Public Affairs Manager

Public Affairs Manager

The Role:

The NDA Group represents one of the UK Government’s most important assets from a financial and risk perspective, and as such needs to maintain effective relationships with UK and Devolved Governments and Parliaments to ensure their ongoing support. We also have obligations under the Energy Act to consult and engage with a wide range of diverse stakeholders and we deem effective relationships to be a critical enabler to successful delivery of our mission.

This role will form part of the Shareholder and Stakeholder Relations team and play a key role in delivering on our public and stakeholder engagement (PSE) commitments. The successful candidate will work with colleagues – both within the NDA and our subsidiaries - to successfully manage interactions with our existing and strive for continuous improvement in our effectiveness. We need a pro-active approach to build and expand on our existing political interactions and broaden the in-depth understanding of our decommissioning mission. The role will also provide support on matters related to new nuclear, in line with the UK Government’s ambitions on energy security which may well utilise existing NDA land; as well as wider UK Government and Parliament interests.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead on NDA political engagement with key stakeholders in Westminster (MPs and Peers, committee clerks), trades unions, think tanks/policy institutes and other third parties within the political sphere. Build strong relationships with related sector organisations and work with them to extend our reach.
• Advise the organisation on the latest relevant political and legislative updates. Monitor and interpret the UK nuclear policy environment/landscape and keep senior leaders, including our Chair, CEO and Board abreast of political developments to support them in their roles.
• Maximise opportunities to engage with policy developments, optimise the policy environment in which the business operates and enhance the NDA’s reputation as experts in decommissioning by increasing awareness of our mission and challenges.
• Develop and co-ordinate Public Affairs activity fronted by our CEO/Chair and other leading spokespeople. Assist in prepping senior leaders who represent the organisation to government, Parliament, and other senior stakeholders.
• Support government relations and communications colleagues with briefings/intel to assist site visits, meetings, dinners, speechwriting etc. Build good working relationships with, and awareness of, our Operating Companies’ Public Affairs activity. Work with colleagues to ensure narratives remain consistent.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience required:

• People focused, with the ability to perform in an open and transparent way and build strong trust-based, collaborative relationships and balance different perspectives and stakeholder interests.
• Knowledge of the political landscape at an international, national, regional, and local level, devolved sensitivities and a breadth across the political spectrum.
• Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders including senior and influential figures, and able to manage upwards to deliver required results.
• Strong analytic communication skills with a good understanding of current issues and affairs, experience in political stakeholder engagement.
• Strong communicator, with excellent presentation and writing skills and the ability to draft concisely on complex issues and adapt style to meet audience needs.
• Ability to appreciate the strategic context and act as an ambassador for the group and the value it brings within the wider public sector landscape.
• Able to manage varied workload and deliver at pace, balancing competing priorities, and supporting effective decision making to deliver high quality outcomes.
• Pro-active nature, comfortable in taking the initiative, developing innovative ideas, and seeing them through to completion in a supportive team environment.
• Educated to Degree level or equivalent in a related discipline.