Black Rod

House of Lords

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 2nd March 2025

 
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Details

Reference number

390580

Salary

£87,000
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Other
SB1A

Contract type

Fixed term

Length of employment

The appointment will be for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of extension.

Type of role

Operational Delivery
Project Delivery
Security
Senior leadership
Other

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

London, Westminster

Job summary

We are looking for the next Lady or Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.

Black Rod is His Majesty’s Representative within the House of Lords and the Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain and Serjeant at Arms. Black Rod’s Department is a significant part of the House of Lords  ‘front of house’ for members and the public. The Department plays a significant role in the day-to-day running of the House’s sittings, as well as being responsible for the organisation and delivery of all state occasions and ceremonial events.

Job description

As Black Rod, you will be responsible for the delivery of major events, including the State Opening of Parliament and state visits to Westminster. You will lead on business resilience and continuity arrangements for the House of Lords, acting as Lords chair of the bicameral Business Resilience Board and Duty Silver within the Incident Management Framework and working closely with colleagues across parliament.  

The postholder has responsibility for facilitating and controlling access to the Chamber and the precincts of the House and maintaining order within them. Black Rod leads Black Rod’s Department as Head of Office and budget holder, supported by the Yeoman Usher (Black Rod’s Deputy), a small team of support staff, and the House of Lords Doorkeepers.

Black Rod is a senior member of the House of Lords Administration, developing strategies and plans to meet the changing needs of the House and its Members, managing their office business plan, risk register and budget, and making an active contribution to the corporate functioning of the House Administration.

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

Person specification

What we’re looking for

  • Experience of planning and delivering complex projects and deploying and running and participating in high-profile public events working with a range of agencies.
  • A proven track record in leading, developing and deploying business continuity and resilience arrangements at a high level.
  • Demonstrable strengths in leading, managing and developing a team of staff with a range of skills, including fostering diversity and inclusion.
  • Excellent communication skills—oral, written and presentational—and strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
  • Well-developed judgment and an ability to operate effectively and in a calm manner in a complex political environment.

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

Alongside your salary of £87,000, House of Lords contributes £25,203 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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
  • An opportunity to witness history in the making 

Selection process details

Please complete your online application by 23:55 on Sunday the 2nd of March 2025. Interviews are expected to be 11th and 12th of March and the second stage w/c 24th of March

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please contact HLRecruitment@parliament.uk

The House of Lords Administration is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture. The House of Lords is an inclusive employer and is committed to becoming an even more welcoming, inclusive and diverse organisation. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether or not they have a disability. 



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
  • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : Recruitment Team
  • Email : hlrecruitment@parliament.uk

Recruitment team

  • Email : hlrecruitment@parliament.uk

Attachments

Black Rod JD February 2025 (3) Opens in new window (docx, 55kB)
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