G5 Communications and Engagement Business Partner - 31973

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

Overview

The Internal Communications and Engagement (ICE) team supports the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Directorate across high-profile areas as the organisation evolves to respond to environmental challenges outlined in EA2030. This is a new way of working, building cohesion across directorates. Each partner oversees a portfolio of work while collaborating 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.

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, ensure executional consistency, and adherence to priorities and 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 what matters most.
• Influence teams and departments to maximise the effectiveness of the work.

The team

The business partner team is a small cross-functional group of communication and engagement experts within the ICE team, part of the STA Directorate. We collaborate 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

• Your ability to persuade, influence and reason with others will be vital in this role.
• Experience and understanding of planning and delivering excellent communications and engagement activities to drive operational improvements.
• Ability to balance broad understanding of EA2030 challenges with prioritisation of individual projects and programmes.
• Comfort in creating and maintaining relationships at all levels of the EA and Defra; able 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; you will work flexibly from home and your nearest Environment Agency office. Occasional travel may be required. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome flexible working patterns, including job share. Responding to incidents is a central part of our work; you will be required to have an incident role and be available to respond or provide support during incidents (this may attract additional payment). Training and workplace adjustments are available to support your incident role. Interviews will take place towards the end of October. Please contact sam.elfer@environment-agency.gov.uk for further information.

Note on civil service status: If you are applying from the Civil Service, the Environment Agency is not part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant if appointed. You would not be eligible for continuous service. Some local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) Order 1999 may offer continuous service for redundancy calculations; check with your HR team if unsure.

Equal opportunity and other policies: We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome flexible working patterns, including job share. We have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support applicants with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria. We use Central Government frameworks and contracts for external recruitment and cannot engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls. For information on becoming a supplier, visit the Crown Commercial Service guidance.

Artificial intelligence: AI can support your application, but all examples must be truthful and taken from your own experience. Plagiarism may lead to disqualification. We align with Civil Service guidance on AI usage.

Seniority level: Associate

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Marketing, Public Relations, and Writing/Editing