Committee Clerk Leader, International Scrutiny

Job summary

BELONG HERE. TOGETHER, WE MAKE PARLIAMENT HAPPEN.

As a Committee Clerk Leader, you’ll play an important role in supporting the UK’s parliamentary democracy. Your work will help members carry out their responsibilities effectively — contributing to something bigger than any one role.

You’ll be part of a collaborative community, working alongside colleagues from a wide range of professions. Together, we make Parliament happen.

You’ll be based on the Parliamentary Estate in Westminster — a unique working environment shaped by history and powered by the people who work here today.

Job description

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you will support the work of internationally focussed House of Lords select committees which investigate public policy and scrutinise government activity. You will be leading and supporting other staff in the team, and also working directly with certain members of the House.

In particular, you will act as a deputy to the team leader who oversees international committees in the House of Lords. You will lead and oversee committee engagement with inter-parliamentary and international bodies, providing strategic oversight of committee engagement with those institutions. You will also monitor changes and develop proposals relating to the scrutiny of international policy and help guide the international committee team to ensure they are able to continue to provide high-quality support to select committees, particularly in response to any changes to the way in which the House scrutinises international policy. You will need to work closely with staff and members of the House, as well as counterparts in the House’s Interparliamentary Relations Office, the House of Commons, other parliaments, parliamentary assemblies and international institutions.

In this role you will also undertake wider procedural duties in the House of Lords Chamber or Grand Committee, directly supporting the work of the House as it examines legislation, scrutinies government policy and debates current affairs.

Person specification

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who can bring their skills and experience to make a meaningful contribution here.

You’ll have:

1. Leadership and teamwork

• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with an ability to motivate and develop people, and a record of working well in a team.

2. Planning, delivery and ability to learn

• Strategic ability to lead and oversee the planning and delivery of committee engagement with inter-parliamentary and international bodies, including leading and guiding staff, identifying common objectives and developing proposals for international scrutiny in response to the demands of the House.
• The ability to work well under pressure, manage competing priorities, and a record of learning and using new skills.

3. Expertise

• Good understanding of Parliament and the House of Lords, and the ability to advise on the procedure and practicalities of House of Lords business, particularly select committee work.

4. Authority and influencing

• Strong oral communication skills, including the ability to influence and persuade senior stakeholders, working impartially in a political environment.

5. Written communication

• The ability to draft clearly, concisely and to a high standard, and to support and guide others in the preparation of such work.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, House of Lords contributes £21,727 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Details of our employee benefits can be found at https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/lords/lordshro/employee-benefits/

What you’ll get in return

Working at the House of Lords means joining a community that values your wellbeing, growth and contribution.

You’ll benefit from:

• 30 days annual leave (rising to 35 after one year)

• Generous Civil Service pension scheme

• A comprehensive Parliamentary health and wellbeing programme

• Access to a wide range of learning and development opportunities across diverse professions

• The chance to witness democracy in action and work in a place of historic national significance

The work we do is vital to the House of Lords — the second chamber of the UK Parliament. It plays a critical role in making laws, scrutinising government, and providing independent expertise on national issues.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Apply online by 23:59 on Wednesday 11 November 2026.

We expect to invite shortlisted candidates to interview in Westminster. We may also ask you to complete an assessment or test.

As part of your application, you’ll need to submit:

• An anonymised CV outlining your career history, responsibilities and achievements.
• An application form providing examples against the essential criteria in this job description, showing how your experience matches what we’re looking for.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email : hlrecruitment@parliament.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hlrecruitment@parliament.uk

Attachments

HL9 CCL International Scrutiny - Job Description Opens in new window (docx, 2626kB)