Playbook Officer

Contract details: 18.5 hours a week (0.5 FTE) for 1 year.

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: London is a city recognised as the global capital for arts and culture. Our creative industries are vital to London’s success, contributing to this success through recording studios, rehearsal spaces, artists’ workspaces, grassroots music and LGBTQ+ venues. The Culture, Creative Industries and 24‑Hour London portfolio at the Greater London Authority focuses on supporting London’s cultural and creative economy, strengthening cultural infrastructure, and ensuring the city functions as a global, inclusive 24‑hour city. This includes overseeing major projects such as Creative Enterprise Zones, London Borough of Culture, the Fourth Plinth commission, and initiatives that support the night‑time economy.

About the role: This is an exciting opportunity to join the Culture, Creative Industries and 24 Hour London (CCI24) Unit delivering the Mayor’s and the Strategic Licensing policy. You’ll be at the heart of a fast‑paced, cross‑organisational effort to design and implement new licensing powers—with the ambition to launch by Summer 2026. This is a unique opportunity to:

• Support and shape a new policy and regulatory function within the GLA
• Drive innovation in how licensing supports London’s economic and cultural vibrancy
• Work with senior stakeholders across government, industry, and the city
• Make a visible impact on how London works, plays, and grows

Reporting to the Playbook Lead, the Playbook Officer will contribute to driving forward implementation of a new policy function for the Strategic Licensing Project and 24‑Hour London team’s work. The project team will work with all London boroughs, the Metropolitan Police, industry and other key partners in designing and implementing a new Strategic Licensing Policy and powers. They will pilot a new Licensing Service that will improve licensing practice and partnership working across London, increasing economic impact, and creating a regional pilot that can influence national policy.

What your day will look like:

• Helping shape clear, usable guidance, toolkits and templates, and making sure they land well with borough licensing teams and partners.
• Testing playbook content with users, refining language and structure, and ensuring the guidance is intuitive, interactive and workable in real casework.
• Maintaining strong relationships across boroughs, the Met Police, industry and internal teams, responding to enquiries and representing the project in meetings.
• Drafting concise briefings, reports and correspondence for senior officers and the Mayor’s Office, ensuring information is accurate, timely and actionable.
• Supporting procurement, events, comms and project processes so the programme runs smoothly in a fast‑paced, politically sensitive environment.

Skills, knowledge and experience: To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience in the field of licensing, 24‑Hour London policy or user‑centred design is highly desirable.
• Evidence of project‑based work and preparing clear, concise and influential reports.
• Experience of working with high‑profile stakeholders and senior management in a complex political environment and preparing briefings.
• Experience in local government, other public bodies, or nightlife/hospitality settings is highly desirable.
• Good organisational and planning skills, operating in a highly pressured and complex environment.

Building and Managing Relationships: Developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals. 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 partnerships.

Communicating and Influencing: Presenting the information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate and engage with us. Communicates openly and inclusively with internal and external stakeholders. Clearly articulates the key points of an argument, both in verbal and written communication. Persuades others, using evidence‑based knowledge, modifying approach to deliver message effectively. Challenges the views of others in an open and constructive way. Presents a credible and positive image both internally and externally.

Research and Analysis: Gathering intelligence from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits. Expands networks to gain new information sources for research and policy development. Identifies and implements methods to ensure intelligence is of a high quality. Encourages others to analyse data from different angles, using multiple perspectives to identify connections and new insights. Retains a bigger picture view, ensuring research recommendations are appropriate and practical for the GLA and its stakeholders.

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. Prioritises work in line with key team or project deliverables. Makes contingency plans to account for changing work priorities, deadlines and milestones. Pays close attention to detail, ensuring team’s work is delivered to a high standard.

This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL).

Benefits: 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.

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 under‑represented in our workforce. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. This role is open to job share.