***Fixed term until 31 March 2026***

Location: Westminster or home-based, in-office but open to home based

About us

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to strengthen local government, so communities thrive and to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government

We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to champion and be the voice of local government, ensuring it has the resources, powers and support to deliver the best possible outcomes. We build strong partnerships and networks to provide support, helping local authorities improve through a peer-based, sector-led approach.

We inspire and promote innovation in local government. We celebrate and accelerate the development and adaptation of new ideas that help local government continue to lead the way in public service excellence.

We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils to help them deliver local solutions to national problems.

The LGA’s Values are: Collaboration, Inclusion, Ambition, and Respect. We value diversity and encourage applications from all sections of the community to this high-profile role.

About the role

This role is an exciting opportunity to be a part of our graduate programme, Pathways to Planning, at a time of expansion and growth. Our mission is to recruit graduates from a wide range of backgrounds into local councils where they can shape the environment around them for everyone’s benefit: from planning what gets built, to determining how it gets built, and ensuring the quality of what is built can really serve local communities for generations. This is a varied role supporting colleagues working on the graduate programme in managing an inbox, maintaining electronic records, providing finance support and other related tasks. This role will primarily support graduates who have secured a place on the programme, and involves engaging regularly with local councils to support them in accessing Pathways to Planning.

About you

To thrive in this role, you will have an eye for detail and the ability to learn new systems and processes quickly. You’ll be confident managing an independent workload and also working closely with colleagues on large projects to tight deadlines. You’ll be committed to treating people with respect and providing a high level of service both internally and externally. Equality and diversity will be really important to you, as will efficiency and attention to detail. You’ll be keen to support a wider team and eager to learn from mistakes so the team can grow together in best practice.

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.

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:

• Experience managing a high volume of correspondence from a range of internal and external stakeholders.

• A solutions-focussed mentality, with the ability to adapt under pressure.

• Demonstrable attention to detail in keeping records and / working with financial reporting.

• To have experience effectively using systems, such as a finance system ore recruitment system.

• To have a demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

• A strong record of collaborative working in a team setting.

For an informal chat about the post please contact Anna Buttenshaw (Anna.Buttenshaw@local.gov.uk).

Please note that Anna will be on leave for part of the advert period, so there may be a delay in her response. For urgent or general queries, please contact Recruitment@local.gov.uk.

Programme Support Officer - Job Description

Closing Date: 5pm, Monday 2 June 2025

Interview Date: 9-11 June 2025, interviews will be virtual or in-person

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.uk if 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.