External Affairs Advisor

**About the role**:
This is the time for action - we need to move at pace and reform our energy system - to deliver energy security, to tackle climate change and to protect our people.

This role is a 9 month contract to join the External Affairs team. As part of the team, you will:

- Protect and promote National Grid’s reputation in local communities where it is looking to consent and build new - or upgrade existing - infrastructure
- Meet projects’ stakeholder engagement and community relations requirements from planning through to construction
- Build relationships with a diverse range of local political and community stakeholders
- Manage local expectations about our essential works and their impacts through effective communications.

National Grid continues to offer hybrid working from office and home and are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements.

**About you**:
What we do isn’t just important - it’s essential. That’s why we look to recruit experts in their field. In this case, we’re looking for someone who has:

- High articulation skills with very strong written, verbal and presentation skills.
- Good networking and relationship management skills
- Experience of effectively managing relationships and delivering outcomes through contractors and suppliers
- Experience of managing a portfolio of diverse stakeholder engagement/communications programmes
- Proven track record in developing and delivering stakeholder engagement communications strategies and preparing effective communications material for print, broadcast and social media, including web content.
- An understanding of the external environment in which National Grid construction projects are carried out
- A good understanding of the transmission and construction business as well as the planning process would be an advantage

**What you'll do**:

- Develop strong working relationships with National Grid project teams to understand their community relations requirements.This includes supporting projects from conception, through the consents phase and into construction.
- Develop community relations and stakeholder engagement scopes for infrastructure projects and appoint, and manage the community relations agencies in line with agreed processes
- Review, challenge and sign off stakeholder engagement and community relations plans/strategies against project comms objectives and, working with the External Affairs Manager, ensure alignment with National Grid’s wider business priorities
- Support/oversee the delivery of those plans and strategies to ensure consistent, efficient and effective stakeholder engagement/community relations across a broad portfolio of infrastructure projects during the development /consenting phase of a scheme through to construction
- Sign off of community materials on projects ensuring they are on message and in line with National Grid’s preferred house style
- Work with the external affairs manager to manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Manage the community relations agencies’ performance on projects within your portfolio, including finances
- Establish an effective network across other National Grid teams (media, consents, brand, digital, public affairs) to support the delivery of project stakeholder engagement and community relations plans
- Represent National Grid at stakeholder engagement events and local community events e.g MP and parish council briefings, public information sessions and consultation events
- Work with the External Affairs Manager, the Media team and Public Affairs function to help coordinate:

- responses to media and wider external stakeholder queries (i.e. government ministers)
- project updates to internal audiences (i.e. senior National Grid executives)
- community relations briefings for wider external stakeholders
- resolutions and responses to complaints
- Ensure project teams are aware of corporate-level issues that could influence project communications’ activities
- To promote, as part of the project stakeholder engagement and community relations strategies, National Grid’s regional socio-economic initiatives and project-based community grant programme
- Work with community relations agencies to manage complaints/queries on projects ensuring responses are issued in line with KPIs and formally logged as per National Grid processes and systems escalating any high level complaints as appropriate
- Input into the weekly reporting requirements of the External Affairs team

**What you'll get**:
A competitive salary between £44,000 - £52,000 ( Pro Rated for the contract length ) dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a