Graduate Public Affairs and Engagement Assistant

Public Affairs and Engagement Assistant (Graduate)

Full time - 37 hours per week

Fixed Term Contract – 12 months

Salary – £25,000

Location – Pity Me, Durham/Homeworking

Interviews will be held 28 April and if successful, second stage 1 May 

Please note this role will be employed by our partner Pertemps for the duration of this role 

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity in Public Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement! This role in corporate affairs will help you develop your experience and interest in stakeholder engagement, influencing and policy support. You will ensure that our key external stakeholders have a lasting positive impression of Northumbrian Water's work and showcase.

You will work within the Public Affairs, Policy and Partnerships team to help maintain our relationships with key stakeholders. We achieve this primarily through our influencing plan, policy work, and external events engagement to enhance NWG’s reputation and maintain high levels of engagement.

As a Public Affairs and Engagement Assistant, you will support delivery across all operating areas and facilitate processes to help improve the team’s performance whilst creating sustainable relationships and strong stakeholder engagement with influential partners.

Reporting to the Public Affairs, Policy and Engagement Manager and working closely with the Stakeholder Engagement Lead and Public Affairs Business Partner, you will coordinate and input into the delivery of a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan. 

Responsibilities

• Help to maintain stakeholder databases, maps, key messages, briefings, and other tools to support colleagues and representatives with public affairs influencing activities.
• Assist in planning and executing internal and external stakeholder events, meetings, and the administration, such as expensing and monitoring invite lists.
• Build, influence and raise the profile of Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) through stakeholder engagement and identifying new opportunities for work with political representatives.
• Provide support when required to ensure consistency in the team and that our activities are communicated in the appropriate way.
• Regularly attend external partnership meetings, be they charity partners or coalitions that have a collective policy influencing goals.

As you will be required to travel this role requires you to have a driving licence.

About you

We’re looking for you to have experience working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to communicate effectively with a range of different audiences, understanding their specific requirements and different levels of knowledge.

You will have a keen interest in current affairs and will be educated to degree level in a relevant subject (e.g. politics, business, communications). A detailed understanding of Parliament and/or the role of Local Authorities would be an asset.

You will have a self-motivated attitude alongside the ability to plan and organise in order to deliver multiple, competing priorities and to be able to deal with high-pressured environments.

Here at Northumbrian Water/Essex & Suffolk Water, we embrace and value Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, and encourage all colleagues to bring their most authentic self to work.

Our colleague network groups include our Rainbow Support Network (LGBTQIA+), REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), WiSTEM (Women in STEM) and Thisability (disability and neurodiversity) networks. They provide a safe space for colleagues from diverse backgrounds, welcoming all colleagues regardless of their personal characteristics to participate in valuable conversation that improves our organisational awareness, understanding and inclusivity.

We encourage and welcome all applications, as we strive to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to having diverse communities represented within all our teams, structures, and organisation. 

Please note this role will require a DBS to be completed prior to employment

NWG are an inclusive employer who support the rehabilitation of offenders, we will not, however consider candidates who have certain unspent convictions to ensure our commitment to fostering a safe and secure working environment for all OR colleagues, suppliers, customers and third parties.

About us

Here are NWG we strive to make Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) a Great Place to Work, for all. We embrace and value Diversity, Inclusion and Equity and encourage you to bring your full self to work. As an equal opportunity employer we’re committed to having a diverse community represented across our business.

We’re aware that not everyone will have every skill listed in the job description, however if you have some of the skills listed, we'd encourage you to apply

NWG at a glance:

Our purpose at NWG is caring for the essential needs of our communities and environment, now and for generations to come.

We do this by providing reliable and affordable water and wastewater services for our customers.

We make a positive difference by operating efficiently and investing prudently, to maintain a sustainable and resilient business.

Our vision is to be the national leader in the provision of sustainable water and wastewater services. To support us in achieving our vision, we have five core values which are the guiding principles, defining who we are, what we do and how we do it.