Job Description

Are you ready to make a difference in people\'s lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We\'re an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us!

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Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you\'re passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you!

About our people and the recruitment process - We\'re an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don\'t always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we\'ll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

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Brief Description

We are looking for a Senior Public Affairs and Community Relations Manager to join our Southern region, covering our busy Wessex, Kent and Sussex routes across London and the South East. In this role, you will be responsible for leading on our engagement with a wide range of local stakeholders on local issues, railway work and major investment projects. Your stakeholders will include politicians in Westminster, regional and local councillors, train and freight operator partners and other third-party organisations, as well as our Community Rail and Rail User Group partners. We\'re looking for you to deliver on our external stakeholder strategy and provide briefings and advice to our regional executive on building and maintaining relationships with our stakeholders, keeping them engaged in our plans for the future. Working with colleagues across the whole rail industry, you\'ll need excellent stakeholder management skills as well as being a great influencer and all-round communicator with the resilience to work effectively in a rapidly changing environment and respond to evolving needs. As part of this role, you\'ll lead on handling our regional correspondence, investigating issues with a customer-service approach and producing high quality responses to letters from the public, senior stakeholders and local groups.

You\'ll also help deliver the contact and communities strategy that is consistent with Network Rail\'s overall corporate communications strategy; coordinating resources for our route based community relations delivery, delivering excellent customer service and prompt problem resolution to our lineside neighbours. You\'ll champion and actively represent public and stakeholder interest throughout the organisation by highlighting and addressing any events or trends, and resolving problems and community issues. During major projects, you\'ll work closely with the local community and businesses and be responsible for monitoring and managing all related local activities and relationships. You\'ll support our route community relations managers on escalated and complex cases to bring them to an effective resolution, liaising where necessary with our senior teams and regional directors.

The successful applicant will be able to manage several tasks at once, and be willing to work flexibly and at pace, responding to the busy reactive environment of the operational railway, while delivering a proactive engagement strategy with all our stakeholders.

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About the role (External)

Key Accountabilities

1. Analyse and manage the development and delivery of strategies and activities in the government / public affairs environment that enable the delivery of the objectives contained in Network Rail\'s corporate communications strategy.

2. Lead activities in responding to key legislative proposals, government consultations, and other strategic political consultations and developments that impact upon the company.

3. Provide a comprehensive contact programme for passenger representatives\' bodies and other national stakeholder groups, and provide assistance as appropriate to senior Executives in their interactions with those groups.

4. Provide direct management and development of a team including carrying out regular 121\'s, appraisals, objective setting and performance monitoring.

5. Manage designated public affairs activities, including meetings, receptions and tours within agreed financial budgets.

6. Analyse, plan and manage, public affairs activities which are fully co-ordinated and consistent with other communications strategies and activities.

7. Establish an effective network of internal and external contacts as appropriate to carry out the public affairs function.

8. Take part in on-call arrangements to deal with out-of-hours media requirements on behalf of the company.

9. Implement the major incident communications plan as required.

Job Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Essential

\xc2\xb7 Substantial experience in public affairs / lobbying / local government

\xc2\xb7 High standards of written and spoken communication

\xc2\xb7 The experience and personal credibility to work effectively with senior managers

\xc2\xb7 Strong influencing skills

\xc2\xb7 Proven ability to grasp, understand and promote complex and sensitive issues in a persuasive and sensible way

\xc2\xb7 Ability to develop and maintain a wide network of stakeholder contacts

\xc2\xb7 A proven understanding of all relevant political calendars and legislative assemblies

Desirable

\xc2\xb7 Evidence of good planning and financial skills, with the ability to deliver projects and activities on time and within budget

\xc2\xb7 Experience of directing and managing agency support

\xc2\xb7 Educated to degree level

\xc2\xb7 Relevant professional qualifications

\xc2\xb7 Evidence of continuing professional development

How to apply (External)

Salary: \xc2\xa346,701 - \xc2\xa352,538 Band 4B

Location: London Puddle Dock

Type: Permanent

Closing date: 13th August 2023. - Late applications will not be accepted. This role has also been advertised externally.

Remote working opportunity! This role requires working in the office 3 days a week

Click apply now to apply.

Drugs and Alcohol Standard:

Our Drugs and Alcohol Standard is changing as of 16.01.2023. All prospective candidates who have not been offered a conditional role by 16.01.2023 will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on database and a 5 year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.

You can visit for advice on accessibility support if you\'re unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.

Network Rail Benefits -

All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Network Rail