Senior Public Affairs Manager

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Brief Description

Within this role, you will be part of the North West & Central Region, working for the Central Route.

The Central route covers a major part of the national rail network, with hundreds of thousands of passengers, and thousands of tonnes of freight carried within our route each week. Within our route is the Chiltern Main Line between London Marylebone and the West Midlands, the Snow Hill line from Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester, the Cross City line in Birmingham, and lines to other cities including Wolverhampton, Coventry, Walsall, and Oxford.

We also have big plans under way in the Central route. The planned HS2 railway includes stops in Birmingham and Solihull, providing much-needed additional capacity on the rail network and faster journeys for passengers. East West Rail will also re-establish a rail link between Cambridge and Oxford and improve connectivity within the region.

About the role (External)

What will you be doing?

Within this newly created role you'll be covering a busy part of the country, from both a political and railway perspective. Network Rail has just started its latest five-year funding period and there is an ongoing story to tell stakeholders about investment in the railway, the benefits it brings to communities and economies, and the challenges it faces and why.

This is both a hands on and strategic role which requires political astuteness and knowledge of local, regional and national issues; careful forward planning; delivery of stakeholder engagements with industry and wider partners; and promotion of successes and achievements to internal and external audiences. You will be required to work with other political role within Network Rail and with the Department for Transport and

With a significant overlap between political stakeholders and the communities Central route serves, you will be responsible for managing the quality and effectiveness of our communication and engagement with passengers and members of the public.

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

• Substantial experience in public affairs / lobbying / local government

• High standards of written and spoken communication

• The experience and personal credibility to work effectively with senior managers

• Strong influencing skills

• Proven ability to grasp, understand and promote complex and sensitive issues in a persuasive and sensible way

• Ability to develop and maintain a wide network of stakeholder contacts

• A proven understanding of all relevant political calendars and legislative assemblies

It's not mandatory to have the below, but it would be desirable to have:

• Evidence of good planning and financial skills, with the ability to deliver projects and activities on time and within budget

• Experience of directing and managing agency support

• Educated to degree level

• Relevant professional qualifications

• Evidence of continuing professional development]]>