Improvements Portfolio Communications and Engagement Advisor - 28099

Do you love communicating and engaging with stakeholders, with a high attention to detail? If so, then we’d welcome an application from you.

We’re looking for three Communications and Engagement Advisors to join our Improvements Portfolio on a temporary fixed term contract (18 months) or internal assignment (18 months). Our Improvements Portfolio is a professional portfolio, programme and project management service in the Flood & Coastal Risk Management (FCRM) directorate. We drive innovation and continuous improvements across FCRM and Incident Management and play a key part in delivering our corporate and FCRM strategies and delivery plans. This covers almost all of the national business improvement in FCRM, some £130m worth over the next four years. 

Our projects bring about change. Enabling and implementing these changes can impact stakeholders and needs to be well communicated. Good communication raises awareness and increases the likelihood of our stakeholders engaging with our work and helping to ensure that the benefits are delivered.

As an Improvements Portfolio Communications and Engagement Advisor, you’ll play a critical role in helping us raise awareness of the change we are delivering, which in turn will enable us to deliver outcomes that protect communities and businesses from the devastating impacts of flooding.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an organisation with the environment at its core. The Environment Agency offers you a chance to improve the world you live in, by tackling the climate and nature emergency. 

Responding to incidents is a central part of what we do. You’ll be required to have an incident role and make yourself available to respond to incidents or provide business continuity support during an incident. This may attract an additional payment and full training and alternative working arrangements will be available to support you with your incident role.

You’ll work in our national team of dedicated project, programme and portfolio management professionals. 
 
We’re diverse and inclusive in all that we do; taking a one team approach focussed on supporting, empowering and developing ourselves and each other. 
 
Working flexibly, located across the country, you’ll be able to develop your career whilst helping to raise awareness of the ground-breaking projects that we deliver to help us be a world leader in managing flood risk.

We’re looking for motivated people with good engagement, communication and influencing skills, and who have:

Excellent communication skills, written and verbal;

Ability to influence and persuade project teams to communicate in a way that is accessible and inclusive to our stakeholders;

Ideally, a background of working in a project or programme environment – not essential;

Personal effectiveness - ability to prioritise work and deliver results.

The Improvements Portfolio Communications and Engagement Advisors will help us develop strategic and integrated communication across our portfolios. They will increase visibility of the work that we do, increasing our stakeholders’ understanding of what is happening and when and promote their involvement in our work to help maximise the benefits achieved by it.

Please refer to the candidate pack for more details.

We aim to reflect the diversity of the UK’s population in our workforce. We welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled, female and LGBT+ candidates who are under-represented across our workforce.

Applications from those wanting full, shared or part-time working arrangements are welcome.

In this national role, you can work flexibly in one of over 50 offices across England. Much of our work occurs virtually, we encourage blended home and office working. Some travel will be required to attend meetings/training.

Interviews will be held remotely using MSTeams (expected to take place early December).

Internal applicants will need their line manager’s permission to apply for an assignment opportunity.

For more information about this role please read the additional information or contact Frank Lopez (frank.lopez@environment-agency.gov.uk).

Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.

Using a specific example, please describe your communications approach in relation to delivering a project.

PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection - please draw out your skills and experience in your response. You may find it helpful to research the STAR approach when formulating your response.

You can learn more about these competencies in our capability dictionary: Calaméo - EA Capability Dictionary (calameo.com)

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.

In relation to a specific project, please describe your approach to influencing others.

PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection - please draw out your skills and experience in your response. You may find it helpful to research the STAR approach when formulating your response.

You can learn more about these competencies in our capability dictionary: Calaméo - EA Capability Dictionary (calameo.com)

Sets and delivers high work standards, demonstrates the drive to meet targets. Prioritises and organises tasks and resources to ensure timely achievement of results.

Please provide an example of how you have achieved results on a specific project/ piece of work.

PLEASE NOTE: Your answer will be used for interview selection - please draw out your skills and experience in your response. You may find it helpful to research the STAR approach when formulating your response.

You can learn more about these competencies in our capability dictionary: Calaméo - EA Capability Dictionary (calameo.com)