Hours 37.5 per week Monday to Friday, the successful candidate will be expected to be flexible regarding hours.

Closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 16th December. Interviews will be held in Westminster on 10th and 11th January 2012.

Barry Sheerman MP is seeking a parliamentary assistant/researcher to assist him in all aspects of his parliamentary and political work. The position will be based in Westminster, London. The successful candidate must be highly organised, have the ability to multi task and to work autonomously as well as part of a team. A passion for politics and a proven ability to communicate with highly developed writing skills is essential.

Main Duties

• Carry out research into local, regional and international issues giving advice as required.
• Analyse and evaluate research and interpret data.
• Provide a range of high quality written work.
• Monitor parliamentary activity and media and report to the Member accordingly.
• Commuicate effectively with internal and external contacts.
• Use IT  including Microsoft Office package etc. to full effect to support the Member's work.

• Research experience, preferrably in a political or other fast moving environment.
• Ability to quickly assimilate and present data and information.
• Excellent witten and verbal commincation.
• Experience of managing key stakeholders, including the media.
• Ability to deal with matters confidentially.
• Full proficiency in Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint.
• Website and social media skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of drafting manuscripts.

Upon appointment you will be required to comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, undertaken by the Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO). See www.w4mp.org/html/msvo/main.asp for further info.

How to apply

Applicants should send a covering letter along with their CV (no more than two pages of A4 in total) ensuring that they include evidence of all the essential criteria from the person spec and job description to demonstrate suitability for the post. Please ensure that you include the details of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer.

Please send you application by post to Barry Sheerman MP, Room 525 Portcullis House, House of Commons, London. SW1A 0AA clearly marked 'To be opened only by Barry Sheerman, application for Assistant/Researcher'.

It will not be possible to reply to all applicants and if you have not heard back by 10th January 2012, it is regretted that you will not have been successful on this occasion.