Stakeholder Lead

Costain; Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading infrastructure firm in the United Kingdom is seeking a Stakeholder Engagement Specialist to coordinate and manage stakeholder interactions for large-scale projects. This hybrid role requires strong communication skills and experience in engagement strategies. You will work with various stakeholders, develop effective consultation activities, and help maintain health and safety standards. Ideal candidates should have experience in infrastructure projects and relevant qualifications in marketing or communications.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in stakeholder and community engagement, preferably within large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Experience managing sensitive stakeholder issues and conflict resolution.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate engagement with project stakeholders to establish strong relationships.
• Develop and deliver stakeholder engagement activities aligned with strategies.
• Utilize tools for engagement tracking and monitor stakeholder sentiment.

Skills

Stakeholder and community engagement

Conflict resolution

Excellent communication skills

Organisational skills

Presentation and facilitation

Education

Degree in marketing, communications, or related field

Tools

CRM systems

GIS mapping tools

Job description

Job Description

The Anglian Water Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) project currently involves the planning, design and construction of circa 320km of new strategic, large diameter, clean water interconnector pipelines and associated infrastructure across Anglian Water’s region. The SPA Alliance is also taking on responsibility for the future interconnector pipelines, a further 260km of strategic interconnector pipelines and associated infrastructure.

This role is flexible / hybrid working from the Peterborough office 1 day a week and home. The candidate will be required to travel to site locations and stakeholder meetings across the region when needed, some of these meetings will be outside conventional working hours.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate engagement with project stakeholders across local authorities, statutory and non‑statutory bodies (including environment & technical organisations), communities and other parties to establish strong working relationships.
• Successfully develop and deliver project specific stakeholder engagement activities, ensuring alignment with established strategies and framework.
• Utilise stakeholder management tools (e.g. CRM, GIS mapping) for engagement tracking, trends, emerging risks and opportunities.
• Support and deliver effective consultation activities, such as workshops, exhibitions, virtual events and site visits to enhance stakeholder engagement and maximise participation.
• Prepare detailed reports that meet the statutory requirements and document stakeholder feedback.
• Monitor stakeholder sentiment and provide early warnings of potential project opposition.
• Collaborate with technical leads to address conflicts and resolve stakeholder issues effectively.
• Stay updated on industry best practice and regulatory changes to refine engagement approaches.
• Implement a diverse range of engagement methods, including community meetings, digital engagement and one‑on‑one discussions.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement in Health & Safety (H&S), ensuring consistent H&S standards are maintained.
• Ensure completion of a full induction to H&S in accordance with Company policies, procedures, standards and guidance.
• Ensure adherence to safe working practices, including completing audits in line with schedule.
• Monitor and maintain compliance with the Working Time Directive.
• Ensure compliance with the use of mandatory safety monitoring equipment, near‑miss reporting and company procedures.
• Maintain H&S standards to enable a zero‑accident culture.
• Actively work with your team, line manager and the H&S team to improve upon H&S procedures where possible.
• Report all near misses through the appropriate channel to prevent future accidents.

Essential – Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Proven experience in stakeholder and community engagement, preferably within large‑scale infrastructure projects.
• Proven ability to implement stakeholder engagement plans that align with organisational frameworks.
• Demonstrable experience translating technical detail into appropriate, relevant and agreed communications for external audiences.
• Experience managing sensitive stakeholder issues and conflict resolution.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Assessing stakeholder needs, interests and potential impact.

Desirable

• Understanding of the statutory EIA planning requirements, regulatory frameworks and stakeholder consultation best practices.
• Experience designing and delivering consultation events.

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent experience in marketing, communications, public relations or a similar discipline (degrees in technical disciplines that align with the business such as Engineering, Planning, or Environmental Science will also be considered).