Roberta Blackman-Woods MP is looking for a Parliamentary Assistant to work in her busy Westminster office. The successful applicant will be enthusiastic and highly organised with excellent communication skills.

Main responsibilities:
• Support Member in her Shadow Ministerial role for Planning and Local Government
• Facilitate the work of the Planning Commission set up by Roberta
• Analyse, evaluate and interpret data to ensure Member is accurately informed on key issues
• Develop and maintain current knowledge of bills, Early Day Motions, legislation, Hansard, debates etc
• Give advice on policy issues and prepare and present briefing notes for committees, press releases, parliamentary questions etc
• Prepare speeches for Parliament and other relevant occasions
• Monitor e-mails and respond to routine correspondence and enquiries
• Monitoring coverage in the media and managing aspects of the Member’s social media.
• Supervise staff members where appropriate
• Provide general admin support

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• At least one year’s experience in Parliament, an agency or other relevant work environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Some knowledge or understanding of planning and local government issues as relates to Roberta’s brief
• Some knowledge or understanding of Parliamentary business and processes
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• High level of attention to detail, with a clear and concise writing style
• The ability to prioritise a demanding workload, meet deadlines and work under pressure
• Ability to work independently and as part of a small team
• Good level of IT proficiency, particularly MS Office