Personal Assistant (PA) to a House of Lords Government Whip


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£35,479 to £37,121 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	8 Oct 2026
Closing date:	21 Oct 2026

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Summary

This vacancy offers an excellent opportunity to work at the heart of both Government and Parliament. The Government Whips’ Office is responsible for delivering the Government’s legislative programme in the House of Lords. The Whips will often act as lead Minister in the Chamber on behalf of a department.

As part of the House of Lords Business Manager’s Office, the team supports the Leader of the House and Chief Whip in securing the passage of Government Bills through the upper chamber. It acts as a channel of communication between the Government and the Opposition parties on parliamentary matters and coordinates Lords parliamentary business. The office provides support, advice and guidance on House business to Ministers, Government Departments and back-bench Peers.

The Office directly supports a Ministerial Team of Whips in their roles as spokespersons for various Government Departments and in their duties as Lords and Baronesses-in-Waiting to HM The King.

The PA is essential to the effective functioning of the team of Whips. The post holder will be responsible for making the most effective use of the Whip’s time and provide them with effective support, including ensuring they have clearly identified priorities and high quality briefing to enable them to successfully carry out their duties. As the Whips may need to deputise for other Ministers, you will need to be able to manage a diary and relationships with numerous Government Departments, particularly in coordinating briefing for business.

The post holder needs to be very well organised, flexible and able to prioritise. They must be able to work well with others, to communicate effectively and to be confident. The post holder will also need to remain calm and reliable under pressure. Previous

experience of diary management would be helpful but is not a prerequisite.

The successful candidate will form part of a small team of four, working closely with the team of six government Whips. They will have contact with the Chief Whip, Whips, Ministers and officials in both Houses and offices across government, as well as with external organisations. The post reports directly to one of the Private Secretaries.

Depending on business needs, hours can exceed standard contracted hours, for which overtime is paid. The post holder will need to be willing to work flexibly across their time and brief as necessary.

The role requires excellent organisational skills; a high level of interpersonal skills with an emphasis on discretion and tact; and the ability to work well as a team member.

Main Duties

Managing the diaries of members of the Lords Whips’ team to ensure that they have clearly identified priorities and make the most effective use of their time;
Anticipating points of pressure on the diary and acting proactively to identify solutions;
Helping to coordinate the overall Whips’ rota, to ensure your Whips are rota’d appropriately for duty across the Chamber and Grand Committee as required;
Advising the Whips on their HR requests and coordinating responses to ensure appropriate declaration of interests;
Managing requests for meetings from internal and external stakeholders;
Commissioning relevant and targeted briefing from officials for meetings;
Organising travel for the Whips: to and from the House and for off-site meetings and government engagements;
Responding to correspondence and invitations;
Preparing folders and briefing packs;
Working with other colleagues in the Whips’ Office team, supporting others and contributing to decisions where support is needed in busy periods;
Maintaining and developing good working relationships with all offices of the House of Lords and relevant Government Departments;
General other office duties as needed.

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