Location
Central London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£52,010 per annum

About the Role
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Water is vital for life - clean, freshwater for drinking and sanitation, providing for farms and industry, creating and sustaining the ecosystems on which all life depends. Yet water is a finite natural resource, facing increasing pressures from climate change and population growth. Never before has political, media and public attention been focused on water as it is now. This brings a great opportunity, and we have been given a mandate to make some once in a generation changes.

This role sits in the Water Stakeholder Engagement Team, a central stakeholder engagement function supporting Water Sector Reform. The team oversees how the directorate plans, coordinates and uses engagement across the water sector, ensuring activity is aligned, strategic, timely and focused on informing robust policy development. You will help deliver a coherent engagement approach across water reform, working closely with policy teams, senior officials, Private Office, communications colleagues and external stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include:
- Ensuring engagement aligns with ministerial priorities, programme milestones, policy needs and delivery risks.
- Identifying opportunities to join up activity across teams and reduce duplication or inconsistent messaging.
- Capturing, analysing and deploying stakeholder insight to support policy development and senior decision-making.
- Maintaining a strong understanding of stakeholder interests and opportunities across the water sector.
- Developing and delivering innovative engagement plans across various channels to support Water Reform.
- Building effective relationships across the Floods and Water Directorate, wider Defra, other government departments, arm’s length bodies and external stakeholders.
- Creating and maintaining internal networks with policy, delivery, communications and programme teams to deliver engagement objectives.
- Leading segmentation, mapping and handling strategies for key stakeholder groups and individuals.
- Managing accounts for key stakeholders to form positive and trusted working relationships.
- Managing events, consultations, workshops, meetings and other activities to achieve desired outcomes.
- Acting as a trusted point of contact for teams seeking advice on stakeholder engagement planning and delivery.
- Developing stakeholder engagement tools and best practice across the Programme.

Experience
- Working with ministers, senior officials, private offices and communications teams.
- Stakeholder engagement and communications planning.
- Building effective relationships and influencing senior leaders, stakeholders and influencers across organisations.
- Delivering policy, strategy, engagement or programme work in a fast-paced environment.
- Gathering, analysing and presenting information from multiple sources to support decision-making.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Good strategic judgement, including identifying links, tensions, risks and opportunities across different areas of work.
- Proactive and adaptable approach to problem-solving, coordination and delivery in ambiguous or complex environments.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and changing priorities.

About you
You are a strategic thinker with excellent communication and influencing skills. You thrive in complex environments and are able to build and maintain trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You are proactive, adaptable and able to deliver high-quality work under pressure while managing multiple priorities.

Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications required for this role; however, relevant experience in stakeholder engagement, policy development or related fields is essential.