Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor

Transcription

1 Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Created: 24 August 2017 Group: Customer Strategy & Regulation Position number: TBA Job family: Strategy and Governance Hours worked per week: As required Manager s title: Communications Business Partner Manager once Removed s title: Head of Communications & Public Affairs Status of PD: Final Work location: Parramatta Does the employee need to drive a vehicle as part of the role? Yes Does the employee have to provide a car for work purposes (budgeted in their TRP?) No Number of direct reports: 0 Number of indirect reports: Up to 5 Level of Role Staff or Specialist Evaluated grade: ICE 1 Section 1: Purpose and context Purpose of the Position Develop and deliver internal and external stakeholder communication and engagement plans, to protect and promote reputation, identify issues and deliver strategic advice and early planning for the allocated portfolio. Partner with the business to identify and deliver major divisional/ corporate level communication, engagement and stakeholder issues management plans that support, contribute to and are aligned with Sydney Water s strategy. 1 Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 1 of 9

2 The structural context for the position What are the direct and indirect (dotted line or staff-once-removed) reports to the position? No direct reports Up to 5 indirect reports (contractors) Section 2: Key accountabilities and outcomes/tasks Leadership expectations Mentoring and coaching junior staff through their personal and professional development. Manage contractors, including monitoring and reviewing their work to ensure compliance with Sydney Water policies and procedures. Effectively distribute and assign work tasks to others. Lead certain projects and ensure they are effectively and efficiently completed. Role model the Sydney Water values and safety behaviours, as leaders in the Communications and Government Relations team. Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 2 of 9

3 Technical accountabilities Technical Accountabilities: Lead the development, delivery and implementation of communication and engagement strategies to promote the brand, protect reputation, manage issues and deliver successful programs. Deliver corporate communication and stakeholder plans that contribute and align to Sydney Water s strategy and business plans. Deliver group communication strategies for major projects, identifying opportunities and risks early, developing and implementing messaging, Q&As and engagement plans with appropriate measures of success. Partner with and influence portfolio specific Managers, and the relevant General Managers to adopt sound community and stakeholder engagement approaches on major projects. Coach and develop staff, contractors and project managers on managing and building effective community & stakeholder relations through formal and on the job training. Ensure they follow approach policies and guidelines. Provide advice and help deliver portfolio specific communications for future employee initiatives. Build and maintain effective and influential relationships with community and external stakeholders Develop a solid understanding of the business and build trusted internal relationships that support the delivery of highly effective strategic communication and engagement outcomes. Provide input into Sydney Water s responses to major issues, working closely with the Communications and Government Relations team in the provision of strategic communication and engagement advice to the leaders of the business. Provide input into reports including community engagement, issues status, and evaluate and report on internal communication deliverables and channels. Provide input into the group employee engagement and communications plan that addresses organisational objectives for the various audience segments (leadership, office and field staff, contractors). This strategy will be informed by the results of culture survey and ongoing employee and communication surveys. Ongoing analysis of communication and engagement channels to identify improvement needs and opportunities. Provide input into policy, guidelines and strategies for community & stakeholder engagement. Provide expert advice on community & stakeholder relations for board papers, business cases, stakeholder briefings, tender documents and environmental assessment / legislative documents. Represent Sydney Water on external committees and facilitate difficult and potentially hostile community and stakeholder meetings. Develop and deliver meaningful metrics to evaluate all communication deliverables and channels. Provide advice and planning to business partners in all divisions for best practice employee engagement and communication that drives performance and business results. Research and implement best practice approaches and methods to communication and engagement, that takes into account new technologies, employee beliefs, attitudes and preferences. Support the business to deliver communication activities to the group, including staff road shows, briefings, speeches, presentations, and other communication requirements. Supervisor VARI of the Communication Advisors Technical Accountabilities Specifics: Liveable City Solutions: Meet with customers and stakeholders to discuss projects, arrange access and agree restoration (i.e. home plans). Review material prepared by private sector community relations resources and conduct audits to ensure they Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 3 of 9

