The starting salary for this role is £36,989 per annum for working 36 hours per week. This is a fixed term contract until May 2025.
Are you looking for a new role at the heart of local democracy?
Political Assistants at Surrey County Council are unique roles that work directly with a political Group at the Council, providing them with support to ensure they are as effective as possible.
One day you might be writing a speech for a Group member to use at a Council meeting, the next you could be researching a specific issue on behalf of the Group. You'll also be responsible for managing Group meetings, supporting Group Members to use social media effectively, and producing succinct briefings to help the Councillors you support stay up to date.
This Political Assistant role will be responsible for supporting the Residents' Association and Independents Group. Whilst not 'Political' in the traditional sense of the word, these Councillors have come together and formed a Group at the Council and are Surrey County Council's largest opposition Group with 16 Members (as of April 2023). The Group has recently appointed a dynamic, female leader and is assessing how it can work most effectively - this is an exciting time to join the team.
If you're interested in the political arena this is a great opportunity as you'll have the chance to gain first-hand experience. The Group will need to be able to rely on you to deliver, but you'll also be able to shape and develop the role through working closely with Group Members.
To be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following:
Work Location
This a hybrid role with the ability to work from home. However, the postholder will be required to attend Council offices at Woodhatch Place, Reigate for regular meetings and potentially attend other meetings across Surrey on request.
Contractual Details
Though this role is advertised as full-time, we are open to flexible working requests. The role is advertised as a fixed-term contract until the next County Council election in May 2025, as the recruitment of Political Assistants is dependent on a Group having 9 Councillors. There is the possibility to extend the contract dependent on the next election results.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 18th May 2023.
Interviews for this role will take place on either 31st May or 1st June 2023 at Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8EF.
This post has been designated as a politically restricted post in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
We look forward to receiving your application. Please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Benefits
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.
We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.
