Senior Researcher

Overview

London Assembly and secretariat. The London Assembly scrutinises the Mayor\’s activities by questioning the Mayor about their decisions. The Assembly also investigates issues of importance to London. There are 25 Assembly Members, elected every four years at the same time as the Mayor. The Secretariat works for the Assembly to support its activities. The Communications Team supports service to promote the work of the Assembly through press office, social media, publicity and events.

About The Team

We are a team of 14 officers who support the eight Conservative London Assembly Members in scrutinising the work of the Greater London Authority and Mayor of London.

About The Role

This is a chance to take on a unique role as a Senior Researcher for the City Hall Conservative Members of the London Assembly, specialising in research and examination of the GLA budget. You will provide research, policy briefings, advice and support to Assembly Members, draft reports on issues of importance to Londoners, and will play an important role supporting Members in holding the Mayor to account.

You will be responsible for managing the Assembly Members work on the Budget and Performance Committee, Audit panel, and working across policy areas on budget-related research. Each year, you will be responsible for supporting the Assembly Members in their scrutiny of the Mayor\’s budget, and working with officers to help draft possible amendments to the budget.

Excellent organisational, research, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential for this role. This role will specialise in budget and financial scrutiny; experience in this policy area is required. Collaborative and diplomatic, you will bring to the role a talent for communicating and influencing both in person and in writing.

What your day will look like

• Providing high quality research, policy, communications, advice, and support to the Assembly Members working on financial scrutiny of the GLA, coordinating with a wide range of internal and external people and organisations and producing policy or constituency issue reports to publication standard.
• Managing the Assembly Members work on the Budget and Performance Committee, Audit panel, and working across policy areas on budget-related research.
• Scrutinising the Mayor\’s budget and working with Assembly Members and officers to develop potential amendments.
• Acting as the key point of contact for GLA officers in respect of London Assembly scrutiny activity related to the Group Members roles and interests, ensuring an effective and efficient two-way transmission of views and suggestions, in order to maximise the Members positions and impact in the work of the Assembly; and to contribute effectively and proactively to the Members functions in respect of Mayor\’s Question Time, Functional Body Question Time and other Assembly meetings.
• Developing and implementing comprehensive, proactive, and effective communications strategies for assigned Assembly Members, working in close coordination with the Head of Office, Research and Policy Manager, Lead Communications and Public Engagement Manager, and other relevant officers at all times; monitoring relevant media activity, and providing effective and timely advice to relevant Assembly Members, including early warning of potential issues, items of local media interest and support in relation to online and social media.

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience in public sector financial scrutiny and budget policy.
• Demonstrable research skills, enabling quick and effective grasp of information from a range of sources on a wide range of policy topics, and proven experience of policy briefing in a political/public sector organisation.
• Experience of working directly with influential, high-profile people in a pressured environment and in dealing with confidential/sensitive issues and documents; the ability to work in a politically complex organisation and apply political awareness.
• Demonstrable verbal and written communication skills, including experience of writing a range of different styles of documents for different audiences, often within very short timescales; experience of producing information for media work and/or briefings for media interviews or policy work.

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA Competency Framework

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 the GLA’s continuing commitment to being an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personally 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.

Questions and assessment

If you have questions about the role you may contact the hiring manager. The contact details are provided in the advertisement. If you have questions about the recruitment process, contact the GLA recruitment team.

Assessment process: If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment. The interview/assessment date is w/c 20 October 2025 (may be subject to change). Candidates may be asked to complete a written task ahead of the interview.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London\’s diversity is its biggest asset. 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 and will invite eligible candidates to interview. We will accommodate adjustments through the process if required.

Benefits

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in offices and remotely depending on the role. You will need to split time between home working and coming into the office. Benefits include a competitive salary package, 30 days annual leave, interest-free season ticket loan, interest-free bicycle loan, and a career-average pension scheme.

Additional information

All candidates must confirm that the information provided in the application form is true and correct. Deliberate false information or use of AI software would disqualify a candidate. Successful candidates must undergo a DBS check; some roles may require additional security screening. If you need assistance with the application due to a disability, please contact Resourcing Team.