External Affairs Lead

Thirteen; Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading housing organization in the UK is looking for an External Affairs Lead to lead public affairs and political engagement efforts. This hybrid role involves managing key stakeholder relationships and building the external affairs strategy. The ideal candidate should be experienced in public affairs strategy and possess a good understanding of UK housing policy. Competitive salary and generous benefits including 28+ days of annual leave, pension contributions, and health support are offered.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Pension contributions up to 17%

Health and wellbeing support

Discount and Reward platform

Qualifications

• Experienced in public affairs strategies and policy engagement.
• Good understanding of political landscape and social housing context.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into briefings.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver external affairs strategy aligned with corporate plan.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with government and local authorities.
• Represent the organization at meetings and events.
• Coordinate messaging and campaigns with communications team.

Skills

Public affairs strategy delivery

Understanding of UK housing policy

Effective communication

Stakeholder management

Job description

Join us as an External Affairs Lead at Thirteen Group!

Role Overview:

As we expand our Corporate Affairs team, we’re looking for an External Affairs Lead to join our team. You'll lead Thirteen’s public affairs, political engagement, and external influencing work, delivering our external affairs strategy while managing key stakeholder relationships and producing thought leadership content to enhance our profile and influence in the housing sector.

This is a hybrid role, so you’ll work from home and a couple of days a week from our fantastic office at Hudson Quay in Middlesbrough. We’ll need you to be flexible around business and team need, so you may need to come into the office more frequently when required.

Thirteen Benefits:

Salary - £47,847 per annum

Annual leave starting at 28 days and rising to 31 days after three years, a day off for your birthday, plus bank holidays.

Pension up to 17% contributions (flexible contribution rates of up to 7% colleague and up to 10% employer).

Simply Health save money on common health expenses and get access to health and wellbeing support services.

T’dar our Discount and Reward platform giving you huge savings on everyday brands.

Opportunities to buy and sell annual leave.

Key Responsibilities:

Developing and delivering Thirteen's external affairs strategy, aligned with our corporate plan and positioning priorities.

Building and managing strategic relationships with government, local authorities and sector bodies.

Representing Thirteen at meetings, events, and networks as a credible and professional spokesperson.

Coordinating messaging, campaigns, and positioning with communications and marketing colleagues.

Identifying and assessing policy opportunities, risks, and trends to inform influencing strategies.

About You:

Experienced in delivering public affairs strategies and policy engagement in complex organisations.

Able to demonstrate a good understanding of UK housing policy, political landscape and social housing context.

You’ll be great at synthesising complex information into briefings and actionable policy recommendations.

You’ll be able to communicate effectively in writing and speech, including presenting and representing the organisation.

Why Thirteen Group?

We’re more than just a housing association we’re a community builder. As the largest housing association in the North East and among the top 25 nationally, we own over 36,000 properties.

Join a team that’s local at heart but welcomes talent from everywhere.

Be part of an organisation that values diversity and inclusivity.

Be a part of a company that offers tailored support services, going beyond just housing solutions.

Interested?

For more details, please refer to the attached documents. If you’d like to talk more about the role please contact Chantelle Doughty, Head of Communications and Marketing, on 07825 119012 for an informal discussion. NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES, please.

Are You Ready for a Rewarding Challenge?

Join us at Thirteen Group and be a part of our vision to improve lives every day. APPLY NOW and start your journey towards making a meaningful impact in our community! As part of our hiring process, if you’re successful we’ll need to verify your right to work in the UK.

Unfortunately, we are not a Skilled Worker Sponsoring Employer at this time.