Head of Office, Chamber and Participation Team

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day-to-day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days' annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Access to training and development.
• Flexible working.
• Interest-free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

The Chamber and Participation Team (CPT) brings together all the disciplines that support the House of Commons Chamber within one coherent structure. This includes the procedural offices that facilitate the key functions of legislating and Chamber-based scrutiny, the operational teams who focus on ensuring that the Chamber runs effectively and the public-facing teams who promote Parliament's role and seek to engage citizens across the UK with parliamentary business.

As Head of Office, you will be part of the CPT senior management team and hold one of the following four roles: Clerk of the Journals, Clerk of Legislation, Principal Clerk of the Table Office and Chamber Business Team Strategic Director. You will report to the Clerk Assistant/Managing Director of CPT and support them and the Clerk of the House in giving advice on parliamentary practice and procedure to the Speaker, the Deputy Speakers, the Leader of the House and other members of the front benches, and individual members of the House of Commons. You may be moved between these positions from time to time. The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the potential to fill any of them.

Key Responsibilities:

• Table Clerk & Head of Night: Act as the sole Table Clerk, advising on Chamber business in the absence of Principal Clerks, and oversee next-day business papers.
• Leadership & Inclusion: Be a visible senior leader, role modelling the House of Commons values and being committed to making a more inclusive and diverse CPT.
• Strategic Leadership: Contribute to the House Service's strategic direction, including leading assigned programmes and projects.
• People & Resource Management: Manage staff, budgets, and key risks within CPT.

Role-Specific Responsibilities:

• Principal Clerk of the Table Office (PCTO): Oversees the Table Office, ensures the accuracy of the Order Paper, manages Westminster Hall sittings, and supports the Speaker on points of order.
• Chamber Business Team (CBT) Strategic Director: Leads CBT, manages procedural office budgets, oversees Restoration and Renewal projects, and deputizes for the Clerk Assistant.
• Clerk of the Journals: Manages the Journal Office, advises on parliamentary privilege, maintains procedural records, and oversees Freedom of Information policies.
• Clerk of Legislation: Leads the Public and Private Bill Offices, advises on legislative processes, and supports the Speaker on financial privilege matters.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Criterion 1 - Procedural Expertise and Judgment: Detailed knowledge of the procedures and practices of the House and an ability to act as the authoritative expert on specific procedural areas. Ability to give authoritative and impartial advice to Members and the Chair on complex questions, often under extreme time pressure, taking into account political sensitivities. Good understanding of constitutional issues relating to Parliament and their practical application to the House's work.
• Criterion 2 - Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity: Excellent management skills with the ability to lead and motivate a team in the provision of core Member-facing functions, proactively developing talent and managing underperformance. A strong commitment to, and experience of championing, values-led leadership alongside inclusion and diversity in the workplace in an authentic way which gains the trust of staff.
• Criterion 3 - Analysing and Decision Making: Ability to analyse complex and evolving situations, drawing on a range of sources, and willingness to consider innovative solutions which take account of wider consequences and dependencies. Acute political and organisational judgement with the ability to make sound high-level strategic and tactical decisions quickly under pressure.
• Criterion 4 - Influencing, Negotiating and Communicating: Delivers difficult messages effectively and conveys complex details and principles in an accessible way, proactively suggesting or negotiating compromises where appropriate. Capacity to engage with and maintain the confidence of senior stakeholders to represent the interests of the House and the House Administration.
• Criterion 5: Strategic thinking, Planning and Organising: Awareness of how to plan strategically both in a financial and non-financial context, experience of successful prioritisation and targeting of resources to achieve value for money, and contributing to and helping deliver, complex change programmes. Excellent overall understanding of the strategic challenges faced by the House Administration and an ability to work effectively with other senior colleagues across both Houses and bicamerally, identifying dependencies and resolving conflicts, to deliver results.

Next Steps and Additional Information

If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1-5 in the Job Description. More information on the application process can be found here: Application process - UK Parliament. Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances. We may close the vacancy prior to the closing date stated due to a high volume of applications.