Head of Financial Scrutiny

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.

About the team

The Scrutiny Team supports the Assembly and its Committees investigating the decisions and actions of the Mayor and matters of importance to London.

The Team undertakes background research, arranges for people to attend Committee meetings to share their views, prepares reports and briefings for meetings and drafts reports and recommendations based on the findings of investigations.

From the Mayor’s annual budget to the state of the Underground to the performance of the Met Police -  Assembly investigations cover a wide range of issues on behalf of Londoners

We publish reports on the Assembly's examinations of the Mayor's policies and activities and its investigations into other issues of importance to Londoners.

About the role

The Head of Financial Scrutiny role will oversee the scrutiny work for around half of the Assembly’s Committees, including the Budget and Performance Committee and Audit Panel.  The position leads a team of around 10 scrutiny researchers to deliver high quality scrutiny work in a wide-range of projects, research, briefings, reports and outputs for the London Assembly, its committees and its Members.

As Head of Financial Scrutiny, you will also be responsible for planning and delivering high quality budget scrutiny during the Mayor’s annual budget cycle, and also developing broader financial scrutiny work across the year.  You will support policy researchers within the wider Scrutiny team to include financial scrutiny in their work.

This role is a varied one. It will have responsibility for overseeing the Budget and Audit Committee teams. However, it will also oversee some broader Committee scrutiny work that has no direct financial element.

This is an excellent opportunity to lead a committee staff on some of the most important committees in the London Assembly, and to have tangible impact on the delivery of scrutiny work and the transformation of financial scrutiny in the team.

We are looking for someone with excellent research, analysis and drafting skills and experience of using them in a senior role. You should be fluent in managing and handling complex data and have the ability to create and/or edit high quality written briefings and reports. You should have experience managing staff and motivating a team.

If you enjoy creative thinking, working in a fast-paced, political environment, and have strong editing, research, and drafting skills, with an interest in ‘following the money’ through financial scrutiny, this job could be perfect for you

What your day will look like

On a day to day basis, you could be:

• liaising with Chairs and Committee Members on challenging or strategic scrutiny issues;
• overseeing research project development by Senior Policy Advisers in your team, or editing and approving briefings and documents that result;
• developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in the GLA, its functional bodies, and externally among academics and other scrutiny bodies;
• working with the Assistant Director on senior strategic work to deliver scrutiny in more innovative and effective ways for Members.

Skills, knowledge and experience

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

• Experience of delivering high-quality financial scrutiny in an equivalent organisation; 
• Experience of delivering complex scrutiny projects to tight deadlines; 
• Experience of managing a team, ideally of qualified financial staff; 
• Experience of acting as final quality control / editor of published scrutiny documents, to tight deadlines;  
• Experience of operating effectively in a political environment;
• Degree and financial / economics qualification, or equivalent scrutiny experience. 

Behavioural competencies [To be assessed at interview stage]

BUILDING AND MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS 

… is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people; and sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals. 

Level 4 indicators of effective performance:  

• Identifies and engages a diverse range of influential contacts within stakeholder and community groups, and partner organisations  

• Builds alliances to establish mutually beneficial working arrangements, openly sharing knowledge and insights 

• Actively challenges and addresses ‘silo attitudes’ to encourage effective relationship-building inside and outside the GLA 

• Understands the complexities of political dynamics and uses this to manage relationships and resolve conflict effectively 

• Identifies clear win-win situations with external partners 

DECISION-MAKING 

… is forming sound, evidence-based judgements, making choices, assessing risks to delivery, and taking accountability for results. 

Level 3 indicators of effective performance:  

• Makes sound decisions quickly on behalf of the GLA when a situation requires intervention 

• Takes responsibility for team decisions, providing rationale when those decisions are questioned 

• Involves senior stakeholders early in decisions that impact them 

• Analyses organisational risks associated with decisions, including those with long-term impacts, before committing to action  

• Encourages others in the team to make decisions in their own area of expertise, take appropriate risks and learn from experience 

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 4 indicators of effective performance: 

• Exchanges ideas and knowledge with partners, subject-matter experts, and senior stakeholders to foster new research agendas and derive insights for the GLA 

• Takes accountability for the quality of intelligence that research and new policy are based upon 

• Encourages new and innovative insights from analysis 

• Evaluates the feasibility and cost effectiveness of research proposals, stringently assessing whether the research will add real value  

• Encourages research with a highly practical focus and maximum impact for Londoners 

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 3 indicators of effective performance: 

• Monitors allocation of resources, anticipating changing requirements that may impact work delivery 

• Ensures evaluation processes are in place to measure project benefits 

• Gains buy-in and commitment to project delivery from diverse stakeholders 

• Implements quality measures to ensure directorate output is of a high standard 

• Translates political vision into action plans and deliverables 

This is a politically restricted role under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

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

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 Skills, knowledge and experience 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 Skills, knowledge and experience 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. 

We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

If you have questions about the role

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Zoe Oliver-Watts would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at zoe.oliver-watts@london.gov.uk.

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

Is this role eligible for sponsorship?

It may meet the criteria for sponsorship for some internal candidates only, in limited circumstances. Please contact the hiring manager if you wish to discuss this further.

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/assessment.

The interview/assessment date is: To be confirmed.

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.

Benefits

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. 

More Support

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact resourcingteam@london.gov.uk.

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.