Senior Policy Officer (Housing)

London Gov; London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic policy expert to tackle London’s housing challenges. This role involves leading policy development to support the Mayor's housing agenda, focusing on increasing housebuilding and addressing homelessness. You will engage with various stakeholders, including senior politicians and housing associations, to ensure policies are informed by sound evidence. Your expertise will help shape effective housing strategies, making a meaningful impact on communities. Join a forward-thinking organization committed to diversity and inclusion, where your contributions will drive positive change in London's housing landscape.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

Interest-free season ticket loan

Interest-free bicycle loan

Career average pension scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of housing issues and related policies.
• Ability to analyze data and formulate effective housing strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of housing policies.
• Provide advice to the Deputy Mayor and Mayor on housing issues.
• Engage with stakeholders to promote housing diversity and equality.

Skills

Research and analysis

Building and managing relationships

Communicating and influencing

Problem solving

Understanding of housing policy

Job description

Interview date: early June (exact dates tbc)

About the role

Housing and Land

The Housing and Land directorate is responsible for the Mayor’s plans to deliver new and improved homes and strong communities. Working closely with boroughs and partners, we manage the Mayor’s housing investment programmes and land and property assets to support the building of affordable homes, job creation and regeneration.

About the team

This role is in the Housing Strategy and Policy team, which is responsible for developing the Mayor’s housing policies. The remit of the Housing Strategy and Policy team covers a broad range of policy areas including new supply, homelessness, rough sleeping, building safety and private rented sector policy. In this post you will be working alongside colleagues to formulate policy to deliver on the Mayor’s priorities and to ensure these policies are informed by sound evidence.

About the role

This role will tackle a variety of housing issues. The role will focus on policy work that supports the Mayor of London’s agenda to increase levels of housebuilding in London. You’ll become an expert in your policy area and the solutions needed for London’s housing crisis to support senior colleagues across the Housing & Land directorate and the Mayor’s office. You will be responsible for proactively leading on both policy development and implementation, negotiating the trade-offs and complexities inherent in housing policy. You will draw on an ability to build and manage effective working relationships, as the role requires engagement with senior politicians, London boroughs, housing associations, central government departments, and wider external stakeholders. You will work in coordination with other GLA policy and delivery teams covering planning, regeneration, infrastructure, social policy and economic development.

What your day will look like

• Leading on the development, review and implementation of housing policies.
• Providing advice to the Deputy Mayor for Housing and the Mayor of London.
• Researching housing issues through the analysis and interpretation of data, policy information, research and legislation.
• Respond to enquiries about the Mayor’s housing policies from London Assembly members, the trade press, Londoners, and other stakeholders.
• Realise and promote the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities, and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities.

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet and address the following essential technical requirements in your application:

• Good understanding of issues and policy relating to housing or equivalent policy area.
• An understanding of the GLA’s commitment to equality and diversity.

You must also meet the following behavioural competencies in your application, as explained further in the GLA Competency Framework (linked below):

• Research and analysis (Level 2 indicators of performance)
• Building and managing relationships (Level 2 indicators of performance)
• Communicating and influencing (Level 2 indicators of performance)
• Problem solving (Level 2 indicators of performance).

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here:GLA Competency Framework

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

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 2 indicators of effective performance

• Develops new professional relationships
• Understands the needs of others, the constraints they face and the levers to their engagement
• Understands differences, anticipates areas of conflict and takes action
• Fosters an environment where others feel respected
• Identifies opportunities for joint working to minimise duplication and deliver shared goals

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

Problem Solving

… is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Processes and distils a variety of information to understand a problem fully
• Proposes options for solutions to presented problems
• Builds on the ideas of others to encourage creative problem solving
• Thinks laterally about own work, considering different ways to approach problems
• Seeks the opinions and experiences of others to understand different approaches to problem solving

How to apply

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

• An up to date CV
• A covering letter with a maximum of 1,500 words, which outlines how you meet the two essential technical requirements and the four behavioural competencies (outlined above, behavioural competencies explained further in the GLA Competency Framework). We recommend that you structure your cover letter with sub-headings and include specific examples to ensure you present the information required for shortlisting.

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 cover letter.

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)

Please note, if you do not submit the above, you are unlikely to be considered for the role.

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

Alexis Harris, the hiring manager , will be holding a live one-hour session onMS Teamswhich will provide the opportunity for applicants to find out more about the role. This will be held onWednesday 23rd April 2025 at 12:30-1:30pm.The session will not be recorded.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the [emailprotected] who support the GLA with recruitment.

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 and will also be required to participate in a short assessment. The interview will be competency based and address the technical requirements and competencies outlined above.

The interview and assessment dates will be confirmed after applications are reviewed but are expected to take place inearly June 2025. Interviews will be held in person at our GLA office in Southwark (169 Union Street, SE1 0LL).

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.

If you are a GLA employee applying for an internal fixed-term position, as an internal secondment opportunity, you must ensure you satisfy the following secondment policy criteria listed below before applying

• On a permanent contract or a fixed term contract where the time left on the contract at the point at which you apply for secondment is longer than the secondment period;
• successfully completed your probation period and are performing to the required standard for your current role; and
• at least 18 months service with the GLA

If you do meet the criteria listed above, you will need to complete the Approval for secondment application form and gain line manager approval, before emailing the fully completed form to the Resourcing Assistant who is managing the vacancy.This form must be received by the closing date of the vacancy.Failure to provide this form will mean your application cannot be progressed.

If you are unable to satisfy all of the criteria, unfortunately, you are not eligible to apply for this vacancy as an internal secondment. For further information, please see Secondment Policy and Procedure .

IMPORTANT : If you are a current GLA employee on a fixed-term contract, which is due to end BEFORE the end date of this vacancy, you DO NOT NEED to complete the Approval for secondment application form as it is not a secondment.

If you are successful in securing this secondment opportunity, you will need to be released from your existing role, so please ensure that you make your line manager aware of your application

More support

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact [emailprotected] .

The GLA is proud to be a Level 2: Disability Confident employer. We are committed to becoming a more inclusive and accessible organisation, and creating a truly inclusive and accessible workplace and culture for our disabled staff. We have named Disability Equality as a key corporate priority within our EDI Strategy. We welcome and encourage applications from disabled applicants. Should you wish to opt into the scheme, please let us know during your application.

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