Greater London Authority to hire a senior policy officer for technology

Officer will develop Mayor Sadiq Khan's technology policy

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is hiring a senior policy officer for technology in a fixed-term role for one year.

The officer will not report to the GLA's CIO David Munn, but instead report to the organisation's head of Economic and Business Policy Unit, Catherine Glossop.

In a document seen by Computing, the GLA explains that the job purpose of the role is to develop the Mayor Sadiq Khan's technology policy, ensuring London's 'lead in technology innovation' translates into jobs and growth.

The post-holder will develop policy "to maximise the growth opportuntiies from the interactions between technology and London's diverse economic strengths in other fields". This includes the creative and cultural sectors, the sciences, and the energy and environment sectors.

He or she will be tasked with working across a wide range of business sectors to understand and promote the potential for technology innovation to further enable their growth, including the potential for artificial intelligence.

Among the other principal accountabilities, the senior policy officer will have to support work on the international promotion of London's technology sector, support the Mayor's lobbying position in areas such as regulation, research and innovation national funding allocations, and engage with a wide variety of public and private stakeholders across the tech sector.

The GLA is flexible in regards to some of the requirements for the candidate - it asks for a relevant degree, professional qualification or ability to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge and skills gained through experience.

However, the post-holder must have a background of working in or with the technology sector, project and programme management and reporting experience, and an understanding of the London economic and social development agenda. In addition, the GLA is looking for several behavioural competencies that include building and managing relationships, problem solving and decision making.

The chosen candidate will be paid a salary of £41,827, and the hiring manager, Glossop, told Computing that the post comes with the possibility for extension for another year at the very least.