About the job

Job summary

House of Commons 

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Job description

Introduction 

Select Committee Team

The Select Committee Team comprises the staff of most select committees, the Scrutiny Unit, Committee Online Services, the Select Committee Engagement Team and the Media and Communications Service. The Team provides support and advice for all aspects of the work of select committees.

Chamber & Participation Team

The procedural offices in the Chamber & Participation Team support the business of the House, providing procedural services and advice.

The Role 

Deputy Principal Clerks (DPCs) are recruited to band rather than post and successful candidates will join a circulatable pool of Clerks and may be circulated from time to time between the Select Committee Team and the Chamber and Participation Team. 

Clerk of a select committee (Scrutiny team leader), leading the staff team (typically of 5–9 people), supporting Members in scrutinising the Government’s performance in a particular policy area, and reporting their findings and recommendations to the House. 

A senior member of staff (and sometimes acting Head of Office) in one of the procedural offices under the Chamber and Participation Team giving advice on parliamentary practice and procedure to Members. In that capacity you may on occasion be the most senior member of the staff of the procedural office available, and responsible—perhaps under considerable time or political pressure—for giving sound procedural advice and support to Members, colleagues and others in and outside the House, such as Parliamentary Counsel or Government departments.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Acting with autonomy in all aspects of the management of the Committee and relations with its Members, giving effect to the collective decisions of the Committee;
• Delivering the Committee’s programme of inquiries and other activities;
• Resource management of the Committee’s support, leading a team of staff
• Giving authoritative procedural and policy advice to the Chair and Members, and advice on select committee practice to witnesses and other stakeholders;

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Demonstrable knowledge of, and experience of providing advice and guidance on, the practices and procedures of the House of Commons
• Understanding of Parliamentary Privilege and the constitutional relationships between Parliament and the executive, judiciary, devolved administrations and other public bodies.
• Proven understanding and awareness of the political and legal context in which the House and its committees work, with awareness of any associated risks.
• Demonstrable experience of working effectively in a complex political environment.
• Sound judgement and analytical skills, with the ability to devise pragmatic solutions to complex problems.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £82,000, House of Commons contributes £22,140 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1-5 in the Job Description. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.