As the Stakeholder Engagement Manager – Line of Route, you will be responsible for managing HS2’s key relationships with political stakeholders along the route of the new railway. Working with MPs, their offices and Council Leaders, amongst others, you will help keep stakeholders informed about the project. You will have the opportunity to host political visits to our construction sites, share key milestones as the project progresses and organise meetings and events to involve stakeholders in HS2. Amongst others, you will help keep stakeholders informed about the project. You will have the opportunity to host political visits to our construction sites, share key milestones as the project progresses and organise meetings and events to involve stakeholders in HS2.
About the role:
- Work with colleagues in the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Directorate and across other HS2 departments to ensure timely, coordinated and consistent two-way information flows between HS2 and identified key stakeholders;
- Develop and deepen relationships with stakeholders along the line of route, including MPs and their constituency offices, local authorities, local representative groups based in the communities the project will impact, and other identified key stakeholders;
- Proactively identify opportunities to involve key stakeholders in the project and work with colleagues across HS2 to plan and deliver engagement activities;
- Develop and maintain an overview of the politics, stakeholder issues and activities in communities along the route, identifying and feeding back into the business key risks and opportunities;
- Manage correspondence with identified key stakeholders ensuring all responses are timely, accurate and of high quality in both tone and content;
- Provide clear and concise briefings, presentations and reports on complex issues for senior members of HS2;
- Manage processes to coordinate, record and report on engagement with key stakeholders, ensuring a consistent approach and alignment with HS2 processes;
- Develop effective working relationships with contractors’ ensuring they understand HS2’s commitments, behaviour expectations, and metrics by which they will be measured;
- Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.
About you:
- Experience of developing and delivering strategic stakeholder management arrangements in large and complex environments;
- Experience of working within or with Whitehall, Westminster or Local Government;
- Experience of successful delivery on high profile and sensitive projects;
- Experience of providing counsel across an organisation on stakeholder engagement;
- Understanding of engagement and communications on high-profile and sensitive projects;
- Understanding and experience of developing important stakeholder relationships within the nuances of local community engagement and local politics;
- Understanding of the political environment in which HS2 operates;
- Knowledge of how UK Parliament and Local Authorities work and appropriate engagement methods;
- Ability to develop relationships and build trust amongst internal and external stakeholders, using diplomacy at every stage;
- Project management, organisational and planning skills;
- Ability to analyse data, interpret changing environments and present briefings to a variety of audiences at various levels in the organisation;
- Ability to manage own workload and competing stakeholder priorities to meet agreed deadlines.
You are expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect.
It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies, and procedures on EDI.
About us:
High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK’s new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.
HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.
HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our ‘Safe at Heart’ programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.
HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.