Principal Policy Officer – Economic Strategy and Innovation

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 (where the programme is not housing led), enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work.

The Economic Strategy and Innovation team is responsible for overseeing the London Growth Plan, providing strategic advice to the GLA and Mayor’s Office on growth and innovation policy and place and sector-based growth opportunities in the capital. The team sits within the wider Economic Development and Programmes Unit, under the leadership of the Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, and oversees the Mayor’s economic development policies and the Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery programme.

The role holder provides thought leadership around the opportunities and challenges in London's innovation ecosystem, frontier innovation sectors and innovation districts. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the GLA Group, boroughs, government, corporate innovators and London’s universities, you will build strategic partnerships that unlock investment, support high-potential clusters across the life sciences, deep tech and climate tech, to strengthen London’s global position as a leading innovation city. A recent focus of work has been working with UKRI and members of the London Frontier Innovation Board to develop London’s bid for £30m of the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, and to support the Mayor’s Chief Digital Officer to develop a City Innovation Strategy.

What your day will look like:

• Leading on the development of key statutory and non-statutory strategies and policies, including research, analysis, option appraisals and consultation.
• Developing policy to maximise the growth opportunities from innovation and the interactions between technology and London’s growth sectors.
• Leading collaborations across the GLA group and family to maximise growth, inclusion and sustainability opportunities from innovation.
• Engaging at a senior level with a wide variety of public and private stakeholders across the frontier innovation sectors like life sciences, climate tech and quantum, and representing the GLA in a variety of forums.
• Providing high quality client support for relevant senior stakeholders in the GLA, including drafting timely responses to Mayoral questions and correspondence, providing concise briefings and responses to questions, providing meeting management and secretariat functions for key meetings, representing the GLA at external events and meetings, and making timely responses to the London Assembly’s scrutiny function.
• Realising the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities, and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities.

Skills, knowledge and experience:

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

• Demonstrable ability to develop expertise in economic development policy and strategy in a city government context.
• Demonstrable ability to work across different sectors and enable cross-sector collaborations to drive change, including experience of complex stakeholder and programme management.
• Demonstrable ability to work in the broad field of innovation and technology policy, influencing senior level stakeholders.

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:

• 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.

Strategic Thinking:

• Translates GLA vision and strategy into practical and tangible plans for own team or delivery partners.
• Consistently takes account of the wider implications of team’s actions for the GLA.
• Encourages self and others to think about organisation’s long term potential.
• Informs strategy development by identifying gaps in current delivery or evidence.
• Takes account of a wide range of public and partner needs to inform team’s work.

Planning and Organising:

• 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.

Problem Solving:

• Clarifies ambiguous problems, questioning assumptions to reach a fuller understanding.
• Actively challenges the status quo to find new ways of doing things, looking for good practice.
• Seeks and incorporates diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address complex issues.
• Initiates consultation on opportunities to improve work processes.
• Supports the organisation to implement innovative suggestions.

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further 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:

• 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.

If you have questions about the role, the hiring manager Nathan Davies would be happy to speak to you at nathan.davies@london.gov.uk.

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel. If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview.

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 moved to the next stage in the process. If you have a disability or long‑term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing resourcingteam@london.gov.uk (please include the role title and reference number). Reasonable adjustments will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.

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.

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.

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; and
• At least 18 months service with the GLA.

If you do meet the criteria listed above, you will need to complete the approval for a 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.

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 a 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.

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.

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