Head of Best Practice

Job Title: Head of Best Practice

Reports to: Director of Field Campaigns

Salary: £51,014

Contract: Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week)

Location: Hybrid - a combination of home working and at least two days per week in central London

Closing date: Friday 22nd November, 4pm

Purpose of job

You will establish and lead our newly formed Best Practice Team to ensure we can clearly articulate best practice in all areas of party activity, with a sound evidence base to support it.

You will capture the very best examples of how to work effectively and with the highest impact, and ensure these resources are shared with MPs, their and party staff, and relevant volunteers.

You will network effectively across the party to champion best practice, speaking persuasively and with authority to stakeholders at all levels and ensuring the delivery of high quality, coordinated programmes of training and development to embed best practice in everything we do. 

Key responsibilities

1. Take strategic ownership of our MP Incumbency Protection workstream, engaging key stakeholders to set strategic level plans and managing our Incumbency Best Practice Manager to deliver them.
2. Build and maintain strong relationships with IPSA/House Authorities and our Commons Whips Team to ensure our MPs have access to the best possible, up to date best practice advice on how to maximise their effectiveness in the role and the effectiveness and smooth running of their staff teams and offices.
3. Build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues in Field to ensure they are adequately trained and supported to deliver on the ground support to MPs and MP staff in their constituencies on all but complex / new / sensitive issues, agreeing a joint programme of proactive support at constituency level.
4. Work in partnership with the Federal People Development Committee and other key party stakeholders to set the strategic plan for training across the organisation, and manage our Training Officer to deliver it.
5. Ensure best practice is proactively shared with Parliamentarians, their staff, party staff, and volunteers through training, briefings, networking and the provision of resources, working with these groups to proactively increase take-up.

Person specification

Essential

• Excellent strategic and instinctive political judgement.
• Excellent, confident communication skills. 
• The ability to speak persuasively and with authority to a wide range of stakeholders and your peers, with the ability to win and hold the confidence of people at all levels of seniority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work alongside, persuading and reporting to stakeholders.
• Excellent time management and organisation skills.
• Excellent project management skills
• A willingness to innovate and an openness to new working ideas and practices.
• Curiosity to test new ideas, quantify their impact and share this learning.
• The ability to understand complex information and present it to others in an accessible and user-friendly format.
• The ability to work well both on your own and in a team environment.
• The ability to manage, develop and get the best from staff.

Desirable

• Sympathy with the aims and values of the Liberal Democrats.
• Understanding of the political environment and political campaigning.
• Understanding of the role of an MP and their staff.
• Proven ability to work with volunteers.
• The ability to grow a new team from scratch, developing it over time to make it the best it can be.

How to apply

Please fully read through the requirements of the job before applying and take a few minutes to complete our Equality and Diversity Monitoring Forms then proceed with your application.

• A full CV of no more than two pages and including a telephone number and email address;
• A covering letter (no more than one A4 page) setting out why you want the job and how your experience and skills are relevant to it;
• To be considered for this position, please submit your application to sarah.morris@libdems.org.uk .

We will be reviewing applications as they come in and reserve the right to appoint prior to the closing date.

Please note: We will not be able to employ you if you are not eligible to work in the UK. We will not be able to obtain a work permit on your behalf.

Applicants are encouraged to inform us if any reasonable adjustments are needed to be made during any part of the recruitment process.

Please let us have details of your current salary and two referees including one from your current employer – if you would prefer us not to contact them until a later stage of the selection process, please let us know.

We may not notify applicants if their application has been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage.

The Party believes it is essential to foster equity, equality, diversion and inclusion within our workforce. We want our employees to thrive in an environment where everyone is welcome and supported to achieve their potential. It is important to celebrate what makes us unique and that you feel valued, appreciated and free to be who you are.