Government Affairs Manager

West of England Mayoral Combined Authority; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Volunteer leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Hybrid working model

Travel flexibility

Job summary

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is seeking a Government Affairs Manager to join the Communications team. Reporting to the Head of Communications, you will steer the organisation's government affairs and engagement activities, shaping policy responses and ensuring alignment with the Mayor's priorities across the region.

You'll build trusted relationships with political and government partners, monitor developments, and lead a small team to deliver high‑quality public affairs

Qualifications

• Experience of government affairs, stakeholder engagement and events management.
• Understanding of local government governance and decision-making frameworks.
• Experience in a politically led organisation.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• High political awareness and discretion.
• Strong organisational and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the organisation's government affairs activity and manage the team delivering public affairs and engagement outputs.
• Provide strategic advice and ensure government affairs aligns with political and corporate priorities.
• Monitor developments across government and advise on implications for the MCA.
• Oversee government affairs events and engagement activity.
• Manage staff workloads and deliver high-quality outcomes across changing priorities.
• Provide advice on reputational risk and ensure activity reflects corporate values.

Skills

Government affairs

Stakeholder engagement

Events management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Political awareness

Leadership

Education

Degree in communications/government affairs or related field

Job description

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is seeking to appoint a Government Affairs Manager to join our Communications team. Reporting to the Head of Communications, you will play a leading role in shaping and delivering our government affairs and engagement activity, helping the MCA realise its potential and deliver the Mayor's priorities for the West of England. This is an opportunity for an experienced government affairs and stakeholder engagement professional to make a real impact at a strategically important time for the region. You'll work closely with political and corporate leadership, senior colleagues across the MCA and partners across government to build relationships, influence priorities and ensure the West of England's voice is heard. We're looking for a strategic, politically aware and persuasive communicator who can build trusted relationships, navigate sensitive issues with confidence and translate organisational priorities into effective government engagement. This is a critical time in our transformation and growth journey, and you'll be pivotal in helping us achieve our ambitions by:

What you'll be doing

Are you someone who can think strategically, communicate persuasively and build trusted relationships, while maintaining a high level of political awareness and discretion? As Government Affairs Manager, you'll lead the organisation's government affairs activity and manage the team responsible for delivering high-quality public affairs and engagement outputs. You'll work across the MCA, providing strategic advice and ensuring government affairs activity is aligned with political and corporate priorities. You'll also monitor developments across government and work closely with the Policy and Strategy and Communications teams to understand their implications and support effective organisational responses. A key part of your role will be building and leveraging productive relationships with political representatives, government bodies across Westminster and Whitehall, and other external stakeholders. You'll also oversee government affairs events and engagement activity, ensuring these are focused on delivering the organisation's priorities. You'll have responsibility for managing appropriate staff, overseeing workloads and ensuring the team delivers high-quality outcomes across a changing range of priorities. You'll also play an important role in managing reputational risk, providing considered advice on government engagement and ensuring activity reflects the MCA's corporate values.

What you'll bring

You'll be an experienced government affairs, public affairs or stakeholder engagement professional with a strong understanding of how politically led organisations operate.

We want everyone to have a fair opportunity to work with us. We are committed to inclusive recruitment and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Our recruitment processes are designed to be fair, accessible and free from unlawful discrimination, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Reasonable Adjustments

If you have an accessibility need, disability, condition or need any additional support that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process (for example, you might need to submit your application in a different format), please get in touch with our Resourcing Team at [e-mail]. We are here to assist and accommodate your needs.

Key responsibilities and requirements

• Experience of government affairs, stakeholder engagement and events management.
• A strong understanding of local government governance, decision-making frameworks and statutory responsibilities.
• Experience of working within a politically led organisation.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce persuasive briefings, speeches and engagement materials.
• High levels of political awareness and the ability to handle sensitive issues with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong organisational and leadership skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• The ability to build and maintain effective relationships with political representatives, government bodies and a wide range of stakeholders.

You'll need a degree in communications, government affairs or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

We believe in fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, empowering you to thrive in your career. We prioritise your growth and success by providing a diverse range of learning and development opportunities. Our goal is to keep you motivated, equipped with essential skills, and confident in delivering excellent services.

This is a high-profile opportunity to help shape the MCA's relationships with government and support the delivery of an ambitious agenda for the West of England, including our Growth Strategy, Transport Vision and Investment Prospectus. You'll work alongside senior leaders and colleagues across the organisation, with the opportunity to influence how regional priorities are communicated, understood and progressed across government. This is an opportunity to make a real difference – using your political awareness, strategic thinking and relationship-building skills to help secure the best outcomes for the West of England. The role will likely require regular travel to, or presence in, Westminster (London) and/or Manchester. Candidates based in these locations will likewise be expected to travel to and maintain a regular presence in the West of England.

Benefits

• 26 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years continuous service. There is also the option to increase your annual leave with our annual leave purchase scheme.
• 2 days of paid leave each year to volunteer
• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Flexible, family friendly and hybrid working options to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals. We follow a hybrid working model with typically 2 or 3 days in the office each week
• Reduced bus fare travel across the West of England, The salary for this role is £56,963- £62,282. This is the full-time equivalent salary, and will be pro-rata for part-time. We advertise salary ranges for job roles, with new appointments for external candidates typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, where higher skill levels or experience are applicable, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees.