G5 Communications and Engagement Business Partner

This is an opportunity to help tell the story of the Environment Agency.

The Internal Communications and Engagement Business Partner role supports 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 will involve planning and co-ordinating activity right across STA, ensuring our people receive the right information, in the right format, at the right time.

Key areas of focus include:

• Transformation: working with the Director for Service Transformation to understand the totality of change programmes across the EA, and help describe the narrative for change.
• People: working with the People and Inclusion directorate to understand themes such as our People Plan and Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
• Strategy: working 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 organisation.

You will:

• Work across a portfolio of themes, acting as a vital link between the directorate and the wider ICE team.
• Interact widely and be responsible for developing 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 the consistency of messages.
• Champion the highest standards and help our people engage with the things that truly matter.
• Influence the teams and departments you work with to maximise the effectiveness of our work.

The team is a small cross-functional team of communication and engagement experts. We collaborate with Defra Group Communications and other colleagues to enable effective communications and engagement, and plan and deliver integrated activities.

Experience/skills Required

• Your ability to persuade, influence and reason with others will be vital in this role.
• You will bring experience and understanding of how planning and delivering excellent communications and engagement activities can bring operational improvements.
• You will need to be able to balance a wide understanding of the challenges facing the Environment Agency in delivering EA2030 with the prioritisation of individual projects and programmes.
• You will be comfortable in creating and maintaining relationships at all levels of the EA, and Defra.
• You will be comfortable challenging constructively and driving high standards for all communications and engagement activities.

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share.

We have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment.

The Environment Agency is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs.