Overview

This is an opportunity to help tell the story of the Environment Agency. The Internal Communications and Engagement (ICE) Business Partner roles support the Strategy, Transformation and Assurance (STA) Directorate across several 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 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.

Responsibilities

• 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

The business partner team is a small cross-functional team of communication and engagement experts. We are part of the Internal Communications and Engagement team, which sits 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; plan and deliver integrated activities, continually improving how we engage with our people.

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 balance 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 must be able to work as part of a dispersed team.
• You will be comfortable challenging constructively and driving high standards for all communications and engagement activities.

Contact and additional information

This is a hybrid working role and you will work flexibly both from home and your nearest Environment Agency office. There will be a requirement for occasional travel. 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.

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You will be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to, or provide support during, an incident. This may attract additional payment. Training and workplace adjustments will be available to support you with your incident role.

Interviews will take place towards the end of October. Please contact sam.elfer@environment-agency.gov.uk for further information.

Competences

• Communicates Effectively
  Description: Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.
  Question: Please describe a situation where you had to explain a piece of work to someone who had little technical knowledge of the subject. What skills did you use? What was the outcome?
• Engages others
  Description: Plans, carries out and evaluates effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders following the ‘Working with others’ approach.
  Question: Please describe a time when you successfully engaged with a range of stakeholders to help them understand and input on a complex project or piece of work. What were you proud of, what did you learn?
• Influences and Persuades Others
  Description: Presenting a case in a convincing and attractive way that will win people over, encouraging them to follow plans willingly; often succeeding where logic and reason alone would fail.
  Question: Please describe a time when you had to work with a group of people whose approach didn’t necessarily align with your own. How did you find a way to achieve an outcome everyone was happy with?
• Builds and Sustains Relationships
  Description: Develops and maintains effective working relationships
  Question: Describe how you would apply your skills to build relationships with a range of stakeholders that are not aligned with each other. You can use an example from your experience, or describe the approach you would take in this situation.

Equal opportunities and policy

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application. We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment and have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by Defra and is not part of HM Civil Service. For more information on employment status, continuous service, and redundancy provisions, please contact your HR team.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

Additional notes

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application; all examples and statements provided must be truthful and taken from your own experience. If you use AI-generated content, ensure it reflects your own work. For more guidance, review Civil Service guidance on AI usage.