Policy Officer

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

Innovation and Change in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where people use their vision and commitment to open doors for the next generations. 

Nothing beats the feeling of helping someone find their passion. At Westminster City Council, our City Lions team helps young local people engage with culture, creativity and dreams. When they came across a lonely, isolated 16-year-old who called himself a failure, they knew what to do. They worked 1-2-1 to find the thing this boy really loved. YouTube, it turned out. But it’s impossible to turn that into a career, right? Wrong. A week later, he was enrolled on the British Film Institute film-making programme. It was the ultimate light-bulb moment. And it turned him into what he is today – a budding Spielberg with a world of opportunity at his feet. 

The Role:

As a Policy Officer, you can make your own powerful contribution to ensuring the wellbeing of residents, visitors, workers and businesses. More than that, you’ll help to shape the future of the city by supporting the development of policies and strategies aimed at fostering a Fairer Westminster. Focusing on areas such as Licensing, Place and Infrastructure, you will research and prepare briefings on pivotal policy and regulatory issues. This involves delving into complex topics, analysing data and synthesising information to support decision-making. These projects will have significant impact across the city and, in some instances, on a national scale.

As a Policy Officer, your role will be integral in supporting colleagues to shape and implement Westminster After Dark, the council's first-ever evening and night-time strategy. This involves driving ongoing policy development concerning the evening and night-time environment, as well as licensing policies spanning from Street Trading and Markets to Alcohol and Sexual Entertainment Venues.

Moreover, you will provide valuable support to colleagues within Policy and across other departments, aiding in the collaborative assessment of the Council's policy approaches aligned with the Council's Fairer Westminster Priorities. Your contributions will help ensure that our policies are comprehensive, effective, and aligned with our overarching goals of fostering fairness and equity within our community.

About You:

We are dedicated to fostering both person and professional development so your prospects in this team are excellent. As a starting point, you’ll bring well-developed research skills and good intellectual abilities, including the ability to grasp and interpret new information and present it effectively for a wide array of audiences. Strong written and spoken communication skills are therefore essential.  Knowledge of licensing or other local government regulatory functions would be an advantage.  Your collaborative mind-set means you can work effectively with fellow policy practitioners both inside and outside the organisation You’ll also have experience of delivering projects. 

This is a fast-paced environment so you will need to be flexible and organised, able to work under pressure and prioritise tasks. Good attention to detail is vital and you will be proficient in Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. 

Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties 

As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application , we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.

Closing date: 28 April 2024

Interview date: Week commencing 6 May 2024

Contact details for an Informal Discussion: Kerry Simpkin, Head of Licensing, Place and Infrastructure Policy ksimpkin@westminster.gov.uk