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Job Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: SO1 £38,256 - £39,276

Contract Type: Full time/Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 04/08/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC

Reference: 2222

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

About the role:

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our Leadership Office team as a Leadership Support Assistant. The successful applicant will be organised, proactive and able to adapt to changing priorities in a busy environment. You will be a strong team player, able to work with discretion and professionalism while supporting senior leaders across a range of services.

As part of the team, you will provide administrative and organisational support to Corporate Directors and other senior leaders, while also providing cover and support across the wider Leadership Office when required. You will be able to work on your own initiative, manage competing priorities and take a proactive approach to your workload. Previous administrative experience is essential, and experience of working in a local authority or public sector environment would be beneficial but is not essential.

We are looking for someone who can remain calm under pressure, prioritise a varied workload and maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. You will be a confident communicator, able to build effective working relationships with senior managers, elected members, partners and colleagues across the organisation. You will have experience of drafting correspondence, organising and supporting meetings, preparing presentations and producing accurate minutes.

You will be confident using a range of IT packages, including Microsoft Office applications, and have experience of managing busy inboxes and coordinating diaries. Above all, you will be professional, reliable and committed to providing a high-quality support service to senior leaders.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Inbox management ensuring emails are responded to daily as appropriate
• Managing demanding diaries
• Management of emails, letters and phone calls - responding to or delegating as necessary on the cabinet members behalf
• Secretariat of Team and Board meetings
• Organising internal/external events and meetings as requested
• Liaising with colleagues across directorates to ensure delivery of Management Boards key projects

You will report to the Leadership Office in the Resources Directorate. You will work as part of a dynamic team who support the Council’s top tier of management.

Previous assistant experience is not essential but the ability to work in a fast paced environment is desirable.

Qualifications and Requirements:

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:

• Numeracy and literacy qualification e.g. GCSE English and Maths or equivalent.
• Relevant professional qualifications are encouraged but not essential.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
• Satisfactory declaration of interest;
• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Contact Emma Clifford, Business Manager at emma.clifford@walthamforest.gov.uk

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.

Fraud Awareness Notice:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).

We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.

If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.

If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk