External Affairs Manager

Vma Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vma Group is seeking an experienced External Affairs Manager in London to lead stakeholder engagement during a period of change and culture shift. The role combines public affairs, government relations, and partnership development in a hybrid work model.

You will support the External Affairs Lead, build relationships across industry and government, and mentor a team while preparing briefings and briefings for executives. Travel to other offices may be required.

Qualifications

• Experience in external affairs or government relations.
• Proven track record delivering stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders.
• Mentoring or line-management experience.
• Strong networking and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Sound judgement and ability to work independently in time-critical situations.

Responsibilities

• Support the External Affairs Lead in stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across industry, government and partners.
• Lead the implementation and improvement of stakeholder engagement plans.
• Line manage External Affairs Advisors and provide guidance.
• Act as escalation point for stakeholder and government affairs matters.
• Depose for the External Affairs Lead when required.
• Produce briefing papers, presentations, and reports for senior leaders.
• Prepare executives for meetings and events.
• Monitor stakeholder activity and identify risks and opportunities.
• Support development of advocacy and partnerships.
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call rota for incidents and sensitive inquiries.

Skills

External affairs

Stakeholder engagement

Government relations

Relationship building

Written and verbal communication

Advising leaders

Time management

Job description

A public facing organisation is looking for an experienced external affairs and stakeholder engagement professional to join their team during a period of change for the organisation and a need to engage around its culture shift and more modern approach.

Hybrid Working is 1 – 2 days a week on site in central London with occasional travel to other offices.

As External Affairs Manager, you will:

• Support the External Affairs Lead in delivering effective stakeholder engagement and relationship management strategies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across industry, government and external partner organisations – on a regional and national level
• Lead the implementation, review and continuous improvement of stakeholder engagement plans.
• Line manage External Affairs Advisors and provide guidance on complex stakeholder issues.
• Act as an escalation point for stakeholder and government affairs matters.
• Deputise for the External Affairs Lead when required.
• Produce high-quality briefing papers, presentations, reports and correspondence for senior leaders.
• Prepare executives for meetings, events and speaking engagements.
• Monitor stakeholder activity and identify emerging risks, opportunities and trends.
• Support the development of advocacy and collaborative partnerships that contribute to organisational objectives.
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call rota, providing advice and support during incidents and managing sensitive enquiries outside normal working hours.

About You

• Experience in external affairs, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, government relations or a related discipline.
• A proven track record of developing and delivering stakeholder engagement strategies and plans.
• Experience working with and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing, mentoring or leading colleagues and projects.
• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• The confidence to advise, influence and appropriately challenge senior leaders.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Sound judgement and the ability to make decisions independently, particularly during time-critical situations.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience within transport, infrastructure, the public sector, regulatory environments or political affairs would be advantageous but is not essential.

This is a public facing organisation and candidates need to complete a vetting process which includes being a UK citizen and having lived in UK for over five years without significant gaps.