Committee Operations Officer

27th March 2023 at 23:55

Introduction

The Committee Office is one of the largest House of Lords offices, supporting around 20 select committees at a time, spanning a wide range of subjects.

Its work ranges from year-long inquiries on cross-cutting subjects to technical, but no less important, shorter inquiries on legislation, including on draft bills. Some of the work is carried out jointly with the House of Commons.

The Committee Office has strong record of innovation. The work typically involves members of the public (as witnesses) as well as members of the house, and new ways are being sought of engaging with the public and presenting the results of committee working in more readily accessible ways.

Staff serving Lords select committees provide high-quality and impartial advice and support to enable committee to carry out their functions, contributing the development of public policy. Committee members can be highly experiences and distinguished in their fields, making for a challenging but motivating experience advising and supporting them.

The Role

Committee Operations Officers in the Committee Office are responsible for all the secretarial and administrative services required to enable the committee to function.

The Committee Operations Officer is a key member of the Committee team, making sure that administrative arrangements are in place for the smooth operation of the committee in all aspects of its work, in what can often be high profile work environment

Responsibilities include the production and circulation of committee papers and reports, the administrative arrangements of committee meetings and travel, maintaining committee records, updating web pages and communications with a range of internal and external stakeholders and witnesses.

Essential Competencies and Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grades A to C, or equivalent.

• Communication Skills - Clear and accurate oral, written and online communication skills and ability to adapt style of written and oral communication to meet the needs of the audience, including Members and senior colleagues.

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  Technical Skills - Excellent IS/IT skills and experience of using MS Word, Outlook and Excel effectively to produce, format and process documents, experience of using the internet and web applications to retrieve information.

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  Organisational Skills - Strong organisational and time-management skills, and the ability to manage several important or urgent tasks at once, knowing when to ask for assistance or support.

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  Delivering at pace - The ability to work quickly and independently under pressure while maintaining a high level of accuracy and detail and the ability to respond swiftly and constructively to unforeseen events, showing problem-solving and analytical skills.

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  Team-work and collaboration – experience of working effectively with others as part of a team, demonstrating reliability, a flexible approach to work, and adapting to a range of situations, individuals and groups; ability to build relationships both within and outside of the House of Lords at all levels.

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  Professionalism, Tact and Discretion - Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build successful relationships with internal and external stakeholders, to represent the Committee Office appropriately to a wide range of people and organisations in a range of situations, and to handle difficult or sensitive situations with tact and discretion.

Next Steps

If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application form which demonstrates how your skills and experience meet all criteria on the job description.

More information on the role can be found on the job description.