Senior Business Change Communications & Engagement Advisor - ( Ref : 6478 ) in London

In this challenging, high-profile role, you will be responsible for hands-on delivery of Programme Communications & Engagement activity for the Nature Restoration Fund. Embedded within the programme, the immediate challenges you’ll work on will centre around preparing stakeholders and the organisation for the Nature Restoration Fund delivery. Working as part of a team, you’ll design and lead on assets and products, whether that be briefings, in-person events or virtual forums, to ensure key information is shared at the right time.

If you are flexible and willing to work in an agile way, please read on.

• Develop and organise communications for your assigned projects within the Nature Restoration Fund programme.
• Co-ordinate and project manage communications and engagement tasks, ensuring stakeholders receive go-live information in a timely fashion.
• Influence, advise and develop networks to enhance links across the team, within the organisation and other key contacts and stakeholders; actively maintain engagement in a timely manner to achieve effective contribution to outcomes.
• Establish a strong profile for the programmes internally and enable a good flow of intelligence and feedback across the business, including planning and delivering internal engagement opportunities alongside our communications business partner.
• Work with other teams, including External Affairs, Private Office and account managers to establish how programme level engagement will complement and build on existing relationships.
• Plan and deliver virtual and face-to-face events to support and amplify Natural England’s vision and mission.
• Contribute to and support reactive communications as required (MP letters, Stakeholder letters, Parliamentary questions, etc.).
• Be prepared to work flexibly to deliver ad-hoc outcomes as required in a high pressure and fast moving change environment.
• Using creative acumen to devise new and innovative ways to engage colleagues and stakeholders.

• Experience of stakeholder mapping and analysis. (Essential)
• Experience of planning Comms & Engagement in a project/programme environment (Essential)
• Experience of business change and readiness activity – ensuring stakeholders know what to do and by when (Essential)
• Ability to work at pace, with autonomy, to produce detailed stakeholder engagement plans and activities (Essential)
• Experience of tailoring messages to specific audiences, both internal and external, using a range of materials for engagement. (Essential)
• Experience of delivering impactful verbal and written communications. (Essential)
• Able to work effectively across teams and build strong, collaborative relationships. (Essential)
• Able to work confidently in busy and complex environments, making sound decisions and managing risks, while remaining resilient and adaptable when priorities shift quickly or circumstances change unexpectedly. (Essential)
• Strategic thinker who can link project work to wider organisational goals. (Essential)
• Confident user of Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams webinars (Essential)
• Experience with public consultation processes (Desirable)

We welcome and encourage applications from all communities. Natural England is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the role at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at interview, or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you should notify us of this at application stage where possible, or well in advance of your interview. We now provide primary interview questions in advance for all formal recruitments.

This vacancy uses competency-based assessment. We will assess you against the competencies below during the selection process:

• Technical Skills and Knowledge
• Personal Effectiveness
• Work Delivery
• Putting People at the Heart of the Environment

When completing the application form you should present relevant examples using the STAR format. Give us an example of how you have demonstrated the competency (which can be work related or from another area of your life) and tell us about the Situation, the specific Task you had to undertake, the specific Actions you took, and the Result (both immediate and in a wider context) of your Action.

Please note that STAR format is not required when answering a Technical Skills & Knowledge competency. Examples should be given in no more than 250 words for each competency.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend an interview via MS Teams or a suitable alternative, where you will be asked to give examples for all competencies as set out in the Job Description.

Please note: Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

• Proven experience in Business Readiness/Change communications and engagement
• Proven track record of delivering effective communications across complex, multi stakeholder programmes, managing multiple activities simultaneously.
• Skills translating technical policy into real world, applicable actions for stakeholders.
• In depth Knowledge of Comms & Engagement across Whitehall, interdependencies between departments and Civil Service C&E process knowledge (Desirable)

• Be ambitious, identify and adopt ways to make improvements in your team and your organisation and inspire others to act (Practitioner).
• Share expertise and knowledge with people and networks so that you can develop together (Practitioner).
• Act with integrity, addressing challenging issues and managing conflict through being open and objective (Practitioner).

• Manage and deliver your work to meet agreed targets and deadlines (Expert).
• See the big picture so you can set your team’s work within the context of the organisation’s vision, mission and aims, and help them understand how their work relates to and supports this (Practitioner).

• Listen to and understand diverse partners and customers so that you achieve the best outcomes for them and your organisation (Practitioner).