Senior Public Affairs Manager

This role allows you the chance to play a key role in the team responsible for our engagement with external stakeholders, including government officials and Members of Parliament. You will enjoy excellent opportunities to work with key decision-makers on major issues, and have excellent prospects for personal development, through working with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels and across all parts of the business.

You will be part of the Thames Water Strategic Resource Option (SRO) team, who are responsible for the development of several infrastructure projects designed to improve drought resilience and minimise interruptions to water supplies in the South East of England, with a key focus on protecting the environment.

These projects may include a new reservoir and transfer projects between different river catchments, both of which would involve high level interaction between Thames Water, it’s contractors, customers as well as local community and political organisations.

We all need water, and Thames Water has a vital role to play in ensuring there’s enough for households and businesses across our region in the future. Climate change and population growth are affecting our supply levels, but these projects will deliver a broad range of benefits for the environment, the economy and wider society.

This role represents a real opportunity to bring the vision behind our work to life.

What you’ll be doing as a Senior Public Affairs Manager

• Monitor, analyse and communicate intelligence on legislative, policy and political developments.
• In partnership with business units, develop and execute targeted political and senior stakeholder engagement strategies to enhance support for our projects.
• Seize opportunities to showcase our planned investment in nationally significant infrastructure, promoting the wider economic, environmental and community benefits this will deliver.
• Develop strong relationships with influential stakeholders, improving the company’s reputation and its ability to influence policy and legislation.
• Build and maintain relationships with third party advocates and industry leaders.
• Research and develop accurate, insightful, and persuasive briefings and materials for internal and external audiences.
• Represent the company in discussions with key stakeholders.
• Resolve stakeholder queries, including enquiries from MPs.
• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues across the business, acting as an advocate for stakeholders’ interests.
• Hours of work are 36 a week, Monday to Friday.
• This is a hybrid role with a base location in Reading or London, and will involve travel across the Thames Water estate.

What you should bring to the role 

• Educated to degree level in Politics, International Relations or relevant disciplines.
• Significant experience in a senior-level public affairs role requiring cross-party political engagement.
• Political strategy knowledge, including tactical campaign planning.
• Able to map priority stakeholders and build effective networks across industry and the political spectrum.
• Experience of working with, engaging and influencing a range of stakeholders with conflicting views and priorities at all levels of the business and externally.
• Ability to work flexibly and multi-task whilst maintaining excellent communication skills.
• Able to translate complex information into compelling narratives and visual aids.
• Be comfortable travelling across our region to support project activities.
• Be a supportive team-player who is flexible and resilient to deal with project challenges and conflicting deadlines.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary between £60,000 & £70,000 per annum, depending on level of experience.
• Annual Leave of 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Car Allowance of £5,800 per annum.
• Annual Bonus.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Who are we?

At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.

Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.

But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?

Working at Thames Water

At Thames Water we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business. 

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, background, and differences that each individual brings. 

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. 

Find out more about working at Thames Water.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.