Parliamentary & Policy Researcher
Please Note: The application deadline for this post has now passed.
Post Introduction
About the Department
The Church of England Parliamentary Team serves the bishops in the House of Lords, and the National Church Institutions (NCIs) by providing advice and resource, maintaining links with MPs, Peers, Ministers and officials, and helping all engage effectively with Parliament, Westminster politics, and the legislative process. The Team includes those employed directly by the NCIs and those employed by individual Lords Spiritual. This post sits within Faith and Public Life (FPL), the wider team that supports the Church of England’s engagement with society and in the public sphere.
What you'll be doing
The purpose of this role is to provide advice, research and support to the Bishops of Derby, Lincoln and Sheffield in their duties as Members of the House of Lords, and such other work as the Bishops and Head of Parliamentary Affairs may require from time to time.
This will include:
- Advising on and researching materials for questions, speeches and other interventions in the House of Lords. Monitoring and keeping the Bishops informed about relevant parliamentary developments.
- Drafting material for online and print publications on the parliamentary work of the Bishops, in collaboration with communications officers in Church House and the respective dioceses.
- Liaising with MPs, Peers and their staff, parliamentary officials, civil servants, campaign organisations, and others in and outside the NCIs on behalf of the Bishops.
About You
The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.
You will need:
- Excellent communication skills, verbally and in writing.
- Knowledge of the UK Parliament, current affairs and the making of Government policy.
- Research skills, with the ability to gather information quickly and accurately and to produce content in forms suitable for both brief speeches and full-length addresses.
- Excellent organisation and time management skills
See attached job description and person specification for more information.
What we offer
Our benefits include:
- A salary of £34,472 plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of salary.
- 25 days annual leave.
- Flexible working hours and location, with an expectation of at least 2-3 days per week in our office in Westminster.
We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
This role will be offered on a Fixed Term basis of 12 months, with the possibility of extension.
