Head of Private Office and Secretariat (6 months FTC) - London

Thank you for your interest in a role at the MOPAC. We are excited to hear about your experiences.

Join us to make London a safer city for everyone.

This vacancy is only open to candidates who hold current RV (Recruitment Vetting) and CTC (Counter Terrorist Check) clearance.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to head its Private Office and Secretariat for six months. This pivotal role supports the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) and the Chief Executive Officer in delivering MOPAC’s vision of making London a safer city for all.

You will lead a high-performing team responsible for managing strategic advice, internal governance, and democratic accountability functions. Acting as a key liaison between MOPAC, the Mayor’s Office, the Metropolitan Police Service, and other partners, you’ll ensure effective communication, diary management, and policy alignment.

We’re looking for someone with proven experience in political environments, excellent communication skills, and the ability to influence at senior levels. You’ll need to demonstrate leadership, strategic thinking, and a track record of managing complex relationships and systems.

This role requires resilience, discretion, and the ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-profile setting. Evening and weekend work may be required as part of the duty rota.

Application Process

Candidates need to submit their CV and employment history and must answer the supplementary questions which are:

1. Please provide evidence of when you have had to manage relationships with multiple, high-level stakeholders, including political figures and external partners.
2. Please tell us about a time where you have had to manage a team in a fast-paced and reactive environment.
3. Please provide an example of when you have had to provide strategic advice that was likely to be unwelcome to a to a senior leader or political figure, informed by a wider organisational or policy context.
4. Please provide evidence of how you facilitated effective decision-making within an organisation either through internal governance or democratic accountability functions.

Interview dates

Interviews will take place:

• w/c 6 October and w/c 13 October

If you have a question about this role please contact Naomi Sterling (Head of Private Office and Secretariat) at [email protected]

If you have a question about the role or the recruitment process please contact a member of the HR team via email on [email protected] .

Applying for the Role

Candidates wishing to apply must upload their CV accordingly, complete their personal profile and answer the supporting questions. Please ensure your answers clearly address the essential criteria and competency framework outlined in the attached job description.

Please note that you will not be able to go back and edit your application once you have pressed the submit button. We advise all candidates to make note of the supplementary questions and draft their answers outside of the recruitment portal.

MOPAC operates an anonymised recruitment process; therefore, please do not write any identifiable information (such as your name, pronouns or any personal information) within your supporting question answers or introductory statement.

We will not be using information from CVs for shortlisting, and candidates will only be assessed against our application criteria.

If we receive a large number of applications, we may choose to shortlist on the lead question, the first supplementary question.

We would also advise candidates to avoid using Chat GPT in preparing answers.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or assistance submitting your application, please email [email protected] .

Political Restriction

Political Restriction: under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011), all MOPAC staff members will be politically restricted without the right to apply for an exemption.

Security Vetting Clearance

The successful candidates will be expected to undergo the necessary security checks. Applicants must possess the legal right to work in the UK and have resided in the UK continuously for at least the last three years.

Reward and Benefits

For employment roles, in addition to an excellent salary and civil service pension with 28.97% employer contribution, we offer an attractive range of benefits including 32.5 days’ annual leave, interest free season ticket loan and flexible working arrangements.

Where are we based?

We operate a hybrid working model with office hubs at Union Street (near London Bridge) and Newlands Park (postcode SE26). On average, staff will work 1-2 days a week from an Office Hub, which may differ depending on the role requirements.

Got a query on the recruitment process?

If you have a question about the recruitment process, please get in touch with a member of the HR team via email at [email protected] .

We are a disability-confident employer. MOPAC guarantees an interview to any applicant that declares that they have a disability, providing they meet the minimum standards for the job role. These standards are defined in the job description and will often be listed as essential or desirable skills.

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.