G5 Communications and Engagement Business Partner - 31973

This is the opportunity to help tell the story of the Environment Agency. 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 set out in our corporate strategy, EA2030. This is a new way of working as the ICE team builds cohesion across directorates. Each role 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.

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 align with 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 our people engage with the things that truly matter.
• Influence teams and departments to maximise the effectiveness of our work.

The team

The business partner team is a small cross-functional group of communication and engagement experts. We are part of the Internal Communications and Engagement team within the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance Directorate. We collaborate with Defra Group Communications and other colleagues to enable effective communications and engagement by ensuring we have the right tools, skills and ways of working, and to plan and deliver integrated activities that continually improve how we engage with our people.

Experience/skills Required

• Ability to persuade, influence and reason with others is vital for this role.
• Experience and understanding of planning and delivering excellent communications and engagement activities to drive operational improvements.
• Must balance understanding of EA’s EA2030 challenges with prioritisation of individual projects and programmes.
• Comfortable creating and maintaining relationships at all levels of the EA and Defra, and 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 role; you will work flexibly from home and your nearest Environment Agency office. Occasional travel may be required. We are committed to an inclusive workforce and flexible working patterns, including job share. Responding to incidents is a central part of our work; you may be required to respond to or support during incidents, which may attract additional pay. Training and workplace adjustments will be available to support you in your incident role. Interviews are expected towards the end of October. For more information, please contact sam.elfer@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Competencies

• Communicates Effectively – Listens and asks questions to engage; conveys information clearly and persuasively in speech and writing.
• Engages others – Plans, carries out and evaluates effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
• Influences and Persuades – Presents a convincing case to win people over and gain buy-in.
• Builds and Sustains Relationships – Develops and maintains effective working relationships across diverse groups.

We are not part of HM Civil Service; continuous service may not apply. If you are unsure of your status, please consult your HR team. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome flexible working patterns, including job share. We guarantee an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria. The Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, but all examples and statements must be truthful and from your own experience. Plagiarism may lead to withdrawal of the application. Please review guidance on appropriate use of AI on Civil Service Careers.

Job location and status updates: Milton, Slough, Reading, Oxford, Maidenhead, and other UK locations may appear in job boards and are not indicative of this specific role’s location. This page focuses on the G5 Communications and Engagement Business Partner - 31973 position and its requirements.