Public Affairs Officer - Affinity Water

£30,000 - £40,000 • Affinity Water • Hatfield

Are you passionate about politics and current affairs? Do you have a keen understanding of the UK political system? Affinity Water is seeking a dynamic and proactive Public Affairs Officer to join our team and help shape our public policy strategies.

About us

Affinity Water is the UK’s largest water-only supplier, providing sustainable, high-quality water to 3.9 million customers across the Southeast of England. We are on a mission to redefine the way water companies connect with their customers and communities, and to make better use of water and safeguard the local environment now and in the future.

Our public affairs objectives are to influence the national debate on water security policy and help to influence the new government to take action in this area. We are looking to develop a distinct positioning for Affinity Water as an innovator in the management of water resources and a provider of original and compelling policy ideas.

About the Role:

As our Public Affairs Officer, you will play a critical role in monitoring and influencing public affairs, regulatory, and parliamentary activities. Your responsibilities will include:

• Intelligence Gathering: Monitor and report on public affairs, regulatory, and parliamentary activities, maintaining our team’s forward-looking perspective.
• Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify and pursue opportunities to promote Affinity Water’s key policy messages through panel discussions, events, and conferences.
• Risk Management: Help identify potential risks to Affinity Water’s reputation and work to mitigate these risks from internal or external sources.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Coordinate and enhance our stakeholder engagement program, building and maintaining relationships with parliamentarians, civil servants, environmental NGOs, and think tanks.
• Research & Policy Development: Research and capture relevant information on NGOs, think tanks, and academic work to support our policy objectives. Assist in drafting policy positions and papers.
• Internal Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams to manage regulatory and operational risks impacting our reputation.
• Communication Support: Draft topical updates and briefings for stakeholders, and support consultation responses.
• Administrative Support: Provide ad hoc administrative support to the public affairs team.
• Standby Duty: Participate in the team’s standby duty roster for out-of-hours incidents.

What We’re Looking For:

Essential Criteria:

• Passion for Politics: A strong passion for politics and current affairs with a solid understanding of the UK political system.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence and engage effectively.
• Organisational Skills: Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail.

Desirable Criteria:

• Public Affairs Experience: Understanding or experience of public affairs strategies in a public service provider setting.
• Policy Analysis: Ability to understand and analyse government policy to assess its impact on Affinity Water.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Experience dealing with government, parliamentarians, and NGOs.
• Environmental & Regulatory Policy: Background knowledge in environmental and regulatory policy.
• Teamwork: Ability to work flexibly as part of a small team and identify reputational impact issues.

Benefits for the Public Affairs Officer

• Salary: (dependent on skills and experience).
• Hybrid role, with the expectation of a minimum two days a week in the office.
• Hours of work per week: 37
• Learning and development opportunities, including mentoring and a range of formal courses and open learning resources.
• Entry into the company annual bonus scheme.
• Annual leave from 24 days rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
• A ‘Celebration Day’ in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.
• A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%)
• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.
• Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.
• Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.
• Discounts at a Range of Retail Outlets and on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme.
• Up to 4 Affinity days a year to volunteer in the community.
• Life Assurance.

• Disability Confident

• Interview Process
• 1^st Stage interview MS Teams
• 2^nd Stage interview – Head Office
• If you need any reasonable adjustments and would like to apply in a different format, please do let us know.

Affinity Water recognises the benefits of greater diversity in our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We are committed to building a more inclusive culture where every member of our workforce can thrive.

You can find out what it’s like to work at Affinity Water through our career site https://www.affinitywatercareers.co.uk/ where our colleagues share their career development stories and you can get a feel for our company culture.