Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager

Circa £82,000 per annum depending on skills and experience

Location: Hybrid, some travel within Anglian Water Region

Permanent

Delivering for Communities. Leading for Tomorrow.

Anglian Water’s purpose — to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve through our commitment to Love Every Drop — underpins everything we do. Enshrined in our Articles of Association, this commitment ensures we balance the needs of customers, communities, regulators and the environment in delivering long-term sustainable value. As expectations increase around environmental performance, infrastructure resilience and community engagement, effective stakeholder leadership has never been more critical.

During AMP8, Anglian Water will deliver an unprecedented £11bn capital investment programme through our delivery partners and alliances — one of the largest infrastructure programmes in the region’s history.

Within this portfolio, three nationally significant schemes — the UK’s first water re-use scheme in Colchester and two new desalination plants in Lincolnshire and Norfolk — represent strategically critical investments attracting substantial public, political and regulatory scrutiny.

The Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager will lead, own and assure the statutory stakeholder engagement strategy required to secure Development Consent Orders (DCOs) and Town & Country Planning Act (TCPA) consents, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), across these programmes. The role carries accountability for protecting and enhancing Anglian Water’s reputation while enabling successful planning outcomes.

Positioned within the Corporate Affairs Directorate and embedded within the Programme Management business unit, the postholder will operate at the heart of a complex matrix environment. They will provide senior strategic counsel to Programme leadership, working seamlessly across capital delivery partners, internal functions, statutory consultees, regulators, local authorities and community stakeholders.

Leading a high-performing team of seven, the role will set the engagement vision and standards across projects at varying lifecycle stages, ensuring tailored strategies are delivered at pace and aligned to regulatory requirements, programme milestones and corporate objectives.

What does it take to be Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager?

· Degree qualified (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline with significant experience leading stakeholder strategy on major infrastructure projects, including DCO and Town & Country Planning

· Proven track record delivering programme-level stakeholder and public affairs strategies across complex, high-value schemes

· Experienced advisor to Programme Boards and senior leadership on stakeholder risk, political dynamics and reputational management

· Strong background engaging senior political stakeholders (MPs, councillors, regulators and regional leaders)

· Demonstrated leadership of high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams within matrix organisations

· Accountable for managing reputational risk in politically sensitive environments, including crisis and issues management

· Expertise in consultation strategy, statutory engagement and examination phases for nationally significant infrastructure projects

· Strong understanding of regional political, regulatory and socio-economic landscapes

· Experience managing budgets for stakeholder engagement or communications programmes

· Well-networked with the ability to navigate complex regional dynamics and apply insight to future challenges

Skills & Capabilities

· Ability to translate complex engineering and regulatory issues into clear, compelling narratives

· Advanced influencing and negotiation skills at executive and political level

· Confident public speaker in high-profile and potentially contentious settings

· Strong project governance and programme management capability

· Excellent analytical judgement in assessing stakeholder risk and sentiment

· High-quality written communication skills across briefings, consultation materials and executive reporting

· Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint)

As a valued employee, you’ll be entitled to:

• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing with length of service)

• Flexible working options

• Private health care

• Competitive pension scheme – Anglian Water double-matches contributions up to 6%

• Life assurance at eight times your salary

• Annual bonus

• Potential funded car allowance depending on evidenced business mileage

• Personal medical assessments

• Virtual GP service

• Cancer screening

• Financial wellbeing support and salary finance benefits

• Lifestyle savings including discounts on retail, travel and utilities

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Volunteer days

Inclusion at Anglian Water

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We are proud signatories of the Social Mobility Pledge, Race at Work Charter and Armed Forces Covenant, and we’re a Disability Confident employer.

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