Senior External Communications Advisor

Senior External Communications Advisor

Salary: £54,940 + London Weighting Allowance where applicable

Blandford Forum, Bodmin, Bridgwater, Chippenham, Exeter Farnham, Huntingdon, Ipswich, Kidderminster, Leeds, Lichfield, Lincoln, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Penrith, Pevensey, Preston, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Southampton, Tewkesbury, Wallingford, Warrington, Welwyn Garden City, West Malling, Worthing

Permanent / Full time

Staff Grade: 6

We're looking for multiple External Communications Advisors, experts in their field, who can lead, model and engage in relationship building with a wide range of stakeholders representing different sectors and interests, and direct our approach in partnership-building across England. At the Environment Agency, we're dedicated to supporting and protecting the places we and our wildlife call home. And that starts with the elements. From air quality and water management to our natural habitats and soil health.

Public interest in environmental issues continues to grow, which we welcome and encourage. In response, we are enhancing how we manage our relationships with key stakeholders, including MPs, Mayors and other influential partners.

That's where you come in, from planning and co-ordinating project activities to engaging with stakeholders, this people-facing position ensures we provide all sorts of assistance and information to those that rely on us.

About the role

You'll be scanning and analysing emerging local issues, identifying potential challenges early and building strong, trusted and effective relationships with key local stakeholders across your region.

You'll be a key member of the Area Leadership Team, supporting the Area Director, to shape, develop, and deliver a strategic, place-based relationship management approach aligned with national priorities and local needs. You'll work closely with national colleagues including the External Affairs and Government Relations Teams who will lead a national community of practice focused on driving consistency, best practice and high-quality stakeholder engagement.

What you'll need:

• Experience in high-level external stakeholder engagement, or managing complex, politically sensitive projects.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and delivering external relations strategies with government, the private sector and/or civil society organisations.
• Ability to build relationships quickly with individuals and institutions representing different sectors.
• Knowledgeable of the local political landscape.
• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially briefing under pressure.
• Ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and actively encourage others to consider diversity issues in their work.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is attuned to the political, social and economic developments in their local and regional area, is highly organised, and keen to further develop their skills in strategic communications, high-level stakeholder engagement and strategy development.

Please note that your current location in England will not hinder your application choices as we'd be happy for you to be aligned to any of the Environment Agency offices.

We're holding an information session on Teams for this role on 13th February between 12.00pm and 1.00pm. You do not need to have applied to join the call, but you will need to register via the careers site.

You'll have the opportunity to hear from the team, ask questions about what they do and their experiences working for the Environment Agency.

What is in it for you:

The Environment Agency is fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don't just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities and our environment.

Everyone joining a new role will receive a warm welcome and full support, including the equipment, training and guidance needed to thrive.

You will be required to take on an incident role to help us respond effectively to incidents or support business continuity. These roles may attract additional pay, with full training and flexible working arrangements provided. We offer a range of incident roles and will work with you to find the best fit. What's more, you will have access to our great benefits package including:

Our benefits:

• Salary up to £54,940 + London Weighting Allowance where applicable.
• A generous Pension contribution at 19% (in addition to your salary!).
• 27 days holiday + 8 bank holidays.
• 2 additional days for environmental outcomes - paid volunteering time.
• Flexible and hybrid working - we embrace remote-first where possible.
• Generous public sector pension.
• Overtime/standby pay for incident work.
• Strong internal development and progression.
• Inclusive and supportive culture.

If you're looking for purpose, impact, and communications leadership opportunities - this role is for you!

Application guidance

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others,

or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance on our careers site for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Apply now and embark on a rewarding and fulfilling career journey with the Environment Agency.

Closing date for applications: 22nd February 2026.

Interviews will be conducted in early March.