Situational Awareness Officer

​Working for City Hall makes a difference to the lives of Londoners. Our staff are at the centre of long-term planning and development for our great city.
 

Strategy and Communications

Strategy and Communications sits at the centre of the organisation, bringing together several teams with organisation-wide remits and mutual collaboration opportunities. The work of the directorate’s teams includes delivery of major events, designing and leading public affairs or marketing campaigns, providing data, evidence and analysis, leading cross-organisational programmes, to making sure we plan for and can respond to emerging events or emergencies in our city.

About the team

The London Situational Awareness Team provides real-time situational awareness and acts as the first point of contact for the London Resilience Partnership in major incidents, ensuring coordinated communication and enabling a swift, proactive response to incidents and events across London.

About the role

As a Situational Awareness Officer, you will serve as the key point of contact for the Greater London Authority (GLA) during your shift, providing vital early warnings, incident monitoring, and maintaining situational awareness on real-time events. You will be tasked with producing accurate, timely, and analytically sound reports in response to unfolding situations, ensuring that decision-makers have the information they need to act quickly and effectively. Additionally, you will work to maintain the flow of information between the GLA, government departments, and other key stakeholders, helping to ensure clarity and consistency in the response to incidents.

In this role, you will build and cultivate relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that intelligence, briefings, and reports are delivered consistently and accurately. Your ability to deliver both written and oral reports to senior staff and other stakeholders, while highlighting critical issues and potential impacts, will be essential. Your insight will help shape the GLA's response to various events across the city, making your contribution crucial to maintaining London's operational resilience.

To succeed in this role, you will bring proven experience in open-source intelligence and collection methodologies, with the ability to transform this information into actionable insights. A strong understanding of information management principles and data protection legislation is key, alongside experience providing guidance during incidents. Excellent communication skills are essential, enabling you to present complex information clearly and concisely. Proven success in diverse and demanding work settings will be beneficial, as will your ability to foster collaboration across different teams and disciplines. You must also be prepared to work on a 24/7 rotational shift pattern (covering both day and nights shifts) to ensure continuous coverage in this vital role.

Due to the nature of the role, you must be willing to undergo National Security Vetting to the level of Security Check (SC), having lived and worked in the UK for at least the last five years. Individuals will not be expected to hold existing National Security Vetting in order to apply for the posts.

You will also need to demonstrate adaptability, attention to detail, and the ability to stay calm and effective under pressure, ensuring London’s resilience and preparedness in times of crisis.

What your day will look like

• Produce analytically robust, credible, timely and high-quality reports, both in response to taskings and pro-actively as events dictate.
• Ensure the accurate and timely flow of information between decision makers, the GLA Group and relevant government departments.
• Develop and maintain effective networks and relationships with internal and external stakeholders to achieve objectives in line with tasked priorities. Engage with internal customers daily to ensure currency of priorities and tolerances.
• Provide written and oral briefings, and specialist reports for senior staff and relevant stakeholders. Help in the identification and development of new reporting streams.
• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of relevant legislative and national policy changes applicable to the operational functions of the team.
• Conduct duties in accordance with asset, information, and protective security processes as per government policy and information originator’s requirements.
• Identify capabilities and methodologies that could increase the effectiveness of the team.
• Strive for continuous improvement in GLA’s crisis response capability through up-to-date doctrine, training and exercising and capturing and applying lessons learnt.

Skills, knowledge and experience

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

1. Experience of open-source analysis, collection methodologies and the ability to formulate and deliver robust predictive or deductive assessments.
   
2. Understanding of information management principles and data assurance legislation and their application in the workplace.
3. Evidence of providing advice, guidance to inform decision making in response to an incident.
4. High level communication skills, with a successful track record of giving professional advice to decision makers as well as staff at all levels of an organization on complex and sensitive issues.
5. Evidence of success in preparing and presenting clear and concise written reports and briefings on complex and sensitive issues within demanding timescales.
6. Evidence of success in building and maintaining working relationships and partnerships across professional and operational boundaries within and beyond an organisation.
7. Experience of successful working in a similar role within political or comparable high-profile or highly complex environment.
8. Ability to work on a rotational shift pattern.
9. Willingness to undergo the National Security Vetting processes to the level of Security Cleared.

Behavioural Competencies

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

Stakeholder Focus

... is consulting with, listening to and understanding the needs of those our work impacts and using this knowledge to shape what we do and manage others’ expectations.

Level 2 indicators of effective performance

• Seeks to understand requirements, gathering extra information when needs are not clear
• Represents the GLA positively by interacting effectively with stakeholders
• Delivers a timely and accurate service
• Understands the differing needs of stakeholders and adapts own service accordingly
• Seeks and uses feedback from a variety of sources to improve the GLA’s service to Londoners

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

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

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 essential criteria 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 technical requirements and competencies 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. 

If you have questions about the role

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Alan Conran would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at alan.conran@london.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the glaopdcrecruitment@tfl.gov.uk 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/assessment.

The interview/assessment date is: W/c 8 September 2025 (may be subject to change)

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

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. 

Find out which DBS check is right for your employee - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note Post holders must be willing to undergo National Security Vetting to the level of SC. This process requires the post holder to have been resident in the UK for five years.

Individuals will not be expected to hold existing National Security Vetting in order to apply for the posts.

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.

Please note all applications for this vacancy must be submitted via our online recruitment system. We do not accept CVs alone for this role. Please upload a personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words to the ‘Additional Documents’ section of the form, ensuring you address the following technical requirements and competencies in your personal statement. Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images.
 
The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA competency framework.

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.

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 a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria.

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. 

In addition to a good salary package, we 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.