External Affairs Officer

Acas is at an exciting time as we change our structure, ways of working and culture to be fit for the future.

The external affairs team sets our external affairs approach to who we engage with, when and why, in line with the Acas Strategy, Communications Strategy and Tactical Plan. They act as trusted advocates and advisers, proactively engaging in regular dialogue with multiple external stakeholders to build alliances and partnerships, raise awareness of Acas, influence decision-makers, and generate leads for our delivery teams, including the Advice and Business Solutions service.

• The External Affairs Officer will manage the development of a new Acas Stakeholder and Partner Relationship Strategy and introduction of new principles, systems and tools. They will ensure senior leaders across the business are engaged in what is a significant culture change for the organisation.
• You will initiate and lead stakeholder and partner relationships of your own to meet and build on organisational ambitions - identifying opportunities, building organisational relationships and delivering activity in collaboration with national stakeholders and partners.
• You will lead a new way of coordinating regional, function and national relationships, managing the planning and co-ordination of Acas’ many local experts to work together to meet our priorities.
• You will be instrumental to our ambition of introducing of a new system of recording, evaluating and sharing experience and insight across the whole business, identifying technical requirements, liaising with suppliers and introducing and spearheading wholesale culture change and buy in across all of our teams.
• You will lead and deliver a programme of influencing events and conferences and coordinate a range of collaborative outputs with partners, aimed at increasing Acas’s influence amongst key decision makers.
• You will own and manage key partner influencing channels, including the relaunch of the Acas Podcast, ‘influencer’ webinar programme and blog platforms (all of which involve significant senior stakeholder liaison and coordination); and manage our partner asset-sharing web site of materials for partners to use in their communications.
• You will be responsible for taking proposals for high quality influential conferences and other events from inception to delivery, including promotion, liaison with speakers, materials, and all practicalities.
• You will be responsible for coordinating high quality content for speeches, presentations and panel discussions with a consistent message.
• And you will help Acas puts its people front and centre in our external affairs – ensuring the voice of Acas is heard from Chair to Directors to advisers and subject experts.
• This is a facilitative, collaborative role – you will be supporting senior internal colleagues to ensure all our stakeholder, event, partnership and influencing activity is focused on delivering our strategic ambitions, messages and agreed outcomes.

If you’re excited about this opportunity, we would love to hear from you!

• Partnership development – Responsible for supporting the Head of External Affairs to set the overall tiered partnership strategy. To identify, secure and manage strategic formal and informal partnerships with key organisations. Lead on researching partnerships, engaging senior partners, and identifying and delivering high impact and reach collaborative opportunities.
• Partnership coordination - Provide an excellent service to internal customers (policy, delivery and communications colleagues) to support them to secure the partnerships they need. Coordinate and embed a RASCI plan to clarify the roles and responsibilities of colleagues. Support the Head of External Affairs to develop and deliver joint workshops to agree priority stakeholder relationships, and who leads on each.
• Partnership Management – Lead on the development, introduction and roll out of a new Stakeholder Relationship Management Tool, delivering a new process and engagement on recording, evaluating and sharing insight on our partners. Lead this major culture change, build willingness to share and disseminate insights and relationship activities, and liaise with colleagues in all Directorates on how they can best meet requirements. Ensure management have the most up-to-date information and are clear on progress and next steps.
• Stakeholder Management – Responsible for supporting Senior Leaders to build effective and proactive relationships with government departments, business groups, tradeunions, charities, community groups, academics and others with a stake in the future of work. You will make recommendations, based on evidential research, lead on concise briefings and support on proposals and advice.
• Stakeholder Planning – Responsible for supporting the Head of External Affairs to map key stakeholders, monitor shifts in sentiment, and take action as required.
• Events - Accountable for articulating a clear taxonomy of Acas Events, leading on the development and delivery of a programme of high-quality influencing engagement activities (thought leadership conferences, roundtables, podcasts, etc) to support and create opportunities. Liaise with our Business Solutions team on the organisation’s strategic events plan to avoid duplication and overlap with other events, and to support one another on quality and consistency.
• Event Management – Accountable for promoting brand message and handling logistics for events as required. Lead on development of high profile propositions, identifying and liaising with influential speakers on their involvement, their contribution to the promotion and their content. Accountable for influencing and thought leadership conferences, roundtables, webinars, podcasts, meetings and other activities.
• ‘Acas people’ Engagement Opportunities - Accountable for developing Acas’ internal cadre of engagers and influencers (from the Chair to our senior advisers) - identifying opportunities to support Acas Tactical Plan priority issues, engage with stakeholders, groups and forums to promote Acas's objectives and views.
• Stakeholder Content – Responsible for producing high quality impactful speeches, presentations, briefings for panel discussions, and other communications material, coordinating/ liaising with colleagues in policy, dispute resolution and other teams to clarify the Acas message. Advising, supporting and promoting better understanding of key issues, initiatives and Acas views.

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent or resolve workplace problems.

There's no charge for most of what we offer. Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards – Disability Confident Highly Commended; Pay Gap award winner and Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Experience

Essential:

• Stakeholders and partners – experience of successful stakeholder and engagement activity leading to tangible outcomes for the organisation, including working knowledge of stakeholder and partner mapping, engagement, stakeholder management techniques and experience developing and delivering Partnerships that deliver tangible activity, products or services. (Lead criteria)
• Written and oral communications – experience delivering accurate and engaging briefings, speech writing, presentations – particularly to audiences of senior ‘thought-leaders’.
• Events and Conference Strategy – a track record of delivering successful large-scale and small, senior events and confidence in venue, delegate management and speaker support. Event coordination experience including inception, design, marketing, delegate management, content and speaker support and briefing, event team co-ordination.
• Impact evaluation: experience evaluating the effectiveness of stakeholder, partners and/or events against objectives, including use of review/lessons learnt.
• Project management – end to end project management, including initiation, outcome and output agreement, milestone management, risks, issues and benefits realisation.
• Collaboration and facilitation – experience collaborating with internal colleagues, and providing excellent service when delivering for internal customers, including senior leaders.

Technical:

Essential:

• Strong written and oral communications skills – ability to adapt to different styles and audiences, eg in briefings, speech writing, presentations, etc.
• Experience of working with and influencing very senior stakeholders internally and externally.
• Strong Microsoft skills, key are word, PowerPoint, excel.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

We’re big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do, take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer:

• Learning and Development;
• Health and wellbeing;
• Pension scheme;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Childcare schemes;
• Interest free season ticket loans;
• Volunteering opportunities.

Could you ask for any more?

You’ll have access to a Life style website, were you’ll be able to grab savings over a wide range of products from holidays to your weekly shop.

To find out more please check out Working for Acas

Job contact :

Name :
HR Recruitment
Email :
HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
HRRecruitment@acas.org.uk