Engagement Officer

Salary: £34,750
Grade: Band 2

Contract type: TfL

Reference: 1325

Contract details: Secondment / Fixed Term Contract for 18 months

Location: Palestra / Hybrid

Application closing date: 4 June 2025 at 23:59

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

Overview of project/role

To be accountable for day-to-day communications and engagement with representatives of the London boroughs, resident and neighbour groups, and other community stakeholders. The post-holder will assist the Senior and Local Engagement Managers and/or Consultation Manager (Portfolio) in providing the business with a single view of our stakeholders, improving TfL’s approach to policy, projects and initiatives, and protecting TfL and the Mayor’s reputation.

Key Accountabilities

• Executing integrated engagement strategies targeting specific stakeholder audiences, in accordance with risk profile, ensuring TfL's reputation and high ethical standards are maintained and enhanced, and supporting team and business objectives
• Building and maintaining strong, credible and meaningful relationships with assigned stakeholders on a continual basis, to provide deep and well-substantiated insight and analysis of core stakeholders’ agendas to support our strategic relationship-building on project and operational issues
• Carrying out specific engagement and consultation campaigns, effectively targeting our key stakeholders, leading to positive outcomes on TfL’s priorities
• Collaborating internally to engage with targeted stakeholders on key integrated TfL projects and consultations, successfully managing stakeholders’ and public responses, particularly those affected or interested, to negotiate issues, achieve mutual outcomes, gain understanding and generate advocacy
• Gaining regular feedback from key external audiences, and sharing relevant intelligence and information with the Senior and Local Engagement Manager, Consultation Manager (Portfolio), Head of Local Communities and Partnerships and colleagues across the business, and challenging our internal processes and policies when appropriate
• Conducting effective external consultations and engagement (of appropriate scale and complexity) with key stakeholders on policy proposals, projects and transport service changes, ensuring the public and political perceptions of TfL are enhanced
• Production of high quality written briefings, speeches and correspondence, often to short deadlines, for the Commissioner and other senior internal colleagues, maintaining TfL and the Mayor’s reputation
• Production of high quality consultation and engagement plans, materials and reports for TfL's public consultation, ensuring the public have accurate and useful information on our projects

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Skills

• Strong influencing, networking and relationship-building skills - essential
• Demonstrable ability to collaborate across levels and teams within the organisation to achieve effective stakeholder and TfL outcomes - essential
• Strong analytical ability - desirable
• Ability to turn complex technical information into concise and coherent communications for different audiences, working to tight deadlines - essential
• Self-motivated and able to take own initiative to resolve issue – essential
• Strong organisational skills - essential

Knowledge

• Educated to at least degree level, or with equivalent relevant qualification or suitable experience - desirable
• Strong working knowledge of external affairs engagement and consultation approaches - desirable
• Good understanding of the governance structures and legislative environment in which TfL operates: local, regional and national - desirable
• Good knowledge of relevant policies, and the policy and political environment related to the core stakeholder audience - essential
• Sound understanding of the strategic issues and needs of London - desirable
• A good understanding of the relationship between the Media, political decision makers and our key influential stakeholders - desirable
• Knowledge of effective stakeholder database use - essential
• Knowledge of the Gunning principles and current consultation and engagement good practice, or an understanding that this knowledge will need to be acquired - essential

Experience

• Good experience of strategic stakeholder engagement, ideally with borough or community stakeholders - essential
• Experience in engaging external audiences and institutions to secure third party advocacy and obtain consent - essential
• Experienced in working in a mainstream public affairs environment, or as part of an integrated communications team - desirable

Application Process 

Please apply using your CV and a one-page covering letter

Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV and cover letter

PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. 
 
Benefits

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow.  Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:

• Final salary pension scheme 
• Free travel for you on the TfL network 
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28-day flexi ticket
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional) 
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers 
• Discounted Eurostar travel