Women and Equalities Committee is looking for a specialist adviser for its inquiry into cohabitation
28 April 2021
The House of Commons, Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) is looking for a specialist adviser for its inquiry into cohabitation.
The Committee
The Women and Equalities Committee examines the work of the Government Equalities Office. It holds Government to account on equality law and policy, including the Equality Act 2010 and cross Government activity on equalities. It also scrutinises the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Recent inquiries carried out by the Committee include:
- Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services
- Unequal impact: Coronavirus and BAME people
- Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image
The Committee is chaired by Caroline Nokes MP.
The role and eligibility
We are looking for a motivated and confident specialist adviser who can work well within a small team and who has:
- Proven expertise in the issues surrounding cohabitation, involving family law, property and trust matters, wills and tax issues;
- Expertise in any equalities implications of current arrangements for cohabitating couples;
- The ability to explain complex information clearly and succinctly;
- Ability to provide feedback and comment on a variety of draft written products, using research/academic skills to ensure robust analysis of evidence;
- Experience of working with policymakers and interacting with Parliament, charities, think tanks and/or other governmental bodies; and
- Ability to advise the Committee Chair, Members and staff on issues within the sector
Time commitment
The post will run from the beginning of July for up to 6 months. Advisers are expected to work no more than two days in a week on a flexible basis, although in practical terms the workload may be substantially less.
A daily honorarium is paid to advisers on the basis of an established scale (further information available on application).
Application process
Anyone who is interested in taking this role is asked to send a CV, covering letter and declaration of relevant interest to womeqcom@parliament.uk and include:
- Your expertise as they relate to the role above;
- Previous examples of your work in a policy context and your understanding of the work carried out by select committees;
- The amount of time you can commit to the inquiry; and
- Your ability to take on work at short notice if required.
If your application is successful, you will be asked to declare any interests. These will be published on the Committee's website. Your declaration of interests should include anything that a reasonable person might consider could influence the advice you give the Committee. This could include, for instance, a relevant financial interest, active membership of a relevant campaign group or political party, or the involvement of a close family member in the area of specialism. Declared interests from successful applicants will be published.
This is a part-time, flexible role, which will involve supplementing existing internal expertise and providing advice to MPs and staff on cohabitation (for example, making input to briefing documents, the strategic direction of the inquiry and advising on aspects of the final report).
The Committee values diversity and encourages applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday 28 May 2021. Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 17 June via Microsoft Teams, with a view to the Committee confirming appointment as soon as possible after this date.
Contacts for Enquiries and Applications
If you require additional information about the post, please contact Sean Kinsey, Clerk (kinseye@parliament.uk).
Further information
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