Public Affairs Manager

Housing Plus Group; Telford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Contributory pension scheme

Eye care vouchers

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Healthcare Portal

LGBTQ+ employee networks

Job summary

Housing Plus Group is seeking a Public Affairs Manager to join our team on a hybrid basis in Stafford/Telford. This permanent role offers 36 hours per week and a focus on promoting and protecting our reputation while engaging with stakeholders and policymakers.

You will lead the development of public affairs strategies, collaborate with the Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs, and drive data-driven insights to inform communications across the organisation.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years’ experience in a public affairs or related role within a complex organisation.
• Proven experience working with local, regional and national government, policymakers and external stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of the housing sector, including its challenges, legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
• Experience in policy development, political risk analysis, lobbying compliance, and impact measurement.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience producing data-led reports and insights.
• Confidence managing sensitive and confidential information, and working with senior leaders.
• Ability to prioritise, delegate, and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.
• A proactive, flexible approach, with a focus on solving problems and driving improvement.
• The ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrable experience delivering successful public affairs and stakeholder engagement activity.
• Strong knowledge of national and regional political landscapes.
• Experience of media handling and crisis communications.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Flexibility to work evenings/weekends where required and provide on-call support for media enquiries.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver impactful public affairs and stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Build strong relationships with local, regional, and national policymakers.
• Monitor and respond to the political and regulatory landscape affecting the housing sector.
• Provide expert advice on political risk, policy development, and lobbying compliance.
• Support media engagement, briefing senior spokespeople and contributing to crisis response.
• Lead stakeholder insight and ensure data informs strategic decision-making.
• Work collaboratively across teams to ensure aligned messaging and activity.
• Represent the organisation with professionalism when engaging with senior stakeholders, VIPs, and external partners.

Skills

Public affairs

Stakeholder engagement

Policy development

Media handling

Crisis communications

Data analytics

Communication skills

Driving licence

Job description

Location: Stafford/Telford - Hybrid

Hours: 36 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

About the role:

We have an exciting opportunity for a Public Affairs Manager to join our team.

We’re looking for a passionate and driven professional who can bring our values to life and ensure our customers and stakeholders benefit from outstanding services. If you thrive in an ambitious, and evolving organisation, that supports its people, this could be the perfect role for you.

Day in the life of a Public Affairs Manager

As Public Affairs Manager, you will play a key role in promoting, enhancing, and protecting the Group’s reputation, while championing our services and brands.

Working closely with the Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs, you will champion our customers by helping to develop and deliver strategies that reflect our organisational values, engage key stakeholders, and support our wider business objectives and our corporate strategy.

A key focus of the role will be to drive a dynamic programme of strategic public affairs and influencing activity, strengthening our engagement with regional and national influencers and elevating our profile as a forward-thinking housing provider on a national scale.

You will also lead the development of a data-driven approach to insight, ensuring we effectively listen to customers, colleagues, and stakeholders and translate this into actionable strategies across our Communications and Marketing activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver impactful public affairs and stakeholder engagement strategies
• Build strong relationships with local, regional, and national policymakers
• Monitor and respond to the political and regulatory landscape affecting the housing sector
• Provide expert advice on political risk, policy development, and lobbying compliance
• Support media engagement, briefing senior spokespeople and contributing to crisis response
• Lead stakeholder insight and ensure data informs strategic decision-making
• Work collaboratively across teams to ensure aligned messaging and activity
• Represent the organisation with professionalism when engaging with senior stakeholders, VIPs, and external partners

About you

We are looking for someone who brings:

• At least 5 years’ experience in a public affairs or related role within a complex organisation
• Proven experience working with local, regional and national government, policymakers, and external stakeholders
• Strong understanding of the housing sector, including its challenges, legal and regulatory frameworks
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences
• Experience in policy development, political risk analysis, lobbying compliance, and impact measurement
• Strong analytical skills, with experience producing data-led reports and insights
• Confidence managing sensitive and confidential information, and working with senior leaders
• The ability to prioritise, delegate, and deliver high-quality work to deadlines
• A proactive, flexible approach, with a focus on solving problems and driving improvement
• The ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely
• Demonstrable experience delivering successful public affairs and stakeholder engagement activity
• Strong knowledge of national and regional political landscapes
• Experience of media handling and crisis communications
• Full UK driving licence
• Flexibility to work evenings/weekends where required and provide on-call support for media enquiries

Please see the job description for the full list of essential and desirable criteria.

What we can offer you

We can offer 25 days holiday (increasing with each year of service, up to a maximum of 31 days) and bank holiday. We also offer the option to join our contributory pension scheme, access to a dedicated Employee Healthcare Portal, eye care vouchers and a cycle to work scheme. Please see our HPG Benefits page for more information.

About Us

We’re one of the West Midlands’ largest housing and care providers, with over 33,000 homes and a bold vision for the future. We create places people are proud to call home.

The way we work is shaped by three simple behaviours:

• Own it – make it happen
• Improve it - move things forward.
• Live it – show understanding and compassion

We’re building something special and need talented people to help lead the way. There’s never been a better time to join us and make a real difference.

Our Inclusive Culture:

The Housing Plus Group is an inclusive employer committed to supporting all employees. We know that people perform better when they can be themselves, so creating a culture which is inclusive isn’t only the right thing to do, but is crucial to the success of any organisation. All of our employee networks make a positive contribution to how we are able to support all of our staff and includes networks such as our LGBTQ+ employee group, disability positive, heritage and culture and our allies’ network.

Interview dates: 26th October 2026

Interviews may take place throughout the advert

• We are committed to carrying out safeguarding checks with all our colleagues. These checks may vary according to the role you have applied for, please refer to the job description for this role for details.
• We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.
• If you have not received an update within 2 working weeks of submitting your application, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

*Terms and Conditions are subject to review and may be amended from time to time, any changes to benefits advertised would be discussed during offer and onboarding.