Political Officer

The Conservative Party controls over 60 local authorities and has around 3,500 Councillors across England. Our job is to advocate and be the national voice for our Conservative Councillors, often working with our partners in the Conservative Party, CCHQ, the Shadow MHCLG frontbench team and the voluntary party to ensure the priorities of the Conservative local government team are understood. In addition to this, the LGA Conservative Group is responsible for ensuring the priorities of the Conservative local government team are reflected in the operation of the LGA whether that be through our member led Policy Committees or through our sector led improvement offer. As the Political Officer to the Conservative Group, you will be responsible for the following:

• Supporting Conservative Group members on our Policy Committees with research and briefings.
• Working to build our relationships with Conservative leaning think tanks.
• Lead on policy work including, bringing together best practice across our Conservative Councils and establishing the principles of what a future Local Government Act could look like for the next Conservative Government.
• Drafting articles and briefing the press under the direction of the Head of the Conservative Group Office.
• Other responsible duties discharged by the Head of the Conservative Group Office.
Please note, this is a 6 month contract only although there may be a possibility of extending that contract. The position is required to support immediate delivery needs The organisation is consulting on its operating model The grade and responsibilities are subject to confirmation Priority consideration may be given to employees at risk where they have the required qualifications and experience, We use anonymous recruitment, which is the practice of hiding candidates' identities. This process involves removing any identifying information from candidates' applications which includes names. At the LGA our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit.
• The LGA are proud to be awarded a "Disability Confident Leader". Please contact us via Recruitment@local.gov.ukif you require a reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have.
Our benefits LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years' service and to 33 days after five years' service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed term and part time contracts).
• Flexible & agile working - office-based staff are required to work in the LGA's London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week. Future development - face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants. Family friendly policies For more of LGA's benefits and working with us, please view our webpage https://www.local.gov.uk/benefits-and-working-lga Our values & behaviours Our Values and Behaviours are there to give us an understanding of who we are as an organisation and who we want to be. They are a framework to help us understand: how we work with each other how we work with our members and stakeholders our expectations for ourselves and each other Our values are: Collaboration - We value collaboration, to pursue shared goals by encouraging and utilising diverse perspectives and working with internal and external colleagues across the organisation. Inclusion - We value inclusion, where everyone feels valued, understood, and supported to contribute meaningfully. Ambition - We value ambition, reflecting our desire to achieve best possible outcomes for local government, communities, and individuals. Respect - We value respect, to ensure fairness, recognition, and shared accountability.
  
  In the fast paced, ever-changing world of local government, we are looking for someone who has a flexible approach and someone who is able to work independently and within a small team. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of working within a politically led environment. Being politically astute and understanding discretion is an absolute must in this role. In addition, we expect applicants to share the values of the Conservative Party and candidates in the recruitment process will be asked to share their thoughts on why they're a Conservative and why they believe it is critical to have Conservative run local authorities. Experience working within parliament or in a policy role is desirable. Understanding of the Conservative local government team is a must., Previous policy experience and an understanding of how Westminster operates alongside the role of think tanks in furthering our policy agenda on behalf of Conservative Councillors. Bringing together policy projects and research briefings. A sound understanding of local and/or central government and how they work, particularly the role of councillors. Good communication skills, with the ability to accurately summarise and convey information, verbally and in writing. Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work to meet deadlines, maintaining order and accuracy. Commitment to the values of the Conservative Party and why they believe having Conservative run local authorities in important. To help us anonymise applications efficiently, please ensure your CV meets the following formatting requirements:
• Please use standard fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri
  
  About us
The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to support, promote and improve local government. We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils to help them deliver local solutions to national problems. The LGA Conservative Group is the second largest Group at the LGA and we're the national voice of Conservative Councillors. We're often the first point of call for Conservative Councillors who require advice and support on a whole range of issues.