Senior External Affairs Advisor

British Transport Police; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A national police force for the rail network is seeking a Senior External Affairs Advisor to enhance engagement with stakeholders in the rail industry and government. The role involves managing a team, producing briefings for meetings, and providing support in the stakeholder matrix. The ideal candidate should have a degree, experience in government relations, and exceptional communication skills. This permanent position offers a competitive salary along with generous benefits including annual leave and a solid pension scheme.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Salary sacrifice options for cycles and technology

Access to development opportunities including apprenticeships

Qualifications

• Experience of working with stakeholders in the rail industry or political environment.
• Ability to build relationships with colleagues at all levels of seniority.
• Experience of advising colleagues through projects to achieve specific objectives.

Responsibilities

• Support engagement with key stakeholders in the rail industry and government.
• Line manage External Affairs Advisors and act as escalation point.
• Lead the implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.

Skills

Government and stakeholder relations

Strong organisational skills

Verbal and written communication

Influencing and engagement

Education

Degree educated or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

# Senior External Affairs Advisor## Job Introduction**Salary:** £43,427.51 per annum, plus 10% On Call Allowance, London Allowance of £4613.61 payable to London based employees. **Contract Type**: Permanent**Location:**This role can be based at any one of our hubs in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester or Glasgow**Type of Working Arrangement**: Blended approach of home and office-working is available**Hours**: 37 hours per week **British Transport Police (BTP)** is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.**The Opportunity**:British Transport Police have an excellent opportunity for a **Senior External Affairs Advisor** to join the Communications Team. As a **Senior External Affairs Advisor** with BTP, you will provide direct support to the External Affairs Lead in enhancing engagement with the rail industry, UK and devolved Governments, and other key stakeholders. The Senior External Affairs Advisor will play a central role in helping build collaborative and strong partnerships between BTP and its stakeholders, manage and review the stakeholder engagement plan, brief Chief Officers and senior management ahead of stakeholder meetings, and identify trends and risks across the stakeholder matrix.As Senior External Affairs Advisor you will also act as the first escalation point for the External Affairs Advisors, providing advice and guidance and signing off lines.Participating in the 24/7 on-call rota, the Senior External Affairs advisor needs to be able to confidently respond to incidents and enquiries out of hours. This involves quickly researching information and making decisions, and being accountable for those decisions, on responses to a wide range of often complex issues and critical incidents.**What you'll be doing:** * Support the External Affairs Lead in delivering effective engagement building positive working relationships and advocacy with key stakeholders across the rail industry and political arena* Line manage the External Affairs Advisors and act as an escalation point for Government/Industry issues, deputising for the External Affairs Lead when necessary.* Build and maintain new relationships as key stakeholders change and new stakeholders emerge in the operating environment.* Lead on the implementation of the Force’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan ensuring that it is regularly reviewed, developed and updated.* Produce clear and concise briefings, responses to reports, correspondence and presentations for stakeholder meetings, events and speaking appearances, and responses to requests for information for senior officers, including the Chief Officer group.**What you'll bring to the team**: * Degree educated or equivalent* Experience of working in Government and/or stakeholder relations and providing support to colleagues who engage with a range of stakeholders (rail industry / political environment would be an advantage)* Experience of working with stakeholders (rail industry / political environment would be an advantage)* Experience of developing and delivering plans to engage with external stakeholders.* Experience of advising colleagues, either through direct line management or by leading them through projects or campaigns to deliver specific objectives.* Experience of supervising the work of others* Demonstrable ability to deal with colleagues at all levels of seniority, building relationships of trust* Demonstrable passion for communications, and a track record of being creative and imaginative in finding new ways to engage audiences* Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise work, deliver to tight deadlines, respond to changing situations and use personal initiative.* Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and identify, develop and maintain a strong network with those stakeholders* The confidence and gravitas to offer advice to senior management and other members of the Force and Authority – including the ability to challenge decisions when in the force’s best interests.* The ability to act, particularly out of hours, without having to seek advice each time, on breaking incidents and incoming media queries.* Proven influencing, engagement and stakeholder management skills* Flexibility to deal with ambiguity and a fast-moving environment* Excellent verbal and written communication skills* Intermediate level Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel**What we offer:*** 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.* Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.* Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.* Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.* Interest-free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months.* Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.* Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.* Excellent Pension scheme: We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at [e-mail]. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected. **Vetting:** Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting 5 years minimum UK residency required, including a full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document. **Medical:** We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing. **References:** We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.**How to apply:** Applications will be via an up to date CV and online application form, as part of this application please outline how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.Completed applications must be submitted by 11.59pm 25th January 2026**The above advert, Job description and Application process is available through the medium of Welsh - if requested.****Inclusion & Diversity**: At BTP, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued. We believe diversity drives innovation and better decision-making. Our roles are open to everyone, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian, and minority ethnic candidates, women, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those who are neurodiverse. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the linksJoin Us: Grow your career with us. We can’t wait to hear from you! See why BTP is right for you and click for more information. For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team at [e-mail].### Senior External Affairs Advisor* **Salary** £43,427.51 per annum, plus 10% On Call Allowance, London Allowance of £4613.61 is payable to London based employees.* **Frequency** Annual* **Job Reference** BTP/680/600* **Contract Type** Full Time - Permanent* **Closing Date** 25