Senior External Affairs Manager
Description
- Job grade: Senior Executive Officer
- Contract type: Permanent
- Business area: DWP - Communications
- Type of role: Communications / Marketing, Press Relations
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Number of jobs available: 1
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Department for Work and Pensions is at the heart of the Government’s growth and opportunity agenda. Its work makes a difference to the lives of millions of people, right across the country.
About the role
Working as a Senior External Affairs Manager at the Department is an exciting opportunity that will challenge and develop you as a professional communicator. You will be working on impactful initiatives, helping to shape communications on issues that directly influence communities and everyday lives.
We are looking for a proactive and skilled individual to drive the delivery of high-quality stakeholder engagement across priority policy areas. In this role you will build, develop and maintain effective relationships with a diverse range of key stakeholders, contribute to strategic communications planning, and support senior leaders in their engagement activities.
You will work within a fast-paced environment, responding quickly to changing priorities while maintaining strategic focus. This role requires excellent judgement, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to navigate complex policy landscapes while building trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders.
As part of the wider External Affairs team, you will contribute to an integrated approach to stakeholder management, ensuring consistent messaging and maximising the impact of our engagement activities through all available channels, including digital.
This post will be based in London
If this sounds like the right fit for you, we would love to hear from you!
Job description
The purpose of the External Affairs team is to:
- Develop and manage long lasting two-way relationships with stakeholders, built on a clear understanding of stakeholder needs.
- Facilitate the gathering of stakeholder insight, feeding this into the communications directorate and the wider Department to support the development of better policy. Use this insight to identify and mitigate risks while capitalising on opportunities.
- Deliver exceptional stakeholder communications, partnerships and collaborations to ensure that stakeholders – and through them, our key audiences, understand DWP policies and the Department’s objectives.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Develop and implement comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategies that align with departmental priorities and policy goals.
- Identify influential stakeholders across various sectors, monitoring their positions on key issues, and producing regular reports.
- Manage relationships through direct engagement, event, and tailored communications while building advocacy for government initiatives.
- Create compelling briefing materials, presentations, and stakeholder correspondence for ministers and senior officials.
- Personally, briefing and advising them ministers and senior officials on their engagement activity.
- Coordinate with colleagues across government to ensure a joined-up approach to external engagement.
- Contribute to cross-cutting communications campaigns, ensuring stakeholder perspectives are integrated into planning and delivery to reach the end audience.
- Evaluate the impact of stakeholder engagement activities to demonstrate value and inform future approaches.
In return, we will ensure you are fully supported and can develop your career as a skilled communications professional.
Person specification
Essential Criteria for the Role:
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, external affairs or public relations, with proven ability to build and maintain trusted strategic relationships at all levels.
- Experience in developing and delivering successful external affairs strategies.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Navigating complex policy positions whilst balancing competing priorities within a large multi-layered organisation with a complex landscape and high-level senior interest.
- Experience of managing multiple projects, prioritising competing demands and managing sensitive information.
- Good understanding of strategic communications and stakeholder management principles, including how to leverage our stakeholder’s networks to grow and engage audiences.
- Collaborative working, a proactive team player able to manage colleagues or project teams, with sound problem-solving skills, the ability to interpret complex information and deliver clear and engaging content to the end audience.
- Experience in events and event project management, including planning, supporting and delivering roundtables, receptions and partner events as part of own work or as a team.
Please note – If there are a high number of applications received, an initial sift may be undertaken based on the first three essential criteria listed above.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Insight
- Ideas
- Implementation
- Impact
Benefits
DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
Written Application
The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your CV and Personal Statement and will be assessed against the key criteria within the advert.
Please note – If there are a high number of applications received, an initial sift may be undertaken based on the first three essential criteria listed on slide 5. Candidates who pass the initial sift may progress to a full sift or may go straight to interview
Interview
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview. This will be a face-to-face interview. The interview panel will be a minimum of two people. The interview will assess:
We’ll assess candidates against the following Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours www.gov.uk at SEO level:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working together
- Delivering at Pace
For this professional communications role, you’ll also be tested against the following Government Communications Service (GCS) technical skills at SIO level
- Insight
- Ideas
- Implementation
- Impact
You’ll also be assessed against two Success Profiles: Strengths - GOV.UK relevant to the role. These aren’t defined by grade.
Interview Exercise
Shortlisted candidates will be expected to carry out a short scenario-based exercise at the start of the interview. You do not need to prepare in advance for this. This exercise will be provided with details of an announcement. We will ask them to prepare a brief stakeholder engagement plan for the announcement, and to prepare a short briefing note for a Minister who is due to meet one of the stakeholders.
During the interview, the candidate will then be invited to verbally present the briefing and answer questions on it.
Sift and Interview Dates:
Our anticipated timetable - which may be subject to change - is as follows:
- Shortlisting will take place commencing 22/11/2026
- Interviews will commence W/C 07/12/2026
- Interviews will be held in person. Further details will be provided if you are successful and shortlisted.
- To apply for this post please follow the instructions in this candidate pack or the job advert on Civil Service Jobs.
- Please submit your application no later than 23:55 22nd November 2026
If you’re an existing Civil Servant and want to know more about transferring to another Department, refer to your current department’s guidance on transfers within the Civil Service.
Candidates should not resign from their current job until all appropriate checks have been successfully completed.
If you have questions about the role, DWP or the application process, please contact [email protected]
Further Information
At the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
Find out more about working for DWP on the DWP Careers Hub.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
If you are placed on a reserve list but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:
- If you are later offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a contractual Part Time Working Pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health).
- If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.
Disability Confident Scheme
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.
Reasonable Adjustments
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Integrity, plagiarism and Civil Service Principles
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles.
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words.
Examples of plagiarism can include:
- Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
- Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own
Disclosure and Barring Service and Internal Fraud Database Checks
To process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check will be carried out.
Important
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. If you are a current employee and are successful you must be able to be released from your current post within four weeks.
Those on protected TUPE/ COSoP terms and conditions applying on promotion or voluntary permanent level move will adopt DWP’s Terms and Conditions and this may have a different impact on pay and allowances. Please review this prior to acceptance of a role.
Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing. Accepting a post will be taken to mean acceptance of revised terms & conditions.
Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may, however, be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at the Childcare Choices Website.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Andrew Hamilton
- Email : [email protected]
Recruitment team
- Email : [email protected]
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service mmission.
Attachments
| DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 60kB) |
| Government-Communications-Professional-Competency-Framework (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 5307kB) |
| 488299 Senior External Affairs Manager CP Opens in new window (pdf, 760kB) |
| Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB) |
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