Head of Business Engagement, External Relations

**Head of Business Engagement, External Relations Group - 71895**
**£51,767 - £59,590**
**Belfast**:
**Department** Northern Ireland Office

**Post Vacant** Band A - Head of Business Engagement

**Location** Belfast - Given the need to support Ministerial Engagement on the ground in Northern Ireland this vacancy is only available as Belfast based.

Occasional Travel to other office locations will be required.

**Duration** For a period of 2 years on a Fixed Term Contract, Loan or Secondment

**Applications invited from**

**Who we are**

**Inclusion and diversity**

The Northern Ireland Office strives to be an inclusive employer and is recognised by its staff and externally as being an employer where Diversity and Inclusion are valued.

We hold a Diversity & Inclusion Charter Mark and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader organisation.

In March 2018 we won the award for Best Employer for Diversity & Equality in Northern Ireland (small employer category) in a Gala Award ceremony hosted by Legal-Island, a multi-award winning workplace compliance company based in Northern Ireland.

We have an active D&I network supporting colleagues through D&I Advocates, championed by our Directors.

We want all our people to feel valued for who they are and we are confident that you will find the NIO a warm, welcoming and inclusive place to work.

**What we do**

**Background**

The Northern Ireland Office represents Northern Ireland interests at a UK Government level and UK Government interests in Northern Ireland. We have a wide range of responsibilities, including: underpinning political stability in Northern Ireland; overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement; leading on national security policy in Northern Ireland; addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past; delivering elections and constitutional reform in Northern Ireland; playing a key role in rebalancing the NI economy; representing NI interests, including on the border with Ireland,following the exit from the EU. Our small size and diverse portfolio create a stimulating, fast-paced and challenging working environment, with regular engagement with a range of Ministers and senior officials. We support flexible working and have a modern, flexible IT system which helps enable this.

**About the role**:
As the Head of Business Engagement you will sit in the External Relations and Communications Directorate but work closely across the departments range of priorities. You will work closely with Private Offices and policy teams across the department, as well as other government departments, on a range of priorities. This includes, but is not limited to, working closely with teams whose responsibilities are the Economy, Protocol, Trade & Investment and the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

As part of the role you will also have to build and maintain relationships across the Northern Ireland business community acting as a key point of contact for the department. In undertaking this role you will need to coordinate with the department’s policy leads as well as colleagues in BEIS, DIT, DfT and DLUHC who also engage across the NI business community. It will be important to ensure clear and consistent messaging across all discussions.

This role will not only involve direct business engagement but you will also be responsible for helping to set the strategic direction of the department’s Ministerial Engagement with the business community and umbrella organisations, working closely with policy leads across the department as we seek to make Northern Ireland more prosperous. In addition to setting the strategic direction, you will also work closely with the Northern Ireland Ministerial Team and Special Advisors in planning and delivering on the ground visits/engagements.

**Duties and Responsibilities**:
The main responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to:
The post is part of the NIO’s External Relations and Communications Directorate based in Belfast. The Directorate has a broad range of responsibilities which include the strategic planning and delivery of Ministerial engagements, visit programmes for royal visits and visiting VVIPs, and major public events as well as delivering all the departments proactive and reactive communication activity including across our digital platforms.

The business area works closely with a range of senior stakeholders in Whitehall and NI Departments, Royal Households, the Irish Government, local authorities businesses, and civil society organisations.

The External Relations and Communications Directorate is a busy and varied area of work, requiring outstanding collaboration and partnering skills. This is a challenging and exciting post which require good judgement, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to prioritise competing tasks to challenging timescales.
- If you are successful, you can expect to work across a number of areas in the Directorate, which will inclu