Countryside Stakeholder Engagement Officer

This role has a starting salary of £38,746 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. This is a 12-month fixed term contract opportunity.

We're on the lookout for a confident and positive individual to join us as our Countryside Stakeholder Engagement Officer. This role provides an exciting opportunity to work with people from a range of backgrounds including community groups, charities and a range of other services across Surrey County Council.

The role works flexibly through a mix of office, site, and home-based working with an expectation to attend our countryside base in Merrow (Guildford) at least 2 days a week. To support work with partners and other stakeholders you will be required to attend meetings around the County, therefore you will need to have the willingness and ability to travel around the county to meet the demands of the role.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• A chance to make a positive impact in areas such the climate change agenda, biodiversity and improving the wellbeing of communities around Surrey
• Growth of new skills and knowledge to support your professional development
• Diverse, dynamic, and exciting environment

About the Team

The Visitor Services team are dedicated to ensuring residents and visitors have a great experience across Surrey's Countryside Estate, from finding information before they arrive to the memories they keep long after they've left. The team covers a broad spectrum of areas including communications and engagement, activities, events and even filming.

We want to help people engage with, appreciate and care for the countryside as much as we do, so that it can be enjoyed and protected by future generations.

About the Role

The Countryside Stakeholder Engagement Officer will act as a visible point of contact for the public and our partners, presenting the Council in a positive and approachable way. They will coordinate responses to queries, drive engagement with countryside initiatives, cascade communications and work to gain broader representation beyond traditional audiences. This post will line manage the Countryside Liaison Officer, with both roles offering cover for each other as necessary.

In addition to working with some of our established forums and partnership groups, this role will also focus on proactively reaching out to community leaders to co-design new partnership projects that support our objectives and give residents a feeling of civic pride and custodianship of the countryside.

People can be very passionate about countryside issues, and not everyone will share the same point of view. The successful candidate will use their positive attitude and problem-solving skills to find solutions to problems, manage expectations and reach workable compromises. Understanding the people we want to reach aren't always available during traditional working hours, there may be a need for some occasional evening and weekend work.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, displaying empathy, influence and tact, with the ability to tailor your approach to the audience you are working with.
• A track record of working with a range of partners who have different interests, creating outcomes that work for everyone involved
• Well organised with strong project management skills, and a team player with a 'can do' attitude who is able to use their initiative to progress projects
• An understanding that things don't always go to plan, you won't get flustered under pressure but will use your problem solving and conflict resolution skills to find a way forward
• Ability to display an understanding and knowledge of countryside issues

As part of the application process, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• Tell us about a time you used your stakeholder management skills to overcome a significant problem and what you learned from the experience.
• Tell us about the project or programme you have delivered which you are most proud of.
• Describe the qualities you possess that makes your application for this role stand out above other applicants.

Answers to these questions will be scored and used for shortlisting purposes. The full role profile can be found at the bottom of the advert; please refer to this when writing your answers.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 19/05/2024 with interviews planned for 03.06.2024.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.