E&B External Affairs Officer - 34874

E&B External Affairs Officer - 34874
1
National
Any
Staff Grade 4
Fixed Term
Communications / Marketing
Full Time
£34,320 Pro-rata

10/05/2026, 23:55 hours

PC04 Partnerships & Customers, Grade 4

Basic Check

Our External Affairs team is transforming the way Environment and Business (E&B) engages across the Directorate, the wider organisation, and with external stakeholders, government, partners, and the media. The E&B Directorate supports the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) vision by developing better ways to deliver environmental outcomes and improvements. Using evidence and innovation, our expert teams secure resources, influence policy and legislation, and enhance delivery for a better environment.

As an External Affairs Officer, you will co-ordinate and evaluate the team’s work while leading your own strategic communications and engagement projects. You will be adaptable, supporting our leadership’s priorities across the breadth of E&B’s work.

With strong written and verbal communication skills, fantastic organisational skills, a keen attention to detail, the ability to work under pressure, and the confidence to engage with people at all levels, you will help promote the work of the Environment Agency to a wide range of audiences, including the public, key stakeholders, and government.

Specific tasks you could support with in this role:

- maintaining stakeholder relationships, mapping and engagement logs

- coordinating briefings; key messages; blogs; vlogs; case studies

- engagement planning for key milestones

- developing updates for different subject areas working with multiple teams to deadlines

- monitoring media and trade press and providing updates

- coordination and organisation of engagement events

You'll join our E&B External Affairs team focused on our Agriculture and Land portfolio. We lead on advising and influencing our directorate on building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and organisations; strengthening our voice and influence so that our work is better known, trusted, and has greater impact.

We use evidence, expertise, engagement, and innovation to enhance and support delivery, influence policy, legislation, and secure resources.

In your capability-based answers please demonstrate that you:

- have a positive, proactive, and hard-working attitude
- have experience of developing, delivering, and evaluating communication and engagement plans
- can advise and influence others on building and maintaining stakeholder relationships (desirable)
- are highly organised, flexible, and able to deliver quickly in a fast-paced environment
- have strong communication skills and work well in a diverse, dispersed team
- have experience of engaging and communicating with a range of internal and external stakeholders
- have strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- can work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and actively encourage others to consider diversity issues in their work.

You’ll have a range of development opportunities and appropriate training will be provided.
For an informal chat about the role please contact Tim Gornall. tim.gornall@environment-agency.gov.uk 
Up to 12 months
Communicates Effectively
Listens and questions to understand and engage. Conveys information and ideas clearly, accurately and persuasively through speech and writing.

Describe a time when you had to use your skills to communicate effectively with a group of stakeholders.

What was the issue? What method of communication did you use? How did you go about making sure that your message was understood by all?
Influences and Persuades Others
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.

Give an example of a time when you had to influence a team member to gain their support/buy-in.

- What was the issue under discussion?
- What approach did you take?
- What difficulties did you encounter?
- What was the outcome?
- What did you learn from this?
Focuses on Customers and Partners
Addresses the needs of internal and external customers, provides rapid and effective responses.

How do you ensure you are delivering a high quality customer service? What processes do you put in place?
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

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. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

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. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . 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.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Although the Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, we subscribe to and align with the candidate guidance on the use of artificial intelligence found on the  Civil Service Careers website. Please review for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.