Principal Policy Officer - Strategy, Policy and Relationships

Description:

The Communities and Skills directorate work with and through partners to ensure Londoners can shape healthy, empowered and productive lives. Within the directorate sits the Skills & Employment unit which is responsible for delivering the Mayor’s vision for skills and employment support to help Londoners and the capital’s communities and businesses to thrive.

About the team

London’s skills and employment system plays a key role in supporting Londoners to get the skills they need to improve their lives and for London’s economy to thrive.

Our skills system is the highest performing in the country and the Mayor of London has recently reached the important milestone of having supported the participation of over 1 million learners through his adult education programmes, since taking control of London’s Adult Education Budget (AEB) in 2019. Through further devolution of powers, funding and decision making, we want to support even more Londoners to transform their lives.

The work of the strategy, policy and relationships team includes writing the strategies and developing new thinking that brings to life the Mayor’s vision for skills and employment. We also lead public affairs, community engagement, and marketing campaigns, providing data, evidence and analysis, to make sure we are responding to London’s needs.

The team is warm and inclusive and has had led on a number of policies that have made London’s skills programmes the most accessible in the country, supporting over 1 million learners to participate in life changing training.

About the role

We are looking for a dynamic and skilled Principal Policy Officer to join our friendly Strategy, Policy and Relationships Team. The team manages strategy, policy and governance arrangements within the GLA’s skills and employment unit, which runs a range of flagship programmes to deliver high quality adult education in London.

The team includes a range of responsibilities, including strategy planning, policy development and communications, as well as governance and stakeholder engagement.

You will be expected to lead programmes, projects and policies to deliver the Mayor’s priorities for skills and employment in the capital, with a particular focus on shaping and securing greater devolution of powers, funding and decision making over skills and employment.

The post holder will work closely and develop relationships with local and national government partners including London Councils and sub-regional groupings of boroughs to develop a coherent approach for the future skills landscape in London, governance and implementation of devolution strategies.

You will have a successful track record in managing teams and policy development and lead a team of two Senior Policy Officers to produce evidence and research that supports skills and employment policy priorities.

What your day will look like

You will:

·Lead strategy and policy development work on skills and employment devolution in London. Work closely with local and national government stakeholders, and others to develop shared policy positions and lobbying priorities.

·Brief the Mayor’s Office on policy relating to employment and skills in London and national government policy responses.

·Ensure that employment and skills commitments made in the Skills Roadmap for London, the Mayor’s Manifesto and Skills for Londoners Strategy are delivered.

·Identify opportunities for the development of skills and employment programmes.

·Manage GLA relationships with local and national government stakeholders; and identify and develop options for the Mayor to influence and promote London specific activity by these delivery organisations.

·Prepare regular updates for senior management on progress in the delivery of skills and employment priorities. Ensure risks and issues are identified, discussed and actioned as necessary, including ensuring a clear escalation process to senior management when risks cannot be solved at working level.

·Support the work of the Skills for Londoners Board and Jobs and Skills Business Partnership, and associated subordinates.

·Contribute to the GLA’s work on devolution, and support the joining up of work by the different teams involved in devolution and skills matters within the GLA and across the GLA group.

·Provide high quality client support for relevant senior stakeholders in the GLA, including:

o drafting timely responses to Mayoral questions and correspondence

o providing concise briefings and responses to questions

o providing meeting management and secretariat functions for key meetings

o representing the GLA at external events and meetings

o making timely responses to the London Assembly’s scrutiny function.

·Manage staff and resources allocated to the job in accordance with the Authority’s policies and code of Ethics and Standards

·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.

·Realise the benefits of a flexible approach to work in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participating in multi-disciplinary cross-department and cross-organisational groups and task teams.

Skills, knowledge and experience

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

·A substantial knowledge of strategy development and/or economic development, skills or employment policy

·A successful track record, in a high-profile organisation, of influencing and shaping policy and ensuring its implementation.

·Knowledge and understanding of, and ability to operate successfully at a senior level in a complex organisational or political environment.

·Experience of project-based work including planning and monitoring delivery against plans.

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 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.

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 date is: 21 May 2024

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.

Person specification

Technical requirements/experience/qualifications

1. A substantial knowledge of strategy development and/or economic development policy with particular expertise in skills and employment policy.

2. A successful track record, in a high-profile organisation, of influencing and shaping policy and ensuring its implementation.

3. Knowledge and understanding of, and ability to operate successfully at a senior level in a complex organisational or political environment.

4. Experience of project-based work including planning and monitoring delivery against plans.

Behavioural competencies

Communicating and Influencing

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance:

·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

Building and Managing Relationships

… is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance:

·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

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 3 indicators of effective performance:

·Expands networks to gain new information sources for research and policy development

·Identifies and implements methods to ensure intelligence is of a high quality

·Encourages others to analyse data from different angles, using multiple perspectives to identify connections and new insights

·Tailors research investment in line with likely impact for Londoners and policy priorities

·Retains a bigger picture view, ensuring research recommendations are appropriate and practical for the GLA and its stakeholders

Planning and Organising

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.

Level 3 indicators of effective performance:

·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