Associate Director - Stakeholder Engagement

Dalcour-Maclaren; Bicester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus scheme

25 days annual leave

Vitality Health Membership

Flexible working

Pension scheme via The Peoples Pension

Life insurance (4x Base Salary)

Cycle to work scheme

Company events

Professional development support

Equal opportunities employer

Job summary

Dalcour Maclaren is seeking an experienced Stakeholder Engagement leader to help shape and grow our engagement offer for major UK infrastructure projects. You will lead delivery across communications, consultation and public affairs, build strong client relationships and drive growth with a commercial mindset.

Working with the Stakeholder Engagement Director, you will develop clients, manage delivery teams and ensure programmes are delivered to the highest standard, while shaping scalable

Qualifications

• Significant experience within stakeholder engagement, communications, consultation, public affairs or PR consultancy.
• Experience working with clients across infrastructure, utilities, energy, planning or environmental sectors.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure projects and complex consultation programmes with a strong understanding of comms and engagement best practice and the consenting environment, including major infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience leading and developing teams within a consultancy, agency or professional services environment.
• Strong operational leadership experience, including resource planning, team management and business performance oversight.
• Solid commercial and financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting and profitability management.
• Excellent communication, relationship management and engagement skills.
• Experience supporting business growth through bids, proposals, client development and service improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Act as deputy to the SE Director, shaping and growing our Stakeholder Engagement offer.
• Identify opportunities, strengthen client relationships and support sustainable growth.
• Understand clients' organisations to provide strategic insights and practical solutions.
• Support business development, bids, proposals and tender development.
• Raise the profile of the business across target sectors and evolve service offerings.
• Provide senior oversight of stakeholder engagement, communications, consultation and public affairs programmes.
• Deliver projects on time, within budget, and to high quality standards.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communications

Public affairs

PR consultancy

Infrastructure sector

Team leadership

Financial management

Client relationships

Business development

Job description

At Dalcour Maclaren, we're key players in the Utilities and Infrastructure industry, bringing the UK and Ireland closer to Net Zero every day. Our land, environmental and geospatial experts work together to unlock the consents needed by our clients to deliver key projects. Our services include land access and assembly, agricultural liaison, planning, environmental impact assessments and geospatial mapping. Join us, and play your part in helping us to achieve our vision; to be the professional services team of choice, leading the Utilities and Infrastructure industry to a sustainable future.As our Stakeholder Engagement team continues to grow, we're looking for an experienced leader to help shape its future and support the delivery of impactful engagement programmes for some of the UK's most significant utilities and infrastructure projects.Working with high-profile clients, you'll support the delivery of strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and community relations programmes that shape conversations, build support and deliver meaningful outcomes.Collaborating closely with the Stakeholder Engagement Director, you'll play a key role in ensuring the successful operation and growth of the stakeholder engagement business line. You’ll support the development of client relationships, provide leadership to delivery teams and ensure programmes are delivered to the highest standard, while helping to build the systems, capability and operational foundations needed to support future growth.This role is about more than delivering great work. We're looking for someone with energy, ambition and the commercial mindset to help build a growing business. Someone who wants to understand what drives clients’ success, develop people and processes and create an environment where great work can thrive.You'll be a natural relationship builder, confident engaging with clients, stakeholders and colleagues alike. Equally comfortable leading teams. Solving operational challenges and spotting opportunities to add value. You’ll bring strong communications instincts, commercial awareness and a proactive approach to continuous improvement.This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious communications, PR or stakeholder engagement professional who wants to combine client leadership with operational responsibility, working alongside the Director to help shape and grow an ambitious, evolving business line.Key ResponsibilitiesGrowth & ImpactAct as the trusted deputy to the SE Director, helping shape, build and grow our Stakeholder Engagement offer.Bring commercial awareness, energy and entrepreneurial thinking to identify opportunities, strengthen client relationships and support sustainable growth.Develop a deep understanding of clients' organisations, challenges and objectives to provide strategic insight and practical solutions.Support business development activities, including identifying opportunities, contributing to tenders, pitches and developing proposals.Help raise the profile of the business across target sectors and support continued evolution of the service offering.ClientsProvide senior oversight and direction across stakeholder engagement, communications, consultation and public affairs programmes.Build trusted client relationships and support the development of long-term partnerships.Develop and present strategic recommendations, plans and solutions to clients.Drive projects forward, ensuring objectives, budgets and deadlines are met.Manage issues and sensitive situations confidently, resolving challenges and removing barriers to delivery.Ensure all programmes are delivered to a consistently high standard and achieve measurable outcomes.Commercial PerformanceSupport the financial performance of the business line, ensuring strong commercial outcomes and high-quality delivery.Monitor project performance, utilisation, forecasting and profitability, taking action where required.Work with the Director to achieve growth objectives and support the expansion of the service offer.Ensure robust evaluation, measurement and reporting across all programmes.PeopleLead and develop a high-performing team, promoting a culture of ambition, collaboration and continuous improvement.Oversee recruitment, resource planning and team capacity to support delivery and growth.Ensure projects are appropriately resourced and delivered efficiently and consistently.Establish scalable processes and ways of working that support operational excellence and future growth.Key Skills & ExperienceEssentialSignificant experience within stakeholder engagement, communications, consultation, public affairs or PR consultancy.Experience working with clients across infrastructure, utilities, energy, planning or environmental sectors.Experience supporting major infrastructure projects and complex consultation programmes with a strong understanding of comms and engagement best practice and the consenting environment, including major infrastructure projects.Proven experience leading and developing teams within a consultancy, agency or professional services environment.Strong operational leadership experience, including resource planning, team management and business performance oversight.Solid commercial and financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting and profitability management.Excellent communication, relationship management and engagement skills.Experience supporting business growth through bids, proposals, client development and service improvement initiatives.DesirableExperience helping scale or grow a consultancy team, business unit or service line.Experience of organisational change, service development or business planning.Existing network of contacts within the infrastructure, utilities or planning sectors.Success MeasuresSuccess in the role will be measured through:Delivery of projects on time, within budget and to agreed quality standards.Achievement of operational KPIs and business objectives.Strong employee engagement, retention and development outcomes.Effective resource management, workforce planning and utilisation.Successful recruitment, onboarding and retention of team members.Achievement of utilisation, revenue and profitability targets.High levels of client satisfaction and cNPS performance.Growth and development of the Stakeholder Engagement business line.Strong stakeholder relationships and positive client feedback.Benefits:Annual bonus scheme25 days annual leave plus 1 day to celebrate your birthdayVitality Health Membership (including Private healthcare, subsidised gym membership and other discounts)Flexible working through our ‘Flexible Advantage’ supporting working families & your work/life balancePension Scheme via The Peoples PensionLife insurance (4x Base Salary)Cycle to work scheme26 Weeks paid Maternity Leave4 Weeks paid Paternity LeaveBHN Extras – provides discounted gift cards for hundreds of popular retailersElectric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles) effective at 1 years’ serviceSabbatical Policy effective at 3 years’ serviceProfessional development – paid study leaveMilitary service paid leave (7.5 days per year)Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) plus wider Mental Health & Wellbeing support2 x Company-wide events every year, in addition to multiple office socials throughout the yearDalcour Maclaren is an equal opportunities employer.