Are you looking for an opportunity to work with a senior, high-profile politician to transform our region? Are you a champion of the West Midlands, committed to ‘levelling-up' the region so that nobody is left behind? Do you want to leave a legacy as someone who helped sort out the local transport system, built more homes, and provided young people with the skills they need to get a good career?

As Policy Adviser to Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority, you’ll have opportunity to do all of this and more.  

In this role, you’ll provide policy guidance to the Mayor of the West Midlands and support the delivery of critical projects. You’ll be exposed to a range of senior leaders within the WMCA and Special Advisors in Government – so you’ll be comfortable engaging with key stakeholders to achieve strategic aims and objectives.

The role is offered on a fixed term until May 2024.

What will you be doing?

• Develop and gain support for the Mayor’s policies while aiding the delivery of these policies, working with the other officers of the West Midlands Combined Authority
• Take responsibility for a distinct set of policy areas within the team, research and provide the Mayor with high-level advice
• Become the lead and advise the mayor on developments within this area in conjunction with the expert officers within WMCA
• Undertake and support activities that contribute to the delivery of the Mayor’s manifesto commitments and other policy priorities as needed by providing additional capacity and oversight
• Engage with businesses, stakeholders and others on the Mayor’s behalf on relevant issues
• Brief the Mayor and Head of Delivery and Policy on national and regionally significant developments and updates on the delivery of projects and policies
• Manage stakeholder relationships on behalf of the Mayor and Head of Delivery and Policy

About you

Politically and commercially aware, skilled at solving particularly complex challenges, smart influencing skills and copious amounts of drive and enthusiasm are just some of the things we’ll be looking for. Additionally, we’re looking for someone with the following:

• Experience of supporting high-profile individuals, in a policy-based role
• Skilled in report-writing and preparing presentations
• Excellent written skills, with the ability to accurately summarise and convey complex information
• Able to analyse information to formulate opinion and contextualise against current work themes
• Experience in facilitating meetings and events
• Can think quickly and creatively to produce solutions in a fast-paced work environment
• Comfortable with significant amounts of travel, with an expectation to work in-transit in many cases
• Willingness to work outside contracted hours
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work effectively to meet deadlines.
• Flexible approach to work, with the ability to adapt to meet changing work requirements

About us

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work.

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us.

We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. As a Disability Confident Employer, we have made a positive commitment to interviewing all applicants with a disability who meet the essential role criteria. We are committed to building a team of people with varied backgrounds and experiences as we recognise that this will only benefit us as an employer, the more inclusive we are the better our work will be, and welcome applications from young people, Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and women at senior levels.

We’re dedicated to providing a broad range of rewards and benefits and constantly benchmark our benefits packages to ensure they are attractive for all our people. As well as a competitive salary, employees also receive 27 days annual leave (plus public holidays) and access to a great pension scheme.

Furthermore, wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance. We are very happy to discuss a flexible working pattern that suits your needs, so please do not let that be a barrier to applying. If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

About your application

The online Application Form you'll be asked to complete plays a key part in our recruitment and selection process. We use the information you provide to decide whether to invite you for an interview. It is important that you complete the Application Form as fully and accurately as possible. You will be asked to upload a Supporting Statement (not a CV) and this should include specific examples which demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role for which you are applying. 

If you would like to discuss alternative methods to the online application as a reasonable adjustment please contact the Resourcing Team by email (careers@wmca.org.uk).

Location

16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B91 3SD. Hybrid working conditions are currently in place which means working remotely and coming to the office when required.

Supporting documents
FINAL Mayoral Policy Adviser role profile Jan 2022.doc