External Affairs Officer

Overall purpose of the role •Reporting to the Senior External Affairs Manager, this role will: •A key delivery role within the team’s political engagement activity — keeping Westminster and Whitehall relationships running smoothly and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks •Support the development of PA campaigns and engagement activity with key government and political stakeholders •Coordinate and manage diary scheduling for political meetings, liaising directly with MPs’ and Peers’ offices and ministerial private offices — preparing briefing notes ahead of meetings and writing up follow-up notes and action logs •Lead on developing party conference planning and logistics •Map, develop and deliver engagement plans and sustain positive relationships with a wide range of external stakeholders across Westminster, Whitehall, think tanks and NGOs to effectively shape the energy and climate change policy environment •Monitor parliamentary activity — including Hansard, select committee inquiries, EDMs, written questions, and consultations — and produce regular political intelligence updates for internal audiences •Identify potential changes and emerging trends in the national policy and public affairs landscape that may impact on company operations, reputation or performance, and update internal stakeholders promptly •Support the whole organisation to ensure consistency of the organisation’s voice to external stakeholders •Support the development of briefing materials and logistics for members of the SGN Executive team ahead of meetings and engagements with political and industry stakeholders •Maintain and update the team’s stakeholder SRM and engagement tracker, and develop stakeholder maps across Westminster, Whitehall, think tanks and NGOs •Attend and lead meetings with backbench MPs, parliamentary researchers, and political contacts directly, building the company’s profile at this level, while supporting more senior colleagues on higher-level engagements •Support the development of PA campaigns and engagement activity with key government and political stakeholders Expertise •Around 2–4 years’ experience in a public affairs role — whether in-house, agency, trade association, or a political office such as an MP’s or Peer’s office, a SpAd office, or similar •Strong understanding of UK political and government processes, parliamentary procedure, the legislative cycle, and how policy decisions flow between departments •Existing contacts or relationships in Westminster, even at a junior level — researchers, office managers, or stakeholder teams •Familiarity with key government departments relevant to the energy and infrastructure sector, including DESNZ, DBT, HM Treasury, and MHCLG is desirable. •Previous experience coordinating political meetings, managing diaries, and handling logistics in a professional context •Comfortable working in a support function and confident operating independently on day-to-day tasks; a team player who understands that enabling others to do great work is as important as doing it yourself •An ability to develop impactful networks internally and externally, building trusted relationships in a systematic way •An excellent communicator who can understand what’s going on behind the headlines and translate complex policy debates into plain English for non-specialist audiences •Understanding of public policy issues, how they’re changing, and how they will impact SGN — experience in energy, climate change, or infrastructure policy is desirable but not essential