Community Consultation & Stakeholder Engagement
Project Lead
The Role
We are recruiting for an experienced community consultation and stakeholder engagement professional to lead a number of high profile projects, mostly London-based. Working in a fast paced environment, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of consultation and engagement strategies for a wide range of projects including masterplanning, housing regeneration and social value.
This is a client-facing, leadership role, supporting the Directors and working closely with other project leaders across the business. You will lead client liaison, project management and also manage small project teams. The post holder will be responsible for delivering high quality projects to time, scope and budget.
This role also has an internally focused function, forming part of the Senior Management Team. The SMT oversee wider business functions, aiming to continually improve and develop our services and operations.
Responsibilities
- Provide team-leadership, planning and strategic oversight on the end to end delivery of consultation and engagement strategies on large scale urban change and rural projects;
- Work closely with the client, the design team and, where required, key public and private sector stakeholders and partners such as land-owners, major local employers, infrastructure delivery agencies and councils;
- Be closely involved in the production and delivery of critical documents such as fee projections, public facing media, exhibitions, Statements of Community Involvement and detailed consultation reports;
- Lead or provide strategic input into project communications and public relations, working closely with the client team or other appointed consultants;
- Resource, budget and provide pipeline management across the portfolio;
- Work closely with the directorship to inform business development; and
- Oversee the day to day management of team members in the development of consultation strategies, events and communications – seeking innovative and effective approaches.
Knowledge & skills
- Educated to degree level, or above, in an industry- related field including planning, architecture, urban design, urbanism, strategic communications in relation to urban development;
- Minimum of four years’ experience (depending on context) in a similar role within the industry with proven experience of delivering consultation processes from end to end. Creative forms of engagement are particularly relevant;
- A thorough understanding of the sector and role of engagement in delivering sustainable communities;
- Knowledge of the UK planning process and development industry;
- Experience of embedding social value and of carrying out impact assessments is advantageous as is knowledge of digital engagement tools and prior experience in such a line of work; and
- It is essential to have strong Adobe Creative suite and Microsoft Office skills.
Qualities
- Strong team leadership and management is essential. This includes strategic foresight and planning;
- We are also looking for a reliable self-starter who is comfortable responding to changing project needs and managing tight deadlines;
- Strong interpersonal skills with the sensitivity to manage challenging conversations at all levels; • Proven ability to structure, chair and facilitate meetings with important individuals, stakeholders, councillors, officers and the public
- High attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to deliver and coordinate delivery under pressure;
- Excellent oral communication and report writing skills.
What We Offer
- £40,000-£49,000
- 25 days holiday
- Medical Insurance and Health Cash Plan
- Life Assurance Scheme
- Hybrid Working Policy
- Friendly, Collaborative Team
How To Apply
Please email your CV and Cover Letter to recruitment@soundingsoffice.com by Friday 17th June. Only successful candidates will be contacted and interviews will commence week starting Monday 20th June.
