Regional Public Affairs Manager - Wales - ESO

at  National Grid

ABOUT US

At National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), we’re aiming to operate a zero-carbon electricity system for Great Britain by 2025. This means using wind, solar and hydropower - without relying on any carbon-based generators to balance the grid.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Regional lead for ESO public affairs engagement
• Enhance external engagement across your region with policymakers and energy industry players
• Build awareness across your region of the ESO as it transitions to NESO
• Deliver meetings and events with key stakeholders
• Maintain a network of external contacts, pro-actively meeting stakeholders, attending conferences, other events with industry bodies and associations, lobby groups, environmental groups, think tanks, and academics, pro-actively sharing intelligence back into the business.
• Support the delivery of integrated campaigns on issues of strategic importance including messaging, collateral development, stakeholder mapping and forward planning.
• Work with Head of Regional Public Affairs to pro-actively advise senior leaders on political intelligence, delivering executive briefings and inputting into board papers.
• Work across the business to develop and shape policy messages, advising the wider business on the style, tone and content of policy messaging to maximise stakeholder impact.
• Regularly track progress against KPIs and report them to the Head of Regional Public Affairs Manager.
• Support on horizon scanning to identify strategic issues and trends of commercial interest, working closely with the wider External Affairs and Corporate Strategy teams, to provide insight and intelligence to the wider business.

ABOUT YOU

What we do isn’t just important – it’s essential. That’s why we look to recruit experts in their field. In this case, we’re looking for someone who:

KNOWLEDGE

• Expert knowledge of the political environment and institutions in your region
• Understanding of politics of energy in your region
• Awareness of relevant national energy institutions
• Expert knowledge of managing complex stakeholder environments
• Understanding of the energy sector is essential

EXPERIENCE

• Experience advocating and influencing stakeholders and governments.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering high quality stakeholder engagement strategies, and high levels of networking and influencing externally.
• Proven experience in planning and executing integrated campaigns, using different channels and tactics to achieve positive outcomes.
• Strong track record of successfully communicating complex policy solutions in a clear and concise manner to multiple audiences.
• In-depth experience of working with and influencing key internal stakeholders in a large, complex organisation, working in a collaborative manner to reach shared objectives.

SKILLS

• Able to prioritise and manage competing issues, working with and through others – maintaining high and consistent standards and alignment, working at pace and with minimal guidance.
• Strong people manager with a commitment to team development and capability-building
• Strategic thinker with ability to contribute to key communications and decisions by interpreting external and internal trends and changes.
• Expert stakeholder and negotiation skills - ability to communicate effectively up to the most senior levels of the organisation and with external bodies, partners, and regulators
• Ability to learn quickly and translate complex ideas into engaging, insightful and effective material which delivers clear information and messaging. Excellent story telling ability and narrative creation.
• Ability to bring data from a broad range of sources (industry trends, use cases, innovations, etc.), and translate it into value-adding insights and recommendations that inform decision making.
• Commercial awareness and business acumen - ability to understand business drivers, goals, and overarching strategy.

Great Britain’s electricity system is undergoing an ambitious, exciting and vital transformation. Together with industry, we are creating a cleaner, greener system, one that protects the planet and serves generations to come.
As an External Affairs Manager, it will be your duty to build the reputation that ESO needs to succeed in the short and long term goals. The Regional Public Affairs team is responsible for influencing key stakeholders externally including devolved parliamentarians, councils, lobbying groups, think tanks, trade associations, academics and other regional stakeholders. The team is also responsible for horizon scanning and taking ownership for lines to take/key messages across strategic integrated campaigns and other priority issues.

We are currently looking for three Regional Public Affairs Managers to cover the following regions:

• Scotland
• Wales
• Midlands & East of England

You can be based from any of our ESO offices (in Warwick, Wokingham or Glasgow), but the role will mainly be remote.