£54,793 - £67,122

+£5k car allowance

+up to 11% pension contribution

Base

Closing Date 

South East Hub

23:59 - 7th April 2024

What you will do

You’ll be joining our ambitious and committed team of communications professionals focused on delivering engaging and effective communications that support our company vision and business priorities. There’ll be opportunities to develop new skills and learn from colleagues across all communications disciplines and you’ll contribute to the delivery of creative, impactful and outcome focused communications that seeks to earn the trust of colleagues and customers alike.

The Head of Stakeholder and Public Relations plays a key strategic role in leading and achieving our communication objectives. As such, the postholder will be an experienced  communications professional with a strong background in political and stakeholder management, public and media relations and crisis communications. 

Through ongoing reputation management and your ability to build relationships with key external influencers, you will be central to our work to support the company as we deliver on our customer promises and build the trust of our customers every day.

What you’ll be responsible for

•    Protect and enhance the company’s reputation through effective communication of agreed policies.
•    Map and manage external stakeholders working with stakeholder relationship owners to ensure their
needs are met and relationships managed and maintained.
•    Use insight and evaluation to identify target audiences and partners and inform communication objectives, messages and solutions.
•    Provide strategic advice to senior leaders and the Executive Team on stakeholder engagement and wider political and influencer relationships.
•    Build and maintain relationships with journalists and key external influencers including Senedd Members, Members of Parliament, Councilors, Industry partners etc.
•    Lead on, own and maintain a stakeholder and public relations communications plan
•    Lead the team ensuring the delivery of effective and proactive PR stories aligned with business priorities and focused on building customer trust, increasing brand awareness and value for money.
•    Lead on managing well informed, accurate and timely reactive responses to media and stakeholder enquiries while also ensuring that we proactively rebut any misleading or erroneous media coverage.
•    Lead communications for Gold and Silver operational incidents providing advice and resource to ensure effective communication support.
•    Oversee, develop and maintain the suite of customer collateral needed for operational incidents and coordinate training for colleagues in our team. 
•    Oversee and be part of a 24hr press office service through an on-call out of hours Rota.
•    Manage a team of 5 people, providing leadership, guidance, management, development and support.
•    As part of the Welsh Water communications senior management team, provide insight, support and advice to colleagues to ensure delivery of the team’s objectives.
•    Undertake line management activities in line with company requirements including PDR management, Health and Safety, procurement and financial management.

Who you’ll work with

Internal

• Directors
• Heads of Service
• Chief Executive
• Communication Team colleagues

External

• Journalists, Assembly Members, Members of Parliament and other key influencers

About you

Qualifications & Experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience of working at a similar level in a specialist area and or with a professional communication or equivalent qualification        
• Experience of working in a communications environment in a customer focused organisation/industry        
• A proven track record in reputational management, media relations  and public affairs              
• Credibility and experience to advise senior managers effectively about communications issues

                
Knowledge & Skills

• Strong change communications experience and the ability to work with and influence senior leaders in the company        
• Ability to work at senior level to achieve long-term strategic goals through creating, developing and implementing the communications strategy    
• Appreciation of the political, regulator, business and consumer arenas affecting Wales    
• Excellent interpersonal skills to establish rapport, credibility and relationships across Welsh Water        
• First class network-building skills and excellent record in building rapport and credibility with senior managers, journalists, commentators and others who influence the public perception of Welsh Water              
• An influential communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills                
• A clear understanding of budgets and financial management within a large organisation        
• Ability to manage complex activities and events          
• Ability to communicate effectively in Welsh (desirable) 
   

Good to know

This role will take a hybrid working approach and will be based in both our Linea and Ty Awen offices in Cardiff. It will also require travel between the Company’s main sites as well as occasional travel to regional sites across Wales. For corporate events there may be a requirement to transport the necessary equipment to the event location.

Benefits

As well as a market competitive salary, 33 days annual leave (pro rata, including public holidays), we offer a range of employee benefits and rewards including:

•    Variable pay schemes ((your salary band will remain the same, but performance depending, you could receive an incremental within-band increase and a yearly incentive)
•    Option to buy additional annual leave up to 5 days per year
•    Enhanced employer pension contributions – Up to 11% employer contributions
•    Enhanced family friendly policies
•    Progression opportunities, including the ability to apply for funded training and coaching and mentoring programmes
•    Reduction on gym memberships and high street shopping
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Free on-site parking at all our sites
•    Discount off all Welsh Water visitor attraction centres and gift shops
•    Car-leasing scheme
•    Health CashBack scheme
•    An employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate family

Whilst also working for a not-for profit company that truly cares about earning the trust of customers everyday, and about looking after our beautiful environment

Please note, we may close this role sooner if required. We may also extend the original closing date depending on interest.

Who we are

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water keep 3 million people healthy each day with safe, reliable water, and take away wastewater to clean, before returning it safely to our beautiful rivers and seas.

To be able to deliver high quality, essential services which help to protect the health of our customers, colleagues and our environment, we need the right people to deliver on our vision.  This is achieved by living our core values and demonstrating the core behaviours that underpin them.  The security of our people, assets and information is key to us, so we are looking for people who understand and comply with the company’s required security objectives.

We know that the most successful teams are the most diverse teams. Equality, diversity and inclusion provide the very foundation to our culture at Welsh Water. We want every individual to feel confident, proud and able to bring their whole selves to work. 

To ensure an improved representation in our workforce, applications are particularly welcome from minority groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, Females, LGBT+, Non-binary and people with disabilities. Together we continue to build a workplace that not only celebrates the diverse voices of our colleagues but also represents each customer we serve.

In essence, ours is a company based on trust, openness, respect, commitment and honesty. A company that our colleagues are proud to work for.
 

INDMP

Dŵr Cymru Cyf, a limited company registered in Wales No. 2366777. Registered office: Linea, Fortran Road, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0LT

© Dŵr Cymru Cyf 2019.