Head of Desk

**Head of Desk**
**043158**

**Organisation**
- Public Affairs & Stakeholder Engagement

**Job**
- Corporate / Public Affairs

**Position Type**
- Full Time

**Job title: Head of Desk - Corporate and Public Affairs***

**Salary: £58,000 - £63,000**

**Location**:Palestra - Hybrid**

**Contract Type**:TFL, Band 3/ 18 Month FTC with the potential to develop into a permanent role**
- Transport for London’s Government Relations Team is looking for an enthusiastic and collaborative Head of Desk who has experience of providing supportive, effective line management, strong political judgement and an understanding of the needs of our key political stakeholders.
- The Government Relations Team sits within the Communications and Corporate Affairs (CCA) Directorate at Transport for London (TfL). The directorate plays a key role in helping to shape and steer the strategy of the organisation by using the team’s knowledge and awareness of the political and media landscape. Working for one of the most recognisable brands in the world, life in the CCA Directorate is fast-paced, energetic and exciting. The directorate is well-renowned and respected both inside and outside of the organisation and is looking to welcome somebody who can help us to continue to successfully build and enhance TfL’s reputation.
- The team focuses on managing, protecting and enhancing TfL's reputation and relationships with key political stakeholders. We're the single point of contact for all elected representatives, officials, civil servants, and political organisations across central government, Parliament, the London Assembly, international institutions and the UK's major cities and regions. We help the business understand the evolving political landscape and provide communications advice and political counsel to ensure TfL’s policies make London a brilliant place to live, travel and work in.

**Overview of project/role**

Reporting to a Government Relations Lead, the Head of Desk is accountable for leading a desk of advisers and officers on a portfolio of specialised policy areas as well as on day-to-day stakeholder engagement to ensure the successful delivery of TfL’s public affairs strategy across our key stakeholders.

No two days are the same and the role includes providing supportive and effective line management, drafting and clearing responses to correspondence from elected officials, developing and implementing communications plans for our political stakeholders linked to TfL’s strategy, planning and delivering visits and events with our key stakeholders, drafting responses to Mayor’s Questions, preparing senior managers for national and regional committee sessions and taking an active and collaborative role in the Government Relations management team.

**Key Accountabilities**

2. Ensuring senior managers and TfL more widely are well-informed about the policy and political environment by effectively monitoring and analysing developments and communicating them in a timely way. Supporting senior managers to build successful relationships and attend meetings with political and other stakeholders while delivering a consistent, positive pan-TfL message

4. Managing the desk to deliver proactive stakeholder engagement and respond rapidly and effectively to any developing issues

5. Taking an active role in the wider Government Relations management team to ensure a happy, effective and efficient team, including issues such as training and development of team members.

6. Safeguarding TfL’s reputation by actively supporting scrutiny and information sharing processes including Mayor’s Questions, committees, consultations, and political casework and correspondence to ensure speedy and professional resolution as required. Accountable for the review and approval of all communications for their transport brief to ensure an outstanding standard of communication with stakeholders

7. Representing TfL effectively with stakeholders, resolving issues successfully and sharing feedback with the business to continually improve how we deliver a better service for customers. Providing prompt escalation to drive quick and effective resolutions

8. Securing a conducive funding, policy and legislative environment for TfL by working with and supporting senior managers to design and implement campaigns

**Skills**:

- Excellent command of time management and people management with an ability to juggle many competing interests
- Confidence to play a full and active part in meetings at all levels of seniority
- Ability to produce and adapt clear and concise research on complex issues often to tight deadlines, including drafting briefings, position papers and correspondence, contributing to the development of business-wide engagement strategies
- Proven ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing on complex issues, to edit and improve the written work of others and with an ability to perform in high-pressure situations
- Prove