Head of Strategy and External Affairs

Acas is at an exciting time as we change our structure, ways of working and culture to be fit for the future. In this newly created position, you will work with the CEO and Acas council to develop a 3-5 year strategy where Acas’ direction will be defined to help achieve our big ambitions. We need speak with ‘one voice’ to have our knowledge and insight on Britain’s workplaces and you will lead on the creation of Acas’ overarching public affairs plan. This position is a highly collaborative influential role that will involve building reputation and reach, you will be engaging with senior internal colleagues and stakeholders to ensure we deliver our strategic ambitions, messages and agreed outcomes.

If you’re ready for a new opportunity, we would love to hear from you!

• Organisational Strategy– leading the process to develop a new Acas Strategy beyond 2025 and overseeing our current Strategy, ensuring it adapts to current challenges.
• Strategic projects –leading strategic projects to support the organisation to move from insight to action when change is required across a number of teams, including early scoping, problem analysis or options development.
• Public Affairs Strategy - accountable for the broad public affairs approach and plan across Acas. This includes gaining cross Acas consensus on the priority audiences and objectives for our work to expand reach into and influence better workplaces. This determines priorities for a range of other teams outside your immediate management – including policy, communications, marketing, research and our large delivery services.
• External Affairs Planning - leading planning of external and internal communications (collaborating and setting clear direction, outcomes and deliverables with the Acas specialist teams that run stakeholder, events, media and marketing activity).
• Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement and Planning– Accountable for overseeing a refreshed stakeholder/partner engagement approach for the organisation that helps Acas to deliver its Ambitions at national and local level. You will build effective and proactive relationships with government departments, business groups, trade unions, charities, community groups, academics and others with a stake in the future of work.
• Championing common engagement principlesand best practice to improve the quality of stakeholder engagement across the organisation, grow the external affairs capability and maturity of the organisation against GCS best-practice.
• Private Office management– supporting the quality, flow and control of information and communication between the Chief Executive, Chair and key stakeholders. In particular, ensuring our Chair’s strategic direction is seen through to fruition across the organisation.
• Council Relationships –this role leads engagement with Acas Council – working across Acas and personally ensuring high quality engagement.
• Events and Conference Strategy –responsible for developing an Acas programme of influencing events – including advisory groups, set-piece conferences and roundtables. Also responsible for identifying the key events and conferences at which Acas should be represented. Co-ordinating efforts of those across the organisation to secure influencing opportunities and ensuring consistently high standards of message and presentation.
• Content development –oversee quality and production of ‘influencing’ content – including speeches, blogs, specialist articles and other communications material.
• Internal Communications - Accountable for overseeing Acas internal communications to ensure colleagues are informed and engaged – particularly in business change and improvement activities. Provide counsel to senior leaders on handling difficult messages and support and clarification to managers to ensure they are confident in delivering key messages and to strengthen the internal cascade. Closely align with HR to improve employee engagement, based on data and insight into gaps.
• Directorate support – Accountable for overseeing the Directorate support functions managed by the teams, including budget management, Directorate-level engagement and learning and development activities.

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:

• Organisational Strategy and Leadership - Senior management experience leading the development of organisational strategy across a complex organisation that includes policy, delivery/operations and communications functions.
• External/Public Affairs – experience leading external/public affairs planning and influencing activity – particularly Government Affairs and influencing systems
• Stakeholders – experience initiating, securing and managing successful stakeholder and engagement with a track record securing new relationships that deliver tangible Experience leading others to engage stakeholders in a complex organisation and operating a systematic approach to stakeholders engagement across an organisation.
• Partnership – experience identifying, securing and managing formal and informal Partnerships that deliver tangible activity, products or services.
• Events and Conference Strategy – a track record of staging successful events and confidence presenting and influencing in person.
• Programme management - experience using the discipline of Programme Management to co-ordinate multi-disciplinary teams (including those beyond your line management).

Desirable:

• Board and Non-Executive relationship management – experience of managing relationships with non-Executive Directors.
• Internal Communications – experience planning and improving internal communications to support reputation and brand and engage colleagues.
• Sector knowledge - Experience in strategic External Affairs in any of the following: government departments; Parliament; think tanks; non-profit; business and industry; and/or trade associations on issues relating to workplace policy, employment rights and challenges facing employers and employees in the GB market.

Qualifications

Desirable:

• Third level qualification in business strategy, Degree or Masters relevant to public policy, business management or external affairs or equivalent experience at a senior level.

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