Senior Researcher - Conservative Group

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 support service to promote the work of the Assembly through press office, social media, publicity and events.

About the role 

This is a chance to take on a unique role as a Senior Researcher for the City Hall Conservative Members of the London Assembly:

The role specialises in research and examination of the most pressing issues facing Londoners.

You will provide research, policy briefings, advice and support to Assembly

Members, draft reports on issues of importance to Londoners, and will play an important role supporting Members in holding the Mayor to account.

Excellent organisational, research, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential for this role, and a background in any related policy areas would be an advantage.

Collaborative and diplomatic, you will bring to the role a talent for communicating and influencing both in person and in writing.

What your day will look like

·Providing high quality research, policy, communications, advice, and support to the Assembly Member(s) across the range of their GLA functions, and to their Research and Support Officer, co-ordinating with a wide range of internal and external people and organisations and producing policy or constituency issue reports to publication standard.

·Acting as the key point of contact for GLA officers in respect of London Assembly scrutiny activity related to the Group Members’ roles and interests, ensuring an effective and efficient two-way transmission of views and suggestions, in order to maximise the Members’ positions and impact in the work of the Assembly; and to contribute effectively and proactively to the Members’ functions in respect of Mayor’s Question Time, Functional Body Question Time and other Assembly meetings.

·Developing and implementing comprehensive, proactive, and effective communications strategies for assigned Assembly Members, working in close coordination with the Head of Office, Senior Press Officer and relevant Research & Support Officer at all times; and to effectively monitor relevant media activity, and to provide effective and timely advice to relevant Assembly Members, including early warning of potential issues, items of local media interest and support in relation to online and social media.

Skills, knowledge and experience 

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

·Demonstrable research skills, to enable quick and effective grasp of information from a range of sources on a wide range of policy topics, and proven experience of policy briefing in a political/ public sector organisation.

·Demonstrable verbal and written communication skills, including experience of writing a range of different styles of document for different audiences, often within very short timescales; experience of producing information for media work and/or briefings for media interviews or policy work.

·Experience of working directly with influential, high-profile people in a pressured environment and in dealing with confidential/sensitive issues and documents; the ability to work in a politically complex organisation and apply political awareness.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following:

-        Up to date CV

-        Personal statement with a maximum of 1,500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria and person specification in the advert.

Please note all applications for this vacancy must be submitted via our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs alone for this role. Please upload a personal statement to the ‘Additional Documents’ section of the form. Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. 

Please ensure your CV and personal statement documents are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g. “CV – applicant name - (phone number removed))

Please note, if you do not provide both a CV and a personal statement, you will not be considered for the role so please ensure the above has been submitted before the deadline

Assessment process 

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel.

If shortlisted you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment. The interview/assessment date is to be confirmed.

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. 

Job Description

Principal accountabilities

To provide high quality research, policy, communications, advice, and support to the Assembly Member(s) across the range of their GLA functions, and to their Research and Support Officer, co-ordinating with a wide range of internal and external people and organisations and producing policy or constituency issue reports to publication standard

To act as the key point of contact for GLA officers in respect of London Assembly scrutiny activity related to the Group Members’ roles and interests, ensuring an effective and efficient two-way transmission of views and suggestions, in order to maximise the Members’ positions and impact in the work of the Assembly; and to contribute effectively and proactively to the Members’ functions in respect of Mayor’s Question Time, Functional Body Question Time and other Assembly meetings.

To develop and implement comprehensive, proactive, and effective communications strategies for assigned Assembly Members, working in close coordination with the Senior Press Officer and relevant Research & Support Officer at all times; and to effectively monitor relevant media activity, and to provide effective and timely advice to relevant Assembly Members, including early warning of potential issues, items of local media interest and support in relation to online and social media.

To act and manage resources allocated to the job in accordance with the Authority’s policies and Code of Ethics and Standards; to realise the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities; to realise the benefits of a flexible approach to work in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, participating in multi-discipline cross departmental and organisational groups and task teams.

Person Specification

 1.      Technical requirements/experience/qualifications

·Demonstrable research skills, to enable quick and effective grasp of information from a range of sources on a wide range of policy topics, and proven experience of policy briefing in a political/ public sector organisation.

·Demonstrable verbal and written communication skills, including experience of writing a range of different styles of document for different audiences, often within very short timescales; experience of producing information for media work and/or briefings for media interviews or policy work.

·Experience of working directly with influential, high-profile people in a pressured environment and in dealing with confidential/sensitive issues and documents; the ability to work in a politically complex organisation and apply political awareness.

 2.      Behavioural competencies

Research and Analysis

… is gathering intelligence (information, opinion, and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity, and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

·Proactively seeks new information sources to progress research agendas and address gaps in knowledge

·Grasps limitations of or assumptions behind data sources, disregarding those that lack quality

·Analyses and integrates qualitative and quantitative data to find new insights

·Translates research outcomes into concise, meaningful reports

·Identifies relevant and practical research questions for the future