Senior Policy Officer - Skills and Employment

Communities & Skills

Collaborative, open, inclusive and fair - we work with and through partners to ensure Londoners can shape healthy, empowered and productive lives. Communities and Skills is led by Executive Director, Tunde Olayinka and is comprised of the following units: Civil Society & Sport, Communities & Social Policy, Group Public Health Unit, Skills and Employment, and Health, Children and Young Londoners.

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. You will be part of the Strategy, Policy and Relationships team embedded within the Skills and Employment unit.

The team includes a range of responsibilities, including strategy planning, policy development and communications, as well as governance and stakeholder engagement. The team leads the design of policy and programmes including for the GLA’s largest revenue budget – the Adult Skills Fund.

Our adult skills system is the highest performing in the country and, since the Mayor of London took over responsibility for adult skills funding in 2019, over 1 million learners have been supported to participate in his adult education programmes.

Through further devolution of powers, funding and decision making, we want to support even more Londoners to transform their lives. This is a particularly exciting time to work in the team, with skills and employment being central to the Mayor’s vision for inclusive growth and his London Growth Plan.

About the role

We are looking for two Senior Policy Officers (1x permanent and 1x 12-month FTC) to join the Greater London Authority’s Skills and Employment Unit’s 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.

You will join a dedicated team of officers with a range of responsibilities, including strategy planning, policy development, commissioning of research, communications, governance and stakeholder engagement. You will play a vital role in supporting the team’s delivery of London’s Adult Skills Fund and other devolved skills programmes, as well as contributing to the development of skills and adult education policy in line with the Mayor’s London Growth Plan, supporting inclusive growth and the health and wellbeing of Londoners.

We are looking for someone who can effectively work with a range of stakeholders, has experience of policy development, can communicate complex issues, and inspire action. You will be responsible for proactively managing stakeholder relationships, commissioning research, and contributing to policy and programme development and implementation. Your enthusiasm, organisation, and motivation will be invaluable in this exciting and varied role.
This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL)

Skills, knowledge and experience

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

• Experience in contributing to policy and/ or strategy development within a political context.
• A successful track record in using research and analysis to inform policy and strategy development, a good knowledge of skills and employment policy and delivery.
• Experience in project management, monitoring and reporting.
• A successful track record in working with a range of stakeholders, building and managing relationships; and working in a complex organisational or political environment.