4 meet requirements. Civil Delivery: Meet with customers and stakeholders to discuss projects, arrange access and agree restoration (i.e. home plans). Review material prepared by private sector community relations resources and conduct audits to ensure they meet requirements. Corporate: Social media and internal channels management. Contract management. Management of the Lifestream Awards and other staff events. Programming Accountabilities Auditing performance of contractors. Systems accountabilities No system accountabilities for this role. Process accountabilities Develop and oversee a content approvals process, ensuring sign-off by relevant internal stakeholders for stakeholder communications and engagement plans, messaging, Q&As, fact sheets, publications and video/online content. Internal working relationships Provision of trusted, timely and credible strategic advice and counsel to the GM, Level 3 and 4 Managers, and all relevant staff that supports the positioning and direction of Sydney Water. Ensure a collaborative approach to communications and community engagement by developing avenues for dialogue, tapping into knowledge and intelligent and seeking views across Sydney Water and externally. Ensure the development and implementation of communication policies, programs and system and monitor their effectiveness. Work closely and collaboratively with other teams within Communications and Government Relations. Work with the Resource and Reporting Officer to ensure reporting requirements and responses to stakeholder enquiries, are met in timely manner. Customers (external) Communication/events contractors and external facilitators. Working closely with the community across Sydney Water s area, including maintaining relationships with key community groups, stakeholders across government, non-government agencies, local authorities and media. Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 4 of 9

5 Impact of position Contribution Spectrum 2 Strategic This position has broad impact and requires capabilities across relationship management, stakeholder and community engagement, business collaboration, advisory skills, writing skills, presentation skills, negotiation and influencing skills, project management and event management, issues management, content marketing and storytelling, contract management and complaints management. Specifically, the role identifies issues and delivers strategic communication/engagement advice, ensuring early planning. Financial No budget allocation. Innovation and Complexity Innovation Make major improvements or changes to ways of working The role is responsible for developing and delivering tailored business communications and engagement initiatives to protect and promote Sydney Water s reputation. There will be a strong need to develop and lead Sydney Water employee engagement and communication strategy working with the business to implement these activities across the stakeholder group to deliver a significant new approach to providing support in the organisation. Safety Ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Sydney Water employees and contractors working within the unit, to implement actions from personal safety action plans and to demonstrate visible safety leadership. Regular audits of contractors and sites to ensure compliance with Sydney Water policies and procedures. Develop and ensure compliance with safety procedures on all projects. Section 3: Knowledge/skills/experience Formal Qualifications: Degree qualifications in communications, public policy, business, journalism/marketing or any related field. Skills: A strong team player with proven ability to collaborate with others to achieve goals. 3 2 Delivery deliver own output by following set procedures, or according to operational targets Operational Set and achieve objectives which has an impact on others Tactical Provide input into or develop new products or processes Strategic Establish and implement business strategies with a longer-term focus Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 5 of 9

6 Highly developed written and verbal communication skills including strong corporate and policy communication skills. Strategic thinker with proven planning, influencing, negotiation and facilitation skills. Strong capability in assessing reputational issues and risks to the business and developing sound crisis management tactics. Strong project management skills in a collaborative environment and is highly capable of leading a number of project teams to address cross-divisional issues. Ability to manage and prioritise projects and working to tight deadlines, across multiple stakeholders. Excellent customer relationship and interpersonal skills - develops rapport and credibility with business partners. Creative thinker with demonstrated ability to develop strong and trusted relationships and influence key stakeholders (internal and external). Understanding of consultation principles and tools, particularly in the context of corporate/government communication channels. Strong news sense and ability to think outside the square and identify opportunities to promote business successes and achievements. Understanding of digital and emerging communications and engagement techniques. Has a strategic approach to business with advanced skills in co-creating and implementing Communications and Government Relations strategies and plans that add value and support business objectives. Experienced in operating in a matrix environment with the flexibility to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines. Works well under pressure and is flexible and adaptable to respond to unplanned and unexpected events and issues/crisis. The ability to develop argumentation and identify internal and external experts to support the organisation's position. Ability to effectively communicate with technical personnel and converse intelligently on technical and complex policy and regulatory and financial issues. Distils complex concepts and information into accurate, concise and simple messages that are easily understood and meaningful. Uses active listening techniques to identify highest impact opportunities for communications. Experience: A minimum 10 years experience working as a senior communications, community relations or corporate affairs advisor in a major corporation, government department or agency environment. Strong business acumen with the capacity to liaise and work with senior management and other Communications and Government Relations team members to determine positions on public policy issues, both proactive and reactive. Capable of leading and advising others in stakeholder engagement and or management. Builds constructive and effective relationships to develop a deep understanding of business needs and objectives to tie communications work directly to desired business outcomes. Understanding of the Australian/Sydney media (traditional, online, electronic), preferably with journalism, media, public policy and or government experience. Demonstrated ability in design, delivery and implementation of proactive communication and engagement plans. Experienced in leading crisis communication and emergency management communications supporting multiple stakeholders. Additional notes: Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 6 of 9

