Public Affairs & Campaigns Adviser

Location: Westminster

Contract : Fixed term for 6-12 months

Salary: £47,609 per annum (Including London Weighting)

About us

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to support, promote and improve local government. We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils to help them deliver local solutions to national problems.
We also provide councils with the tools and resources to respond to challenges present and emerging, and support improvement across the sector.

We value diversity and encourage applications from all sections of the community to this high-profile role.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement, duties of the Public Affairs and Campaigns Adviser include:

*Work collaboratively as part of the Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement team to contribute to the development and delivery of the LGA’s public affairs and campaigns activity. This will involve working with colleagues across the LGA to enhance the political influence and public profile of both the LGA and local government.

*Contribute to the delivery of the LGA’s Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement approach by helping to influence parliamentary debates, select committees and legislation in order to secure positive change on behalf of local government.

* Support delivery of the LGA’s Communications Strategy by building and maintaining key relationships in Parliament and with other relevant corporate stakeholders.

*Support LGA councillors and member councils to engage with Parliament, including briefing senior LGA members and officials ahead of parliamentary inquiries and as part of the LGA’s party conference engagement. This will also involve working closely with the LGA’s Chair and members of the Senior Leadership Team.

*Work with the Head of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement to organise high-impact public affairs events and ensure the LGA has a strong corporate profile at the autumn party conferences. This includes organising high-impact briefings to build the LGA’s network of support in Parliament, supporting the LGA’s annual local government parliamentary reception and organising Smith Square Debates.

*Provide perceptive and insightful political intelligence and advice to identify opportunities for the LGA, strengthen the organisation’s public affairs profile and support wider communications activity.

*Work with the Head of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement and colleagues across the Communications Directorate to provide public affairs advice and support to member councils, including through the LGA’s Public Affairs Network.

* Support the Head of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement in ensuring that the Public Affairs team is the first point of contact for queries from MPs, peers, political parties, parliamentary staff, think tanks and stakeholders on LGA policy recommendations and local government issues. Promote and enhance the reputation of local government and, where necessary, help defend councils’ reputation.

*Work with colleagues, as required by the Head of Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement, to produce regular forward-looking grids summarising, scheduling and coordinating future LGA public affairs and campaigning activity, announcements and other initiatives.

*Undertake out-of-hours duties as necessary, including attending parliamentary, political, think tank and campaign-related events.

• The position is required to support immediate delivery needs
• The organisation is consulting on its operating model
• The grade and responsibilities are subject to confirmation
• Priority consideration may be given to employees at risk where they have the required qualifications and experience

Job Description -Public Affairs & Campaigns Adviser

About you

Based in the LGA’s office in Westminster, the Public Affairs and Campaigns Adviser will have:

1. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, be highly motivated and able to work using your own initiative.
2. An interest in developing your own networks within both political and communications circles.
3. A strong commitment to personal and professional development achieved by maintaining regular communication with contacts in Parliament, Whitehall and stakeholders relevant to local government.
4. Strong interpersonal skills and a proactive, team-oriented approach to working.
5. A keen interest in networking and confidence to communicate with members of parliament, government ministers and officials, and leaders across local government.
6. Considerable experience working for a parliamentarian, select committee, government department or delivering public affairs in a lobbying/campaigning organisation or within local and regional government.

You must have the right to work in the UK, the LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.

Please note that, due to the nature of the role, applications from current serving councillors cannot be considered.

To apply

If you would like to be considered for the role, please complete the online form and include a supporting statement detailing how you meet the criteria for the role before the closing date.

We are specifically assessing candidates against the following criteria:

1. Considerable experience working for a parliamentarian, select committee, government department or delivering public affairs in a lobbying/campaigning organisation or within local and regional government.

2. An excellent understanding of Westminster, Whitehall and local government, including the interface between local authorities, national government, political parties and opinion-formers.

3. Experience and evidence of success in positively influencing relevant opinion-formers, including influencing primary legislation, a parliamentary debate, a select committee report or working with parliamentarians to secure the tabling of parliamentary questions.

4. Evidence of success in working to deliver public affairs plans and corporate campaigns.

5. Experience in aligning public affairs and campaigning activity with colleagues in other disciplines, including media, policy and campaigns.

6. Ability to prioritise competing demands, within a pressured environment, and adopt a flexible approach to work and - when necessary - working hours.

Closing Date: 01 October 2026, 5pm

Interview Date: TBC

We use anonymous recruitment, which is the practice of hiding candidates’ identities. This process involves removing any identifying information from candidates’ applications which includes names.

At the LGA we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit.

***The LGA are proud to be awarded a “Disability Confident Leader”. Please contact us via ***Recruitment@local.gov.ukif you require a reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have.

Our benefits

• LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years’ service and to 33 days after five years’ service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed term and part time contracts).*
• Flexible & agile working – office-based staff are required to work in the LGA’s London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week.
• Future development – face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals
• The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants.
• Family friendly policies

For more of LGA’s benefits and working with us, please view our webpage https://www.local.gov.uk/benefits-and-working-lga

Our values & behaviours

Our Values and Behaviours are there to give us an understanding of who we are as an organisation and who we want to be. They are a framework to help us understand:

• how we work with each other
• how we work with our members and stakeholders
• our expectations for ourselves and each other

Our values are:

Collaboration – We value collaboration, to pursue shared goals by encouraging and utilising diverse perspectives and working with internal and external colleagues across the organisation.

Inclusion – We value inclusion, where everyone feels valued, understood, and supported to contribute meaningfully.

Ambition – We value ambition, reflecting our desire to achieve best possible outcomes for local government, communities, and individuals.

Respect – We value respect, to ensure fairness, recognition, and shared accountability.