Scrutiny Officer

London Assembly and secretariat

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

Are you interested in working with Assembly Members from across the political spectrum, conducting research to hold the Mayor to account and investigate issues of importance to Londoners?

The London Assembly is looking for a talented researcher to join its highly-regarded scrutiny team, where you will be investigating some of the key challenges facing London and examining the Mayor's policies to address them.

We are looking for someone with proven research, analysis, data visualisation and drafting skills, who is seeking to gain or extend their experience delivering impartial research and research support in a political environment.

In this role, you will be part of a research team and will contribute to producing and delivering a wide-range of projects, research, briefings, reports and outputs for the London Assembly, its committees and its Members. You will be assigned to support the Research Unit in the Assembly, and tasked with work to support Committee investigations through conducting high quality research and analysis, as well as scrutiny support work.

On a day to day basis, you will be working with the senior researchers in the Research Unit to support the gathering and analysing of evidence from a range of sources, and drafting outputs. You will also be assigned to project teams that support specific Assembly committees, helping to deliver the research support they need for scrutiny investigations, which may include monitoring of new publications, planning and organising meetings and visits, and engaging with stakeholders.

The Assembly's Scrutiny and Investigation team works with Assembly Members to deliver their scrutiny priorities, providing advice and briefing, engaging with stakeholders and producing Assembly outputs. Within this team, the Research Unit provides a specialised research and analysis service for the team, as well as publishing background papers on London government and key policy issues. To view some of our recent outputs please visit:

This is an excellent opportunity to develop topical research skills and political awareness in an ambitious research role.

What your day will look like

• Researching policy issues
• Analysing datasets and producing visualisations
• Writing outputs for the Assembly such as letters and reports
• Producing briefings for Assembly Members
• Drafting Research Unit publications such as background papers

Skills, knowledge and experience

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Technical Requirements/ Experience/ Qualifications

1. Evidence of ability to research and analyse information.
2. Evidence of ability to understand and synthesize complex or high volumes of information.
3. Evidence of ability to implement and manage administrative systems.
4. Experience of communicating effectively in different ways, including with external stakeholders and drafting correspondence.
5. Evidence of ability to work as part of a project team.
6. Degree or equivalent experience.
7. Broad understanding of key policy and political issues affecting London and London government.

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

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 2 indicators of effective performance:

• Prioritises work in line with key team or project deliverables
• Makes contingency plans to account for changing work priorities, deadlines and milestones
• Identifies and consults with sponsors or stakeholders in planning work
• Pays close attention to detail, ensuring team's work is delivered to a high standard
• Negotiates realistic timescales for work delivery, ensuring team deliverables can be met

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 2 indicators of effective performance:

• Communicates openly and inclusively with internal and external stakeholders
• Clearly articulates the key points of an argument, both in verbal and written communication
• Persuades others, using evidence based knowledge, modifying approach to deliver message effectively
• Challenges the views of others in an open and constructive way
• Presents a credible and positive image both internally and externally.

Job description

Principal Accountabilities

• Support the Assembly's committees and their teams to carry out effective investigations into issues of importance to Londoners, including by:
• Conducting research and analysis in support of Assembly investigations.
• Produce accurate, timely and effective contributions to Committee briefings and outputs, including leading the production of briefing and outputs where appropriate;
• Maintain regular research / monitoring systems for topical press reports and GLA policy developments;
• Ensuring the accuracy of committee investigation outputs on behalf of the team by conducting detailed proofreading and fact checking;
• Help to monitor the implementation and impact of the Assembly's recommendations.
• Liaise with Secretariat, GLA colleagues and external organisations to plan and organise informal meetings and site visits.
• Managing responses to relevant correspondence and FOI requests.
• Work creatively with external relations colleagues to raise the profile of the Assembly, its committees and work.
• Provide research briefings and organizational support for the committees' programme of informal meetings and site visits, liaising with internal partners and external stakeholders to ensure the preparation and delivery of these events.
• Work with the Senior Policy Adviser and other members of the team to establish and maintain a rigorous approach to handling responses to stakeholder consultations, including working with the wider project team to deliver response analysis papers.
• Manage resources allocated to the job in accordance with the GLA's policies and Code of Ethics and Standards.
• Manage staff and resources in allocated to the job in accordance with the Authority's policies and Code of Ethics and Standards
• 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 project teams
• 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.

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 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

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, please contact Eleanor Haigh at eleanor.haigh at london.gov.uk .

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the glaopdcrecruitment at tfl.gov.uk who support the GLA with recruitment.

Assessment process

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