External Affairs Lead- 12 month Fixed Term Contract

Heathrow Airport; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent airport in the UK is seeking an External Affairs Lead responsible for engaging with stakeholders across the UK. The candidate must represent the organization competently, manage relationships, and develop communication strategies to support key policy initiatives. This role requires excellent communication skills, teamwork, and a proactive approach to stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Experienced in representing an organization to external audiences.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent team player with a proactive approach.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with external stakeholders on behalf of Heathrow.
• Secure advocacy for Heathrow's key policy asks.
• Develop an external affairs strategy.
• Support proactive and reactive communications strategies.
• Scan the political horizon for relevant issues.
• Arrange meetings and draft briefings.

Job description

The External Affairs Lead is a member of Heathrow's dynamic Policy and Public Affairs (PAP) team and is responsible for the strategic engagement of Heathrow's relationships with business groups, chambers of commerce and third-party stakeholders across the nations and regions of the UK. They will be a confident advocate for Heathrow externally and be able to champion core business priorities, securing third party support for Heathrow's key policy asks.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with a wide range of external stakeholders throughout the nations and regions of the UK on behalf of Heathrow.
• Secure third-party advocacy for Heathrow's key policy asks and communications priorities.
• The development of an external affairs strategy - including prioritising team resource effectively and how this supports the objectives of the overall PAP team.
• Support the activation of both proactive and reactive communications strategies to build the reputation of Heathrow.
• Scan the political horizon for issues relevant to Heathrow and proactively develop strategies to address them.
• Arrange meetings, draft briefings, review work of the team and organise Heathrow visits for key stakeholders to be able to explain complex issues in a straightforward manner.
• Be part of an on Incident Response Team.

Key Qualifications

• Experienced and confident in representing an organisation to external audiences. They will own Heathrow's relationships with external stakeholders to maintain and build support for Heathrow's priorities and therefore will need a credible and authoritative voice. They will be seen as a source of expertise and go-to resource for communications advice from across Heathrow.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. The role holder will need to be able to understand complex information and present it in a way which is easy for stakeholders to understand. They may be asked to represent the company at public meetings, debates and consultations.
• Excellent team player and takes a proactive approach to updating and sharing information with colleagues. Working as part of a dynamic team this person will seek opportunities to support colleagues, bring new perspectives and work on projects outside of their direct role responsibilities.