Stakeholder and Engagement Specialist - 19338

Our team goal is to establish a culture of dialogue based decision making, evidencing how planned engagement with communities and partners long before any decisions are made means that we can deliver enhanced outcomes for the environment and mitigate risks within portfolios - keeping future capital or revenue work delivered on time and to budget.

I’m looking for 4 senior engagement experts who can work with and influence our teams of expert engineers and scientists, our consultant delivery partners, and in house customer and engagement teams to quickly understand the need for engagement in our Flood and Coastal Risk Management capital infrastructure programme, and raise risks issues and opportunities for engagement through our Governance structures to ensure we can provide well planned, delivered and evaluated engagement that drives innovation, efficiency and continuous improvement of our approach.

Your ability to work collaboratively, build trusting relationships, influence ways of working and maintain networks at all levels of the organisation will be critical to success.

The environment that we often work in can be ambiguous, changing and uncertain therefore the role will require someone with is curious, resilient and can work autonomously.

The Stakeholder and Engagement team provide the oversight and assurance of engagement work within infrastructure portfolios. We support governance boards and leadership teams by providing a clear, succinct narrative with good evidence that enables effective stakeholder and engagement delivery.

We work collaboratively with teams across the Environment Agency and our delivery partners to shape future engagement strategy and standards, and we run communities of practice and networks to support advisors and build engagement capacity.

You’ll be an experienced stakeholder and engagement strategy specialist who:

• Understands how to influence and take the lead in/manage discussions ensuring stakeholder management, early engagement and collaborative advantage is built into programmes of work, and that evaluation provides the intelligence to continually refine and improve allowing efficiency, innovation and quality engagement to thrive.

• Can spot stakeholder and engagement risks, issues and opportunities, and through using evidence and communication, raise with leaders and existing governance groups outlining approaches to shape discussions on how to mitigate risks and issues and maximise opportunities.

• Quickly forms and maintains relationships and networks of internal and external stakeholders and is confident to mentor and coach others, facilitate meetings, run networks and communities of practice, and peer review and assure the stakeholder and engagement work taking place in existing programmes.

• Is resilient, curious and adaptable. Can work within ambiguous, uncertain and changing situations.

Please see the candidate pack for more information on the benefits offered.

These are roles that will operate within a geographical ‘hub’ but can be based in any Environment Agency office.

Salary £46,374

As we reduce Covid19 restrictions there will be occasional travel (regionally or nationally) and overnight stays.

For further information contact Abi Howells on 07766 672 991 or Abigail.howells@environment-agency.gov.uk or Jo Higgs 07717 881 095 or Joanne.higgs@environment-agency.gov.uk

When providing evidence for competencies within your application, please give examples of how you clearly demonstrate these either within the context of this role or as transferable skills. CVs or other documents attached to your application will not be assessed for selection.

Interviews are anticipated to take place in October.

Has full awareness of own strengths, weaknesses, impact and approach.
Effectively organises self and takes personal responsibility for own role in the Environment Agency.
• Recognises strengths, weaknesses and limits of own expertise. Seeks and acts on feedback from others, recognising when to seek support.
• Takes responsibility for addressing own performance and developmental needs to enhance skills, personal contribution and career prospects.
• Is flexible and able to adapt to changing situations and to a variety of individual styles.
• Manages own emotions and is resilient in a range of complex and demanding situations.
• Maintains and encourages a positive and enthusiastic outlook for what the Environment Agency is aiming to achieve, especially in times of difficulty.
• Prioritises and schedules activities to make effective use of time
• Plans work in advance by thinking through the action necessary to complete tasks to deadlines; adjusts plans as necessary.

Plans, carries out and evaluates effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders following the ‘Working with others’ approach

• Plans, delivers and evaluates effective stakeholder engagement for a project, issue, plan or site
• Ensures engagement with others is considered and planned at the outset
• Decides, or helps others to decide, how much and what type of engagement (provide to, receive from, or collaborate with) is needed, and who with
• Appreciates and adapts to the different needs of stakeholders, and identifies and fills gaps in information, to ensure joint understanding
• Develops relationships with stakeholders to build trust and achieve better outcomes
• Works with colleagues across the business to understand factors which may affect the way we engage, and ensures our work with stakeholders is joined up and appropriate
• Seeks, listens to and acts on feedback from stakeholders
• Plans, delivers and evaluates participative engagement activities
• Uses appropriate facilitation techniques to run participative events to build trust, manage conflict, create joint understanding of issues, and to seek views
• Understands and works within situations that are appropriate for collaboration (working together to achieve something, or some benefit, which we could not achieve working alone).

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.
• Gathers relevant data, marshals facts and prepares sound arguments
• Listens to other’s opinions, understanding their viewpoints, needs and concerns; responds appropriately; lobbies others in advance
• Presents a credible case and explains the benefits to the audience/listener; anticipates the main objections/arguments
• Responds to the needs and style of the listener when influencing.
• Seeks to achieve a “win-win” outcome and develop the relationship with the person(s) being influenced.
• Prepares convincing written arguments on complex issues, presenting information logically, concisely and persuasively.
• Able to modify and reformulate case, read the listener’s mood and adjust accordingly
• Plans and prepares influencing strategies for key players and opinion leaders.

Identifies and seizes the opportunity to create, introduce and implement new or improved methods, processes and without, compromising quality or accuracy.

• Takes responsibility for the quality and timeliness of own work, admits errors when necessary and quickly takes action to rectify
• Demonstrates an ongoing concern to improve performance and increase efficiency.
• Checks and ensures the accuracy of information received and produces work that is right first time.
• Puts in place checks to ensure that plans and processes are being carried out to the required degree of accuracy.
• Actively seeks and implements opportunities to maximise efficiency and effectiveness of self and the team.
• Ensures that data and information are always delivered in an accurate, timely and legal manner.
• Proactively looks for better ways of doing things; learns from events and seeks to improve future performance.