Private Secretary to the Clerk of the Parliaments

Background

The Clerk of the Parliaments is the head of the House of Lords Administration (equivalent of a Permanent Secretary in Civil Service); employer of all staff of the Administration; Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the House of Lords; and chief procedural adviser to the House.

The postholder works directly with the Clerk of the Parliaments to provide Private Office support and lead the rest of the Private Office team. The post is managed by the Head of Secretariat.

The Private Office team is part of the wider Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office, which has a number of functions including preparing the procedural briefs for each day’s sitting in the Chamber, and supporting the Lord Speaker, the Senior Deputy Speaker, the Convenor of the Crossbench peers, the Commission and a range of other domestic committees and the Management Board. The wider Clerk of the Parliaments’ Office also provides a number of corporate and governance functions including business and culture change, internal audit, information compliance and international relations. The Office is often a focal and co-ordination point for novel, cross-departmental and bicameral initiatives. The postholder is therefore expected to work with a wide range of colleagues across a number of different teams.

The Role

To provide high quality support and advice to the Clerk of the Parliaments and to lead the Private Office.

The Person

The successful candidate will have the following skills/experience:

• Delivering at Pace - A high degree of initiative and organisational skills, with the ability to deal effectively with conflicting demands, operate under pressure, and deliver results in challenging environments, while always remembering that in managing conflicting demands the postholder is representing the Clerk of the Parliaments to others. 

• Leadership - Ability to lead and motivate a team effectively, and to develop staff in a supportive manner.

• Parliamentary Knowledge - Thorough understanding of the business of the House and its Administration, including governance arrangements. 

More information can be found in the job description.