Senior Specialist (Housing)

The Research and Information team delivers research, information and other services for Members, their staff, and House staff.

Research and information services aimed primarily at Members and their staff are provided under the House of Commons Library brand. Research services are provided by eight sections, each responsible for research services in broad subject groupings.

The Social Policy Section provides research and briefings on housing, the health service, social security, social services and education.

Take a look at the Work with us section of our website to see what it’s like to work in the Research and Information team, with information on our values, people and opportunities.

The postholder will work in the Social Policy Section which is made up of 11 specialists in addition to the section head. It is a busy but supportive section to work in.

The core work involves providing briefings for MPs and their staff on housing policy and law alongside one other housing researcher. The housing portfolio covers all tenures and aspects of housing policy, for example, the supply of affordable housing, homelessness, leasehold issues, housing conditions and the reform of the private rented sector.

The work is often fast paced as we respond to the changing needs of MPs and the demands placed on them. A lot of the section’s work involves helping MPs’ staff with constituency casework and the impact of national policy on constituents. For this work an understanding of landlord and tenant law is required.

The postholder will be expected to work with the other housing specialist and more widely with the Social Policy Section. They will work closely with colleagues covering housing statistics and planning. They will build relationships with external stakeholders and relevant select committee staff as appropriate.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Research and briefing work on housing policy and law within the Commons Library
• Supporting the broader work of the Social Policy Section which may include research work on any of the subjects covered by the team.
• Maintaining an excellent current awareness, level of knowledge and range of contacts on specialist subjects, and a broad current awareness of all subjects dealt with by the section.
• Providing advice and assistance to House of Commons and House of Lords staff, including committees, and to the staff of other Parliaments and institutions

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of UK housing policy and law (housing law / landlord and tenant law)
• A good knowledge of current affairs and UK public policy
• Ability to collate complex, technical material, relevant to a subject and to analyse, interpret and present it clearly and accurately for a non-specialist
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to explain complex information clearly and succinctly with strict political impartiality and authority, in line with the needs of the audience.
• Experience of prioritising workload for yourself to ensure changing short, medium and long-term demands and deadlines are met.
• Ability to work successfully within a team, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

• Name : The Resourcing Team
• Email : recruitment@parliament.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@parliament.uk