigate challenging situations.
• Lead high‑profile business engagement events and meetings for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Business & Growth ensuring they are well planned and deliver clear results.
• Write high quality meeting and event briefings for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Business & Growth, using strong research and analysis skills.
• Work across the GLA Group to connect a wide range of business stakeholders on a wide range of policy areas.
• Support the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at meetings and events, with occasional out‑of‑hours working as required.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of working with, or alongside, the public and private sector and a good understanding of the differences in their perspectives and values.
• Experience of engaging and influencing senior external stakeholders.
• Good understanding of economics and business policies, especially in the financial and professional services sectors.
• Significant experience of project management and evidence of driving delivery on major high‑profile, public facing or corporate projects.

Desired Skills / Experience:

• Good written skills / experience of writing briefings for senior executive management.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Building and Managing Relationships: actively engages partners and encourages others to build relationships that support GLA objectives; understands and recognises the contributions that staff at all levels make to delivering priorities; proactively manages partner relationships, preventing or resolving any conflict; adapts style to work effectively with partners, building consensus, trust and respect; delivers objectives by bringing together diverse stakeholders to work effectively in partnership.
• Communicating and Influencing: presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us; encourages and supports teams in engaging in transparent and inclusive communication; influences others and gains buy‑in using compelling, well‑thought‑through arguments; negotiates effectively to deliver GLA priorities; synthesises the complex viewpoints of others, recognises where compromise is necessary and brokers agreement; advocates positively for the GLA both within and outside the organisation.
• 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; monitors allocation of resources, anticipating changing requirements that may impact work delivery; ensures evaluation processes are in place to measure project benefits; gains buy‑in and commitment to project delivery from diverse stakeholders; implements quality measures to ensure directorate output is of a high standard; translates political vision into action plans and deliverables.

How to Apply:

Up to date CV and a 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 GLA’s 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. We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Contact:

If you have questions about the role, the hiring manager Lan Feng would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at lan.feng@london.gov.uk. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the recruitment team at recruit@london.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: The week commencing 26 January (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. 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. If 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.

Secondment Opportunity:

If you are a GLA employee applying for an internal fixed‑term position, as an internal secondment opportunity, you must ensure you satisfy the following secondment policy criteria listed below before applying: On a permanent contract or a fixed‑term contract where the time left on the contract at the point at which you apply for secondment is longer than the secondment period. Successfully completed your probation period and are performing to the required standard for your current role. At least 18 months service with the GLA. If you meet the criteria listed above, you will need to complete the Approval for secondment application form and gain line manager approval before emailing the fully completed form to the Resourcing Assistant who is managing the vacancy. This form must be received by the closing date of the vacancy. Failure to provide this form will mean your application cannot be progressed. If you are not eligible for this vacancy as an internal secondment, unfortunately you are not eligible to apply. For further information, please see Secondment Policy and Procedure.

IMPORTANT: If you are a current GLA employee on a fixed‑term contract, which is due to end BEFORE the end date of this vacancy, you DO NOT NEED to complete the Approval for secondment application form as it is not a secondment. If you are successful in securing this secondment opportunity, you will need to be released from your existing role, so please ensure that you make your line manager aware of your application.

More Support:

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact accessibility@london.gov.uk.