Public Affairs Executive

Nestlé S.A.; Crawley; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Potential, discretionary annual bonus

Pension up to 12% contribution from Nu

12 flexible days on top of 25-day

Job summary

Nestlé is recruiting for a Public Affairs Executive within the Corporate Affairs & Sustainability function in the UK. You will engage with government, policymakers, NGOs and stakeholders to build trust and strengthen Nestlé’s reputation.

You will lead a defined policy scope, draft briefings, monitor developments, and support flagship campaigns with senior managers. This role requires curiosity, proactivity and collaboration across teams.

Qualifications

• Experience in public affairs with UK policy understanding.
• Ability to translate policy into concise insights for leadership.
• Interest or exposure to food, health or sustainability policy.

Responsibilities

• Bring external developments into timely, actionable insights for the business.
• Draft briefings and input for senior leaders to support campaigns.
• Engage with think tanks, NGOs, and parliamentary contacts externally.
• Collaborate across teams to connect policy areas and share learnings.
• Support flagship campaigns and events with the senior managers.

Skills

Public affairs

Stakeholder engagement

Policy analysis

Briefing drafting

Job description

Business Area: Corporate Communications
Location:Gatwick - Hybrid

Salary £40,000 - £45,000 depending on experience.

Some of our other fantastic benefits

• Potential, discretionary annual bonus
• Generous pension scheme – up to 12% contribution from Nestle
• 12 flexible days on top of 25-day holiday entitlement

Although this is a full-time opportunity.

We are recruiting for an exciting opportunity to join our Public Affairs team within the Corporate Affairs & Sustainability function as a Public Affairs Executive.

This is a role at the heart of a fast-paced political and regulatory landscape, and an ambitious company and team. You will help build trust in Nestlé and strengthen our reputation by supporting our engagement with government, policymakers, NGOs and wider stakeholders, and by keeping the business ahead of external developments.

You will lead a defined policy scope responsible for developing our positions and liaise internally and externally, while also contributing and supporting delivery of proactive campaigns across the team. You will be the heart of the team’s shared insight, running our internal policy updates to the business, leading on drafting of briefings, keeping our tools up to date to support the team, as well as responsible for building our relationships with think tanks.

The role involves working closely with internal stakeholders across functions and geographies, as well as externally with partners, trade bodies, and political representatives to help deliver campaigns and engagement strategies.

This role is ideally suited to a rising Public Affairs professional who is curious, proactive and collaborative, wants to get out and engage externally, and is ready to grow.

A bit about us

At Nestlé, our purpose is to unlock the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come.

Weoperatein a complex and evolving external environment, where trust, transparency and responsible business practices matter more than ever. Our Public Affairs team plays a critical role in helping the business navigate this landscapebybringing insight, shaping debatesand policies, and building relationships that supportthe business in the long-term.

We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity. We proudly signed the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, are committed to Disability Confidence, and have been recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for gender equality for three consecutive years. Additionally, we are a headline partner of Diversity and Inclusion in grocery.

Your impact

This is a dynamic role where no two days are the same. You will work across topics and stakeholders, keep the team and business informed and ahead and get out and engage. You will:

• Bring the outside in – run the team’s internal policy updates, turning external developments into clear, timely, actionable insight for the business; take the lead on preparing briefings for senior leaders.
• Work across a policy agenda - building expertise quickly and shaping positions on complex issues, working with the relevant experts in the business
• Support our flagship campaigns – support the two senior managers in the team to deliver proactive campaignsand events, so neither campaign is a solo effort, and provide input to wider Corporate Affairs activities
• Draft with impact – produce briefings, consultation input, lines and updates that are concise and decision-ready
• Keep our tools sharp – own and run the tools that help us be effective and deliver, support the running of our team meetings, leading on agendas,Keep us on top of monitoring, and utilize AI where relevent
• Be out and engage – build relationships with think tanks, NGOs, officials and parliamentary contacts, and represent Nestlé at external meetings and events
• Collaborate across the team – connect the dots between policy areas, share what you learn, and work towards common goals rather than in silos

Your ingredients for success

You will be a developing Public Affairs professional (direct experience in public affairs) with a genuine interest in the UK political and regulatory landscape and the drive to build excellent working relationships across different topics and with variety of teams.

Policy, government, trade association, agency or in-house public affairs experience is all welcome; corporate or FMCG exposure is a bonus but not essential. You combine curiosity and pace with a collaborative, ownership mindset. We’re particularly looking for:

Experience;

• Experience in public affairs, policy, government, parliament, an agency or a related field, with a good understanding of the UK political and regulatory landscape
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and translating policy into clear insight or briefings
• Ideally, interest in or exposure to food, health, sustainability or consumer policy

Key skills and capabilities;

• Curiosity and pace - gets up to speed quickly on new topics and enjoys fast-moving developments, eager to learn
• Stakeholder engagement - confident building relationships externally and ready to get out and engage
• Clear communication - translates complex policy into concise, actionable updates and briefings
• Organisation and reliability - keeps tools, calendars and updates accurate and on time
• Connects the dots -spots links between policy areas rather than working in silos
• Collaborative but takes ownership -works across the team and functions, and owns their portfolio with integrity

What you need to know

We will be considering candidates as they apply and we will occasionally close job advertisements early in the event we receive sufficient applicants.

At Nestlé, inclusion and diversity fuel innovation and help people thrive. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and can provide adjustments throughout the application process.