G5 Communications and Engagement Business Partner - 31973

This is an opportunity to help tell the story of the Environment Agency. The Internal Communications and Engagement Business Partner roles support the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Directorate across several high-profile areas, as the organisation evolves to respond to the environmental challenges of the future, set out in our corporate strategy, EA2030. This is a new way of working, as the Internal Communications and Engagement (ICE) team builds cohesion across directorates. Each will oversee a portfolio of work but collaborate to share insight and provide resilience. The roles involve planning and coordinating activity across STA, ensuring our people receive the right information, in the right format, at the right time.

1. Transformation: work with the Director for Service Transformation to understand the totality of change programmes across the EA, and help describe the narrative for change.
2. People: work with the People and Inclusion directorate to understand themes such as our People Plan and Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
3. Strategy: work across the organisation to help colleagues understand their role in delivering our corporate strategy, business plan, and the STA Leadership Team’s role in leading the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Work across a portfolio of themes, acting as a vital link between the directorate and the wider ICE team.
• Interact widely and develop effective relationships with stakeholders and customers across the organisation.
• Plan strategy, share and drive best practice, set editorial standards, executional consistency, ensure adherence to organisational priorities and our brand.
• Align communications and engagement with the central narrative and assure corporate discipline to improve message consistency.
• Champion high standards and help colleagues engage with issues that matter.
• Influence teams and departments to maximise the effectiveness of the work.

The Team

The Internal Communications and Engagement team sits within the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance Directorate. The team collaborates with Defra Group Communications and other colleagues to enable effective communications and engagement, plan and deliver integrated activities, and continually improve how we engage with our people.

Experience / Skills Required

• Ability to persuade, influence and reason with others vital to this role.
• Experience and understanding of planning and delivering excellent communications and engagement activities to drive operational improvements.
• Ability to balance wide understanding of EA challenges in delivering EA2030 with prioritisation of individual projects and programmes.
• Comfort creating and maintaining relationships at all levels of the EA and Defra. Ability to work as part of a dispersed team.
• Comfortable challenging constructively and driving high standards for all communications and engagement activities.

Contact and Additional Information

This is a hybrid working role with flexibility to work from home and an Environment Agency office. Occasional travel is required. We welcome flexible working patterns, including job share. Responding to incidents is a central part of the role and may attract additional payment. Training and workplace adjustments will be available to support this role. Interviews are planned for late October. For further information, please contact sam.elfer@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Competencies

• Communicates Effectively – Listens and asks questions to understand and engage; conveys information clearly, accurately and persuasively in speech and writing.
• Engages Others – Plans, carries out and evaluates effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders following the ‘Working with others’ approach.
• Influences and Persuades – Presents a convincing case to win people over and encourage them to follow plans willingly.
• Builds and Sustains Relationships – Develops and maintains effective working relationships with stakeholders who may not be aligned with each other.

We are committed to an inclusive workforce and flexible working patterns. This Environment Agency role is subject to government and agency policies on recruitment and employment. AI guidance and ethical use policies apply to any application materials.