Community Engagement Manager

Yorkshire Water; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Annual incentive bonus

Private health care

Pension with company contribution

Life assurance

Extra wellness days

Health cash plan option

Critical illness insurance

Dental insurance

Life assurance flex

Partner coverage

Retail savings scheme

Online GP service

Cycle to work scheme

Gym membership discounts

Job summary

Yorkshire Water is seeking a Community Engagement Manager to lead the Brand & Comms team and shape external engagement across major projects and regulatory interactions. This 12-month fixed term contract offers hybrid working in Leeds, with 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

You will lead a team, develop engagement strategies, and manage incident communications to protect and enhance the company’s reputation while collaborating with senior leaders and regulators.

Qualifications

• Lead and develop the Communications and Engagement Team with responsibility for performance and wellbeing.
• Contribute to Communications Leadership Team with governance and reporting duties.
• Develop and deliver engagement plans for major projects, incidents and campaigns.
• Own and manage Yorkshire Water's incident communications framework and training.
• Protect and enhance the company’s reputation by managing risks and opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional communications and engagement across the business.
• Represent Yorkshire Water as a senior spokesperson to regulators and partners.
• Provide strategic communications advice and reporting to senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Shape communications strategy, priorities, and team capability within the Leadership Team.
• Direct a team including 5 direct reports, ensuring performance management and escalation support.
• Lead communications for major projects and incidents, ensuring timely delivery.
• Develop engagement strategies with stakeholders and measurable outcomes.
• Represent the company to regulators, local authorities, and external partners.
• Provide high-quality briefs, reports, and recommendations to senior leaders.

Skills

Team leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic communications

Media relations

Incident communications

Reputation management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Community Engagement Manager – 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience up to £60,000
• A company car lease/allowance scheme (£500 per month/£6,000 per year, based on full-time employment on joining the company).
• Annual incentive related bonus (up to 15% of annual salary).
• Private health care (self only)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus 2 extra wellness days!
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: Leeds Valley Park - Hybrid Working (1-2 days office a week)

Work type: Fixed Term Contract. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

We have an exciting secondment opportunity for a Community Engagement Manager to join the Brand & Comms team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Brand & Comms are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

This role works alongside the Communications Manager to ensure all external-facing engagement, whether proactive or reactive, is strategically aligned, consistent, and delivers excellent customer engagement. Acting as a bridge between operational delivery and public perception, the role helps maintain trust and transparency with customers, stakeholders, and regulators. The Communications team is responsible for managing Yorkshire Water’s reputation across a range of channels, and this position provides dedicated leadership for project-based communications activity, including capital schemes, key business initiatives and programmes, engagement campaigns, high-profile incidents, and escalated business issues such as extreme weather events. The role plays a key part in managing, protecting, and enhancing Yorkshire Water’s reputation by providing focused support for non-business-as-usual communications, while also contributing to Health and Safety, Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, Performance Excellence, Compliance, and other departmental requirements.

Where you fit in:

As our Community Engagement Manager you will

• Acts as a key member of the Communications Leadership Team, helping to shape communications strategy, priorities, and team capability development.
• Leads and develops a team of colleagues, including 5 direct reports, with responsibility for performance management, wellbeing, health and safety, business continuity, and issue resolution.
• Protects and enhances Yorkshire Water's regional and national reputation by leading communications for major projects, operational incidents, and business-critical programmes.
• Develops and delivers engagement strategies for key initiatives, identifying stakeholders, building relationships, and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement.
• Supports improvements in customer satisfaction measures, including CMEX, by building trust and delivering high-quality community and stakeholder engagement.
• Works closely with senior leaders, Corporate Affairs, Partnerships, Complaints, and Customer teams to ensure a coordinated approach to reputation management, engagement, and incident response.
• Represents Yorkshire Water externally with regulators, local authorities, resilience forums, community groups, and other senior stakeholders, acting as a trusted ambassador for the business.
• Provides strategic communications advice and reporting to senior leadership, including presenting to the Brand Leadership Team.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Lead and develop the Communications and Engagement Team, managing colleagues (including 5 direct reports) and providing strategic direction, coaching, performance management, and escalation support.
• Act as a key member of the Communications Leadership Team, contributing to departmental strategy, governance, compliance, and reporting to the Brand Leadership Team.
• Develop and deliver engagement strategies for major projects, programmes, incidents, and campaigns, ensuring effective stakeholder mapping, engagement planning, and measurable outcomes.
• Own and manage Yorkshire Water's incident communications framework, including preparedness, response processes, compliance requirements, and colleague training during major incidents.
• Protect and enhance Yorkshire Water's reputation by proactively managing communications risks, identifying engagement opportunities, and acting as an escalation point for reputational issues.
• Lead cross-functional communications and engagement activity across the business, bringing together teams to deliver strategic projects, prioritise workloads, and support business objectives.
• Represent Yorkshire Water as a senior spokesperson, engaging with national and regional media, external stakeholders, local resilience forums, regulators, and industry partners.
• Produce and present high-quality reports, briefings, and recommendations for senior leaders, while deputising for the Communications Manager at internal and external meetings when required.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea?

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.