Stakeholder & Communications Manager ( A57 Links Road project) - 9 Month FTC

Balfour Beatty plc; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working

25 days annual leave

Pension

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is seeking a seasoned Communications and Stakeholder Engagement professional to lead the development and delivery of strategies that support project objectives, protect reputation, and enhance customer experience across a major highways programme in the UK.

You will work with internal and external stakeholders, provide trusted communications advice, and drive employee engagement while ensuring consistent, on-brand messaging across all channels.

Qualifications

• Proven communications experience on complex infrastructure/public sector projects
• Strong community relations and stakeholder management experience
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in marketing/public relations/communications or related field
• Ability to manage, engage and develop direct reports
• Confident engaging with external customers and stakeholders at face-to-face events
• Excellent writing, storytelling, and presentation skills
• Self-starter with ability to build relationships through written and verbal communication
• Translate technical information into customer-friendly communications
• Demonstrate creativity through multi-media communications for all audiences
• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills
• Team player with negotiation skills
• Willingness to travel

Responsibilities

• Protect and enhance project and partner reputations through timely, effective communications
• Develop and deliver clear communications strategies, plans and milestones across channels
• Lead internal communications and workforce briefings to support a one-team culture
• Coordinate integrated communications with project, environmental, construction, land and supply chain teams
• Identify reputational risks and opportunities and escalate appropriately
• Ensure materials are accurate, on-brand and compliant with standards
• Showcase project success through awards, case studies, media stories
• Produce deliverables in line with project control frameworks
• Deliver customer-focused traffic management communications and works information
• Build relationships with National Highways, local authorities and communities
• Act as main contact for stakeholder enquiries and timely responses
• Plan and deliver public information events and engagement activity
• Represent BB at client forums and collaboration meetings
• Support client relationship management and improvement from feedback
• Work with National Highways Customer Contact Centre to resolve enquiries
• Support reporting, audits and assurance including CPAA and Roadworks: A Customer View
• Embed Every Customer Counts through training and communications

Skills

Communications strategy

Stakeholder management

Writing & storytelling

Public speaking & presentation

Relationship building

Management of direct reports

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing/public relations/communications

Tools

MS Office

Job description

About the role

As a key member of the project team, you will lead the development and delivery of communications and stakeholder engagement strategies that support project objectives, enhance customer experience and protect the reputation of Balfour Beatty, National Highways, the project and its partners.

You will deliver impactful communications that drive employee engagement, strengthen customer and stakeholder relationships and ensure project impacts, progress and benefits are communicated clearly, consistently and effectively.

Working with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, you will act as a trusted communications adviser, building strong relationships and championing a customer-focused approach across all engagement and communications activity.

What you'll be doing

• Protect and enhance the reputation of the project, Balfour Beatty, National Highways, the projects and its partners through timely, effective communications.
• Develop and deliver clear, engaging project communications strategies, plans and milestone activity across appropriate channels.
• Lead internal communications and engagement activity that supports a one-team culture, corporate campaigns and effective workforce briefings.
• Coordinate integrated communications with project, environmental, construction, land and supply chain teams to ensure proactive, aligned delivery.
• Identify and escalation reputational risks and opportunities, working with Balfour Beatty Group Communications and project leadership.
• Ensure communications and customer-facing materials are accurate, approved, on-brand and compliant with Balfour Beatty and National Highways standards.
• Showcase project success through award submissions, case studies, photography, video and positive media stories.
• Produce communications deliverables in line with the National Highways Project Control Framework.
• Plan and deliver customer-focused traffic management communications, including works information, road user impacts, diversions, enquiries and complaints.
• Build positive relationships with National Highways, local authorities, communities and key stakeholders through effective engagement strategies.
• Act as the key contact for stakeholder enquiries, coordinating timely, professional responses across project and customer service teams.
• Plan and deliver public information events, exhibitions, community forums and stakeholder engagement activity.
• Represent Balfour Beatty at client and customer communications forums, working groups and collaboration meetings.
• Support client relationship management, action planning and continuous improvement arising from customer feedback.
• Work with National Highways’ Customer Contact Centre to resolve enquiries and correspondence promptly and within agreed service levels.
• Support communications and customer performance reporting, audits and assurance, including CPAA and Roadworks: A Customer View.
• Embed Every Customer Counts principles through training, coaching and communications that improve customer awareness, behaviours and experience outcomes.

Who we’re looking for

Essential:

• Proven communications experience on complex infrastructure, construction, regulated, public sector projects
• Strong community relations and stakeholder management experience
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent higher education/industry recognised qualification in marketing, public relations, communications, or a related field
• Ability to manage, engage and develop direct reports
• Confident engaging with external customers and stakeholders at face-to-face events
• Excellent writing, storytelling, and presentation skills
• A self-starter able to quickly build relationships through effective written and verbal communication
• Be able to quickly source and interpret technical information from a variety of sources and translate into customer-friendly written communications
• Be able to demonstrate creativity through multi-media communications to reach all audiences
• Strong analysis and problem-solving skills
• Team player with ability to engage, influence and negotiate
• Computer literate and competent in Microsoft Office applications.
• A willingness to travel

Desirable:

• Experience of using graphics and or video editing software
• Experience of working on construction/civil engineering infrastructure projects
• Relevant communications qualification
• Member of CIPR or other recognised industry body
• Good understanding of the regulatory and political environment in construction

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty’s Highways business delivers major schemes including motorway upgrade programmes, complex national infrastructure projects and regional investment programme works for National Highways. We have a strong orderbook and a positive pipeline of opportunities, we put the road user, at the heart of everything we do. We work safely, reduce carbon emissions and added social value to the communities within which we work.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visitwww.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visithttps://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on