Overview

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 (ICE) team supports the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Directorate across several high-profile areas as the organisation evolves to respond to environmental challenges set out in EA2030.

This is a new way of working, with the ICE team building cohesion across directorates. Each partner will oversee a portfolio of work while collaborating to share insight and provide resilience. The roles involve planning and coordinating activity across STA to ensure our people receive the right information, in the right format, at the right time.

Role focus areas: Transformation, People, and Strategy. You will help describe the narrative for change, understand themes such as the People Plan and Health, Safety and Wellbeing, and help colleagues understand their role in delivering our corporate strategy and EA2030.

Responsibilities

• Work across a portfolio of themes, acting as a vital link between the STA directorate and the wider ICE team.
• 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 improve message consistency.
• Champion high standards and help people engage with what matters.
• Influence teams and departments to maximise the effectiveness of our work.

Team and Collaboration

The 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

• Ability to persuade, influence and reason with others to achieve outcomes.
• Experience in planning and delivering communications and engagement activities that drive operational improvements.
• Ability to balance understanding of EA2030 challenges with prioritisation of individual projects and programmes.
• Comfort in building relationships at all levels of the EA and Defra, and ability to work as part of a dispersed team.
• Ability to challenge constructively and drive high standards for all communications and engagement activities.

Contact and Additional Information

This is a hybrid role with flexible working from home and at the nearest Environment Agency office. Occasional travel may be required. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome flexible patterns, including job share. There is a requirement to respond to incidents as part of the role, which may attract additional payment. Training and workplace adjustments are provided to support this role. Interviews are planned towards the end of October. For more information, contact sam.elfer@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Competences

• Communicates Effectively
• Engages others
• Influences and Persuades Others
• Builds and Sustains Relationships

Note: If applying from the Civil Service, Environment Agency is not part of HM Civil Service. See guidance on continuous service and redundancy provisions where applicable. We support diversity, flexible working, and a Guaranteed Interview Policy for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. For supplier opportunities through Crown Commercial Service, see government guidance on becoming a supplier.

Artificial intelligence: Examples used in applications must be truthful and from your own experience. The Environment Agency aligns with Civil Service guidance on AI use.