Principal Committee Manager

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 role

The Committee Services team has a vacancy for a Principal Committee Manager, supporting the work of the London Assembly and its committees. Please note that this role is part time (2 days per week) as part of a job share with another member of the team. You will work in a team that also provides key clerking support across the GLA Group to the London Assembly, Mayor of London, Transport for London, London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. No two days are the same and you can often read about work you’ve contributed to in the media on your way home. To thrive, you’ll need excellent communication skills, the ability to manage and prioritise your time effectively, an eye for detail and a collaborative approach. We’re looking for candidates with real enthusiasm who have experience of managing meetings, the ability to work effectively in a complex, political and high-profile organisation and a firm grasp of the use and application of IT systems. Knowledge of the role of scrutiny in a local authority setting would be advantageous.

What your day will look like:

• Supporting high profile London Assembly meetings;
• Liaising with politicians and political groups on their priorities;
• Line management responsibility for one of the Assembly’s political group offices;
• Providing procedural and governance advice to senior officers;
• Writing reports, briefings and preparing agenda papers.

Skills, knowledge and experience

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

• Managing and developing performance: Proven track record of success in managing formal committee meetings involving the decision-making processes in a high-profile and/or political organisation.
• Building and managing relationships: Evidence of effective working with senior politicians, senior staff and/or high level stakeholders.
• Organisational awareness: Evidence of ability to interpret and apply relevant legislation, and awareness of current affairs. Knowledge of the functions of the GLA and London local government would be beneficial.
• Communicating and influencing: Proven track record of success in managing staff / teams.
• Responding to pressure and change: Evidence of working at pace and delivering complex work to strict deadlines.
• Planning and organising: Evidence of ability to organise a varied and busy workload and deliver high quality work.

This is a politically restricted role under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA Competency Framework.

If you have questions about the role, the hiring manager Paul Goodchild would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at paul.goodchild@london.gov.uk.

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. Please note 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. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office. 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. The GLA is proud to be a Level 2: Disability Confident employer. We are committed to becoming a more inclusive and accessible organisation, and creating a truly inclusive and accessible workplace and culture for our disabled staff. We have named Disability Equality as a key corporate priority within our EDI Strategy. We welcome and encourage applications from disabled applicants. Should you wish to opt into the scheme, please let us know during your application.