Head of Public Affairs in London

Overview of team purpose

The Public Affairs team manages relationships with London & Partners’ key strategic stakeholders to create economic growth that is resilient, sustainable and inclusive across London. The team manages the day to day contact with Greater London Authority (GLA) and advises on, and supports the production of briefings, speeches, and Mayoral bids. It also leads on liaison with the London Assembly including supporting L&P attendance at committees. The team develops strong relationships with stakeholders at London Councils, Boroughs, City of London and subregional partnerships. It also carries out policy analysis and engagement with relevant political and civil service stakeholders in government departments, MPs, Select Committees, APPGs and think tanks. The team also leads on being the main point of contact for universities, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), key business stakeholders, and supports them to access London & Partners’ services.

Purpose of the role

The Head of Public Affairs is responsible for London & Partners’ relationships with political, policy and civil society groups, including managing the corporate relationship with the GLA and our vital links to London’s borough councils. The role also manages important aspects of the CEO’s office, including ensuring the CEO is appropriately briefed, effectively deployed towards high impact opportunities, and correspondence managed. The role manages four Stakeholder Managers to deliver this work.

Key Tasks

• Assist the Director of Public Affairs and Management Committee to develop a Stakeholder Relations strategy for London & Partners.
• Lead the department to implement the strategy successfully.
• With the Director of Public Affairs and the Management Committee, agree the role and aims of Stakeholder activity. This includes agreeing clear guidance on L&P’s involvement in influencing policymaking at local and national levels.
• Lead on aspects of stakeholder relations including policy and political engagement, trade associations, and civil society to create the optimum environment for L&P to operate.
• In this work, coordinate with colleagues across the organisation to ensure coherent and broad approach.
• Lead on all aspects of daily public affairs, including analysing relevant policy developments and updating L&P on what they mean for the organisation, managing relationships with all relevant public affairs audiences.
• Policy monitoring - understanding the emerging debates in our specific policy areas, to understand who is influential and what discussions are relevant.
• Policy analysis - desk research to create evidence base to support our proposals, linking our ambitions to funder objectives.
• Writing for impact - turning our delivery ambitions into compelling proposals that meet our funders' policy objectives, highlighting our impact and credibility.
• Influencing service design – by articulating how a service design could be modified to make it more likely to meet policy objectives and therefore win funding.
• Assist in managing a team positioned to both tell our story well to our key stakeholders and funders but also create data led points of view aligned to policy.
• Lead on all aspects of daily stakeholder management work, leading on the relationship with the GLA.
• Managing the three Borough Relationship Managers and Public Affairs Manager to lead a deep, broad stakeholder relationship with London’s borough councils, ensuring that they understand the London & Partners strategy, and support borough teams in navigating our services.
• Work closely with the Director of Public Affairs on corporate reporting and publications, including the drafting of the annual report, business plan, reviews etc.
• Managing team resources, lead on providing appropriate and timely briefing to the CEO, Chairman, and when appropriate members of the Management Committee and Senior Leadership Team, to support them to represent L&P externally.
• Lead work to coordinate responses to Mayor’s questions and information requests in a timely manner.
• With Director of Public Affairs agree a set of metrics and KPIs.
• With Director of Public Affairs and Director, Finance set the budget for the team, ensure budget responsibility and accountability.
• Create a culture of continuous innovation in the department, ensuring that L&P’s stakeholder activity evolves with industry best practice.

You’ll have/bring

• Leadership: Able to motivate, coach and encourage others to maximise their own and their team’s potential. Creates an inclusive, supportive culture which is ambitious for L&P and for London. Builds strong, trusted working relationships with peers.
• Corporate communications and public affairs: Able to lead a high performing team including corporate/press office, internal communications, crisis communications, public affairs and stakeholder relations in a public-private, politically-sensitive international setting. Demonstrates outstanding judgement under pressure and deep understanding of relevant policy issues.
• Local Government understanding: Able to demonstrate existing knowledge, or ability to develop knowledge, of local government and borough decision-making, culture and activities.
• Relationships and influence: Extensive network of relevant contacts, and track record of using networks to achieve results. Ability to develop, nurture and manage powerful relationships and alliances with both internal and external networks.
• Risk management: Able to identify and mitigate reputational risk issues including political and media driven issues.
• Personal growth: Demonstrates self-awareness, frequently seeking out challenges and opportunities to improve both personal and organisational performance.
• Communication: Is a clear, engaging and inspiring communicator, able to convey a motivating and compelling sense of purpose and direction to key audiences.

You’ll Get

• Competitive Salary: We value your contributions and ensure you are rewarded accordingly.
• Learning & Development Opportunities: Continuous growth is at the heart of our culture, with ample opportunities for professional development.
• Strong Culture of Belonging: We foster an inclusive environment where every team member feels valued and supported.
• Various Networks for Staff: Connect with like-minded colleagues through our numerous staff networks.
• Competitive Pension Scheme: Secure your future with our robust pension plan.
• Networking Opportunities: Expand your professional network within your chosen field.
• Geopolitical Insights: Gain unique perspectives on global economic and political trends.
• Hybrid Working Arrangement: Enjoy the flexibility of working both remotely and in-office.
• WorkFlex: Take advantage of opportunities to work abroad and experience different cultures.

London's diversity is its biggest asset. At London & Partners, we aim to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the city that we promote. We encourage applications from people of any age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or assignment, faith or disability. We also appreciate that many people require flexibility in their working patterns and encourage you to talk to us at interview about any flexibility you may need, be it full-time, job-share, or part-time.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised date. This is to ensure our teams can manage application levels while maintaining a positive candidate experience. Once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.