External Affairs Specialist

£39,286

37 Hours a week

Flexible working - Remote working with occasional travel to meetings

Peterborough

Benefits of working within the organisation:

• EDI Focused employer
• Access to an online GP
• Gym on site

In this role you will work closely with senior leaders and teams across a housing organisation to connect us to some of our most influential audiences, including politicians, local authorities and partners (current and potential) which are integral to the delivery of our business objectives and which help accelerate positive outcomes for our customers and grow our brand.

The Key Responsibilities of the External Affairs Specialist:

• Manage relationships with key stakeholders and influencers across the areas we work, to protect and enhance our reputation, in line with our External Affairs plans and wider communications campaigns.
• Manage responses and queries from teams to support engagement, advising on engagement plans and sharing actionable stakeholder insight and content.
• Support the delivery of a regional stakeholder visit programme, working with the PR Specialist and others to connect stakeholders with our work.
• Support the delivery of engagement events, such as organising roundtables, coordinating policy briefings, tracking engagement and sharing stakeholder insight to inform the wider communications strategy and campaigns.
• Support regional leaders and project teams to manage issues and opportunities effectively, including through the provision of a regional issues tracker and reputational risk register.
• Co-ordinate the organisation's role in external steering groups and memberships of representative bodies to ensure we contribute at policy and industry shaping conversations affecting our customers.
• Identify public speaking opportunities and prep briefing materials in support of this.
• Work with the External Affairs Manager to shape our policy and influencing work and to create structured programmes of engagement on critical issues, which supports us in delivering our social purpose.
• Support with producing effective, evidence-based consultation responses and briefings.

The Successful External Affairs Specialist will have:

• Strong understanding and experience of influencing and lobbying in the British local and national political system.
• Knowledge of housing policy (desirable)
• Experience of undertaking or managing research projects that enhance business understanding of key issues.
• Ability to listen to and influence senior stakeholders, demonstrating diplomacy, effective communication and negotiation skills.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to summarise complex information effectively to aid decision making.

If you would like a confidential conversation to discuss the role in further detail, please contact Chrissie at the Derby Office by the 18th of October. Alternatively, please apply direct.

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.