7 Additional Knowledge and Skills (Desirable): Ability to understand and communicate complex business, legal, regulatory and technical issues clearly and accurately as it relates to the employee population. Ability to develop and implement strategies and plans in a complex organisation (reputation management, culture and behavioural change, business and industrial reform). Ability to influence senior leadership and partner with them to achieve corporate priorities. Infrastructure or utility experience is highly advantageous. International Associate for Public Participation Certificate. Physical Location: Office Based with some duties in the field. Sydney Water expects all staff to do other projects and perform additional duties as required. Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 7 of 9

8 Appendix Appendix People management accountabilities Manager once Removed accountabilities Ensure consistency across the business unit and integrate the work of teams Provide subordinates once removed with someone to talk to if they feel they are not being treated fairly by their manager or if they want to appeal a decision made by their manager Ensure the quality of management for subordinates once removed Answer the question about future of the subordinates once removed by making a clear judgment of potential and providing feedback Build capability for future roles Plus manager and planning accountabilities below Manager accountabilities Provide leadership to direct reports Ensure direct reports fully understand my role (as a manager), accountabilities and authorities Build and maintain a strong, two way, trusting working relationship with my staff based on achieving the business goals and enabling subordinates to work to their fullest potential Ensure my direct reports can answer key questions of: o o o Where are we going? What is their work? How their performance will be assessed? Set clear tasks by explaining the background to the work (context), the purpose, how much is required and to what quality, the resources available and the time Make accountabilities and authorities clear and ensure subordinates have the financial, people, and physical authorities needed to be able to achieve their work Set effective baseline conditions for productive work by completing important people management processes of selection, induction, contribution assessment and provide development for the position so staff can complete tasks effectively Ensure the team works in a way that each team member actively contributes to the decisions made and moves in a set direction with commitment Communicate with direct reports, in person about, change wherever possible Quickly address discomfort or tension so problems are resolved before they develop into conflict Lead culture change within your team Role model corporate behaviours and ethics Guide and support direct reports, so they are focused and connected to the Safe and Well Together vision and strategy Positively encourage and coach direct reports with respect to their Safe and Well Together visible Leadership behaviours Ensure accountability for Health, Safety and Wellbeing leadership is demonstrated through personal safety action plans Demonstrate commitment to being Safe & Well Together in meetings such as sharing lessons learned and Safety moments Participate in health, safety and wellbeing activities such as wellbeing support activities, Incident investigations, safety meetings, safety inductions and safety training. Plus planning accountabilities below Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 8 of 9

9 Planning accountabilities Appendix Ensure systems of work and processes are effective, that the structure of the team supports the work to be done and that work is aligned across members of my team Develop team business plans and ensuring effective execution of those plans Ensure work occurs at the right level and outcomes are delivered to the agreed requirements. Integrate work across team/s Apply Sydney Water policies and procedures consistently and fairly Communicate what is required for the business and why. Signature behaviours All staff are accountable for demonstrating Sydney Water s signature behaviours of: Focus on solutions (Positive attitude, change ready, improvement and insight) Stand up and contribute (Participation, collaboration, courage and respect) Do what you say (Honesty, integrity, transparency and trust) Support and Encourage (Encouragement, communication, empathy and cooperation) Own the outcome (Ownership, accountability, results and accomplishment) Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor Page 9 of 9