Communications Business Partner - External Affairs
Employer: Onward
Location: This role is a home-based role, where there is no daily requirement to attend an office but with requirement to attend site/office as and when required to perform your duties.
Working hours: 35 per week
Salary: £47,900
Closing date: 05/01/2026
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What you can expect from us
We offer a competitive salary of £47,900 per annum
32 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Opportunity to further increase annual leave with service or through the holiday purchase scheme.
Immediate entry to our Pension scheme (matched contributions up to 10%).
A great flexible working environment, with a range of family friendly policies.
Simply Health cash plan with financial benefits and the option to extend to your family.
Cover includes dental, optical, physiotherapy, 24HR private GP access and much more.Paid leave for absence including sickness, maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
Access of up to £150 annually through the ‘Learning for life’ scheme.
Access to a wide range of discounts and cash back offers, ranging from retail and automotive to holidays and cycle to work scheme.
Develop your career with support and access to training and qualifications.
We are now recruiting a Communications Business Partner - External Affairs to join our People team on a permanent basis. This role is a home-based role, where there is no daily requirement to attend an office but with requirement to attend site/office as and when required to perform your duties.
As Communications Business Partner for External Affairs you will build and manage our external relationships in support of Onward's corporate objectives. You will have previous experience in an external affairs role where you have led on stakeholder relationship management and influencing, shaped by your understanding of the political and policy landscape around housing.
In this role you will develop and deliver impactful engagement programmes with politicians, press and sector partners; devise compelling media strategies to raise our profile and handle press enquiries; monitor the political and policy landscape; coordinate policy responses; and deliver briefings for events and other external engagement.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic communications advice
Lead delivery of strategic communications advice and support within the business, by helping colleagues to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve business objectives. Add value by providing strategic communications advice to senior people.
Communications leadership
Provide communications leadership within the business in external affairs.
Partnership working
Build and develop a network of internal and external partnerships to ensure that the objectives of the organisation are delivered. Support colleagues in building their own external relationships by providing strategic advice and support. Become a trusted strategic advisor for colleagues, an ambassador for the business and an advocate for customers.
Creative content
Plan and produce the highest quality creative content, in the context of strategic communications support and to deliver business objectives. Invent new ways of getting our message across whilst aligning with our branding, style and values.
External media relations
Develop and deliver external media plans and content, in the context of strategic communications support and to deliver business objectives. Proactively monitor media enquiries as required and take appropriate action, liaising with relevant stakeholders.
Social media & digital communications
Develop and deliver social media and digital plans and content, within the context of strategic communications support and to deliver business objectives.
Skills & Experience
Essential:
Relevant experience in external affairs.
Demonstrable experience of a client-focused approach to strategic communications, providing drive, challenge and creativity.
Excellent speaking skills, with an ability to win the trust and confidence of partners and provide strategic communications advice with credibility.
Excellent writing skills, drafting and creatively editing the highest quality copy for communications materials.
Experience of designing and implementing strategic communications plans and campaigns, across multiple channels, to deliver business objectives.
Experience of devising and delivering media strategies, including preparing media releases and building relationships with journalists.
Experience of devising and delivering social media strategies, including using social media to engage and communicate with key external audiences.
Ability to introduce creative communications solutions in order to deliver business or organisational objectives.
IT skills – Microsoft office to Intermediate level.
Educated to degree level or equivalent.
A Full UK Driving Licence and access to your own car.
Desirable:
A background in agency or commercial sector.
About Onward
Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the Northwest, with 35,000 properties across in 52 neighbourhoods across the region.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why we’re committed to building 500 new homes each year. We do more than just provide a roof over our customers’ heads, we’re here to make a real difference.
In addition to creating positive spaces for our customers we continuously strive to create a positive and progressive workspace to enable our colleagues to achieve their full potential.
We embrace diversity and strive for diverse teams to create an inclusive culture which enables Onward to thrive and be representative of the communities that we serve. We want to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to be part of our recruitment processes and will therefore make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you with our recruitment process via the email address below.
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