Senior Engagement Specialist

Role Overview

The Senior Engagement Specialist will play a pivotal role in championing collaboration, fostering trusted relationships, and influencing organizational practices within the Flood Investment Programme. The successful candidate will operate within a dynamic, sometimes ambiguous environment that demands curiosity, resilience, and the ability to work independently.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and uphold engagement standards and expectations for suppliers involved in flood-related projects.
• Define, report, and manage risks associated with stakeholder engagement.
• Assure compliance and monitor performance related to engagement activities across the programme.
• Drive consistency by developing and embedding practical engagement guidance and tools.
• Promote collaboration by facilitating engagement networks, sharing best practices, and resolving challenges.
• Build and maintain strong relationships between delivery teams, suppliers, and leadership, leveraging engagement data and insights to guide informed decision-making.
• Adopt a strategic viewpoint to identify potential engagement risks and design mitigation approaches on a national scale.
• Maintain availability and readiness to respond to incidents or deliver business continuity support, which includes undergoing training and may involve additional remuneration and flexible work arrangements.

About the Team

The Strategic Engagement Team, situated within Flood and Coastal Risk Management, delivers leadership and assurance to engagement activities across investment initiatives. The team focuses on enhancing community and environmental outcomes through strategic planning, capability building, data-supported decisions, and incorporating nature-based solutions into flood and coastal asset management.

Required Experience and Competencies

• Proven expertise in strategic stakeholder engagement with the capacity to influence, lead, and manage discussions for early engagement and collaborative benefits.
• Ability to analyze and apply evaluation data to enhance the quality, efficiency, and innovation of engagement methods.
• Skill in identifying and communicating stakeholder and engagement risks and opportunities to leadership and governance, contributing to decision-making on mitigation strategies.
• Proficiency in establishing and sustaining relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders, facilitating meetings and networks effectively, and managing stakeholder expectations within organizational limits.
• Strategic thinking with an ability to consider broader contexts and dependencies when implementing initiatives.
• Confidence in collaboration and decision-making within structured organizational processes.
• Resilience and adaptability to work autonomously in uncertain and evolving conditions.

Additional Information

The organization is committed to reflecting the diversity of the UK population and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled, female, and LGBT+ candidates. Flexible working arrangements such as full-time, shared, or part-time schedules are supported. While primarily onsite in Maidstone, blended home and office working is encouraged, with occasional travel expected. Staff benefits include comprehensive pension schemes, generous leave entitlements, and access to training and development opportunities.

Applicants must be based within the UK with eligibility to work, and sponsorship opportunities may be available. The employer encourages ethical use of artificial intelligence during application processes, emphasizing originality and accuracy of submitted information.

Competency Focus Areas

• Influences and Persuades Others: Ability to convincingly present cases to win support, surpassing purely logical arguments.
• Engages Others: Planning and evaluating stakeholder engagement effectively by following structured approaches.
• Takes Decisions and Solves Problems: Skill in identifying risks, analyzing information, and collaborating to determine optimal solutions aligned with established procedures.

Employment Notes

This is a non-civil service position within a Non-Departmental Public Body; continuous employment service from the Civil Service is not transferable. The organization offers a Guaranteed Interview Policy for disabled candidates meeting minimum criteria.