Deputy Head of Mayor's Office - Policy & Public Affairs

Deputy Head of Mayor's Office • Policy & Public Affairs £54,267 - £57,402 per annum This is a unique opportunity to work at the heart of local government, helping to shape and deliver the Mayor’s vision for Newham. As Deputy Head of Mayor’s Office – Policy & Public Affairs, you will lead the policy, stakeholder engagement and public affairs function of the Mayor’s Office. You will ensure that the Mayor’s priorities are translated into clear plans and deliverable activity across the Council, while building strong relationships with partners, communities and key stakeholders. Working closely with Communications, Corporate Strategy and senior leaders across the organisation, you will help coordinate policy development, oversee key programmes and ensure the Mayor is connected to the issues, opportunities and partnerships that matter most to Newham residents.   What you'll be doing:   • Supporting the Head of Mayor’s Office to coordinate and track delivery of the Mayor’s priorities across the organisation. • Working with services and Corporate Strategy to embed Mayoral priorities into plans, programmes and performance arrangements. • Working closely with the Corporate Strategy and Communications teams to oversee stakeholder and public affairs activity, building relationships with public sector partners, community organisations and key external stakeholders. • Overseeing engagement plans, visits and external activity on behalf of the Mayor.  • Managing the Mayor’s Political Assistant and ensuring effective coordination of political support and intelligence. • Overseeing high-quality briefings, insight and forward planning to support effective decision-making. • Acting as a central point of coordination between the Mayor’s Office, Communications, Corporate Strategy and Council services.   What you'll bring: • Experience working in a senior support, policy, public affairs or political environment. • A strong understanding of how policy development, stakeholder engagement and organisational delivery come together to achieve outcomes. • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence with elected members, senior officers and external partners. • Strong organisational skills and the ability to coordinate multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.  • Sound judgement, political awareness and the ability to handle sensitive issues with professionalism and discretion. • A commitment to improving outcomes for residents and supporting the delivery of the Mayor’s ambitions for Newham.   Newham Council employees receive an annual leave allowance starting at 24 days per year (rising up to 32 days based on length of service), alongside 8 UK public bank holidays and 3 additional days of leave to be taken over the December holiday period. Please view JD here [https://www.newham.gov.uk/downloads/file/11097/deputy-head-of-mayor-s-office-policy-and-public-affairs-jd-june-2026] closing date: 08/09/2026 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. 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.