Clerk of the Parliaments – London, UK

The Clerk of the Parliaments is the head of the House of Lords Administration, responsible for the delivery of the procedural and corporate functions necessary to enable the organisation to fulfil its role.

The postholder is the Chief Executive of the House of Lords and the Chief Procedural Adviser to the House. The Clerk is also the Accounting and Corporate Officer and the employer of approximately 700 House of Lords Administration staff and, with the Clerk of the House of Commons, the joint employer of staff in Parliament’s joint departments.

The Clerk of the Parliaments is responsible for delivering the strategic objectives of the House of Lords Administration, and the day-to-day operations of the House of Lords Chamber and its committees. At this time of change for the House and its membership, the 66th Clerk of the Parliaments will be responsible for delivering ongoing organisational change to meet the current and future needs of Parliament.

As such the successful candidate must be an inclusive and empowering leader who leads by example and in a collaborative style, role modelling the House of Lords Administration’s values and providing active and visible change. They are likely to have leadership and management experience in senior executive or CEO roles, with strong interpersonal and communication skills and complete political impartiality.

If this sounds like something you would like to hear more about, please apply below.

What we’re looking for

• Proven exceptional management and leadership skills, to provide visible and inclusive leadership to the whole Administration, and demonstrable experience of leading successful delivery and change in a complex organisation.
• Proven administrative experience commensurate with the responsibilities of the post and familiarity with Accounting Officer and other leadership roles, including experience in policy decision-making at high levels, managing budgets successfully and ensuring value for public money.
• Understanding of the parliamentary procedure, privileges, and practice of the UK Parliament, the devolved parliaments elsewhere in the UK or the Commonwealth Parliaments, and/ or a demonstrable ability to grasp and apply the practices of the House of Lords once in post if the successful candidate doesn’t have this knowledge already.
• The ability to offer objective advice to committees and members alike, be impartial and be seen to be impartial at all times
• Strong intellectual skills and proven ability to adapt to changing demands; including, the ability to respond quickly to emerging events and to provide high-level, accurate advice in a pressured and fast paced environment;
• Deep understanding of the constitutional links between Parliament and the executive, and the ability to represent the House of Lords with other parliamentary institutions at a national and international level.

The job description provides full details about the role and what we are looking for.

What you’ll get in return

• 30 days annual leave (increasing to 35 after one year’s service)
• Generous civil service pension schemes
• Parliamentary health and wellbeing service
• Access to on-site facilities including a gym and a range of catering outlets

Please complete your online application by 23:55 on Monday the 22nd of September 2025.

Interviews are expected to be 23rd, 27th and 30th October 2025 in Westminster, subject to parliamentary business.