32536 - Government Relations Senior Adviser

Environment Agency; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental environmental agency in the United Kingdom seeks a candidate to join their Government Relations team. The role involves protecting and enhancing the agency’s reputation through strategic stakeholder engagement and advice. Ideal candidates will have strong political judgment, experience in delivering engagement activities, and excellent communication skills. This role requires a flexible approach and the ability to work under pressure, making a significant impact on environmental initiatives.

Qualifications

• Good political judgment and awareness.
• Experience in advising on strategic engagement activities.
• Ability to work closely with senior managers.

Responsibilities

• Support work with ministers and stakeholders.
• Maintain relationships with departmental teams.
• Provide expert advice on stakeholder handling.
• Lead preparations for select committee inquiries.
• Support local and national engagement campaigns.

Skills

Political judgment and awareness

Understanding of parliamentary processes

Experience in engagement activities

Ability to foster relationships

Flexible approach under pressure

Excellent written and verbal skills

Attention to detail

Understanding of the environmental sector

Job description

The Environment Agency (EA) is fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don’t just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.

In this role you will protect and enhance the Environment Agency's reputation by working flexibly within the Government Relations team and responding to work pressures. The role works across the organisation, which may range from issues of flood risk, climate change, environmental protection and circular economy, planning to water resources and quality.

Responsibilities

• support our work with ministers, politicians and our top stakeholders and partners.
• maintain relationships with key departmental teams, including Defra.
• provide expert advice on political and strategic stakeholder handling to Chair, Chief Executive, senior leaders, and the organisation.
• lead on the preparations for the Environment Agency’s input to select committee inquiries.
• support local engagement with elected representatives and plan national engagement campaigns when appropriate.
• maintain positive working relationships with internal and external contacts for sharing advice and intelligence.
• keep the business updated on relevant parliamentary processes and sentiment.
• play an active role in incident response, including during major flooding.

The role may entail line management.

The team

The Government Relations Team

• brings together the information from across the business to respond to parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms such as parliamentary questions, debates, select committee and ministerial briefings
• advises the business, including Areas, on political engagement and provides political intelligence
• oversees EA’s sponsorship relationship with Defra

Experience / Skills Required

• Good political judgment and awareness.
• A good understanding of parliamentary and government processes.
• Experience in delivering and advising on strategic engagement activities and campaigns. Experience in delivering engagement events is desirable.
• The ability to work closely with senior managers and foster a network of contacts, building rapport and relationships quickly.
• A flexible approach and the ability to deliver high quality work to tight deadlines and work well under pressure, knowing when to refer to colleagues for guidance and support.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• An attention to detail and capable of presenting information in a clear style and format.
• A good understanding of the environmental sector is desirable.