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.

Introduction 

A fantastic opportunity to work across both our Select Committee and Chamber and Participation Teams. 

The Select Committee Team (SCT) supports the operation of departmental select committees and a number of cross-cutting scrutiny select committees.

The Chamber and Participation Team (CPT) brings together all the disciplines that support the House of Commons Chamber within one coherent structure.

Job description

There are five SCS1A Principal Clerk posts across both the Select Committee and Chamber and Participation Teams. Principal Clerks are recruited to band rather than post and the successful candidate will be allocated to one of these five posts. 

Some of the responsibilities for this role may include:

• Acting as a senior leader within the House of Commons Administration, promoting high standards of professionalism and customer service across both teams 
• Taking responsibility for and act in sole charge (for example, as a Table Clerk or Head of Night) for advising the Chair, business managers and others on Chamber business with knowledge and authority
• Managing people and resources efficiently within CPT and SCT, contributing effectively to leadership, management and delivery at Team level  

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Thorough knowledge of the procedures and practices of the House and an ability to give authoritative and impartial advice to Members and the Chair.
• Good understanding of constitutional issues relating to Parliament.
• An understanding of how to plan strategically both in a financial and non-financial context, and experience of successful prioritisation and targeting of resources. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,920, House of Commons contributes £23,468 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

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). 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.