Newham Independents Political Assistant

Job Description

Newham Independents Group Political Assistant

• Employer: London Borough of Newham
• Reference:10026133
• Closing on: 23 June 2026
• Working Pattern: Full Time (Fixed Term until May 2027)
• Hours: 36 Hours
• Salary: £45,750 - £49,056 per annum
• Location: Newham Dockside

Newham is one of the youngest and most diverse boroughs in England and Wales. Host to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and home to the largest urban regeneration site in Europe, Newham boasts a vibrant and thriving culture and community.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for someone with a keen political instinct and great organisational skills to work with the Newham Independents Group of Councillors within Newham Council.

We are looking for a Political Assistant to support the aspirations of the Group’s Policy programme and provide effective administrative support to the Group’s Members and Leader.

This role is suited to someone with a solid understanding of the local social, economic and political landscape so that you can advise on political developments as they take place. You will also be responsible for identifying new issues facing the borough as they are communicated to the Group by Residents and the media and working with Councillors on plans to address them and communicate a response.

The Political Assistant is responsible for ensuring an effective Newham Independent Group presence at Council meetings, and that Councillors are fully briefed and ready to make clear and concise contributions at Committees and Full Council. You will act as a conduit between Members of the Group and Officers, ensuring that the Group’s priorities are understood and reflected in the development of policies and decision-making. You will also play a central part in facilitating Group meetings, displaying strong administrative skills and attention to detail.

You will have experience of holding a role with transferable skills, and the ability to flourish in a political environment, with competing demands and a commitment to upholding confidentiality with regards to sensitive political matters. It is important that you have excellent interpersonal skills and are able to build and maintain good working relationships with senior Leaders in a wide variety of organisations.

To complete a successful application, please carefully review the person specification and ensure you offer examples of your work experience.

If you would like a discussion about the role or recruitment process, please contact Akhtar Ali, Head of Elections & Democratic Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer at Akhtar.Ali@newham.gov.uk.

IMPORTANT: If you are an LBN member of staff and applying for this role as a secondment you should note that secondments are subject to the agreement of your current employing service. Please ensure that you inform your line manager of your intention to apply for the post in the first instance.

Please view JD here

Closing date: Tuesday 23 June 2026

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

About us

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the south east. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the Theatre Royal Stratford East offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.