The purpose of the External Affairs team is to:

• Develop and manage long-lasting two-way relationships with stakeholders, built on a clear understanding of stakeholder needs.
• Facilitate the gathering of stakeholder insight, feeding this into the communications directorate and the wider Department to support the development of better policy. Use this insight to identify and mitigate risks while capitalising on opportunities.
• Deliver exceptional stakeholder communications, partnerships and collaborations to ensure that stakeholders – and through them, our key audiences, understand DWP policies and the Department’s objectives.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Shape and bring to life stakeholder engagement approaches that align with your organisation’s vision and help achieve important outcomes.
• Share your insights with leadership teams on building meaningful connections with stakeholders.
• Create and maintain detailed stakeholder mapping and analysis to inform strategic decision-making and track engagement outcomes.
• Nurture key stakeholder relationships, crafting informative briefings for senior leaders and creating engagement opportunities.
• Create and deliver stakeholder events and publication launches that resonate with audiences and make a genuine difference.
• Gather and reflect on stakeholder feedback to enhance future engagement approaches.

With the support of an experienced network of peers and a strong focus on professional development, you will develop skills in line with these areas.

Essential Criteria

• Experience in stakeholder management and external affairs, with proven ability to build and maintain trusted strategic relationships at all levels.
• Demonstratable experience navigating and influencing complex stakeholder environments whilst understanding challenging high-level priorities
• Collaborative working style that brings people together across organisational boundaries and helps find common ground.
• Experience in events and event project management, including planning, supporting and delivering receptions and partner events as part of own work or as a team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write clear briefings for a diverse range of stakeholders and audiences.
• Experience creating engaging approaches that reach the end audience by bringing stakeholders into the conversation effectively.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to respond to changing priorities.