External Relations Manager

We're looking for talented people to join the Metropolitan Police team that manages our political and stakeholder engagement.

Our external relations managers are critical to establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and have the scope and support to increase understanding of how the Met is changing to deliver its priorities of More Trust, Less Crime, High Standards and influence advocacy and support for the Met.

These are exciting, fascinating, fast paced, and high-profile external relations roles with huge diversity of stakeholders, responsible for issues that matter deeply to the public and with the opportunity to have a real impact on the trust and confidence of stakeholders and the public.

Under the oversight of a senior manager, you will support the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and the wider Chief Officer group in their interactions with senior Government figures, the Mayor's Office and MOPAC, London MPs and, on the international side, advising on their engagements with senior foreign visitors to the UK. You will also replicate this approach across the third sector, key community groups and business.

You will play a key role in helping us tell our reform journey in different ways whether that's by setting up a roundtable event, hosting a reception, or bring guests up close with our specialist capabilities. Creativity will be key as will the ability to operate in a fast-paced environment and manage a high level of demand.

You will own relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders including City Hall and the Home Office, the London Assembly and Parliament, international policing, London partners (e.g. TfL, LAS and BTP), businesses and the third sector.

We are recruiting for three roles - two of these will be focused on political stakeholders and the third will be focused on the Met's wider relationships with other stakeholders. To provide resilience role holders will flex outside of their immediate portfolio when needed, including supporting the delivery of our visits and events schedule.

The key responsibilities for the role are:

• You will directly support Chief Officers ensuring they are prepared and confident to lead engagement. You will also lead on aspects of our scrutiny arrangements ensuring the Met approaches these in line with our values and guiding principles e.g. management of Mayor's Questions.


• Undertake regular stakeholder mapping which is informed by an understanding of influence and impact and deliver engagement that meets the Met's objectives.


• Manage a range of issues and seek to spot opportunities to increase our proactive work to ensure we are forward leaning and prioritising inquiries and responses to reactive activity including rebutting inaccurate or misinformed commentary.


• Spotting risk, escalating as appropriate and putting in place mitigations and sensitive handling of sometimes contentious and complex issues that are in the public spotlight.


• Represent communications with officers and staff, including strategic meetings overseeing significant incidents and long running issues, to provide the highest quality communications advice.


• Support delivery of a proactive programme of MP, Assembly Members, and senior officials' visits to the Met including from international policing partners.


• Excellent submissions, itineraries, and briefings; and production of high-quality written correspondence and answers to Mayor's Questions and the alike.


• Development and execution of single-issue stakeholder plans informed by mapping.


• Successfully resolution of case-work issues received from Members of Parliament and Assembly Members.


• Lead others, monitoring performance and provide extra support where necessary to increase capability and confidence to ensure delivery.


• Strong coordination with colleagues across the Communications and Engagement Directorate and support the strategic planning of communication activity across disciplines, developing and delivering three month plans on your portfolio and priorities, and providing clear and concise communication advice.


• High ethical and professional standards that align to the values and principles set out in A New Met for London.
  
  You may be expected to work at other Met buildings across London as part of a blended working agreement. There are also some opportunities for remote working when appropriate.


You will be part of working a weekend rota (approximately one weekend in five) with premium pay for weekends and time off in lieu and may be required to provide other out of hours cover with appropriate notice. You will also be part of an on-call rota.

Benefits Package

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of almost 29%.


• Up to 33 days of annual leave in addition to public holidays.


• Access to employee benefits, such as dental, cycle to work and savings when you shop.


• Learning and development tailored to your role.


• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance.


• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.


• Generous maternity, paternity, and parental leave.


• Interest free Season Ticket Loan.