Senior Stakeholder Manager

Overview

Manage stakeholder relationships and engagement across the East West Rail route.

Key Responsibilities

• stakeholder planning
• engagement reporting
• community management
• issue resolution
• strategic direction
• dco approval

Tasks

This role will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders along the route, ensuring their interests are considered and addressed throughout the Programme. This role involves proactive engagement, issue resolution, and collaboration with internal teams to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and support. The Strategy, Sponsorship and External Affairs function is accountable for defining what EWR Co. is, and the impact it will deliver. It is accountable for securing the required approvals to deliver the scheme, being the custodian of the DCO submission, including statutory consultation, and building a compelling business case. It will hold design and delivery to account to create an asset which will realise the economic benefits. -Provide regular updates to the Head of Engagement on stakeholder engagement activities and issues. -Coordinating and attending stakeholder meetings, briefings, and events. -Act as a role model for EWR Co’s vision and behaviours, working in ways that are aligned with EWR Co’s Ways of Working, as well as encouraging and supporting others to do so too. -Prepare stakeholder communications, including reports, presentations, and briefing materials. -Work closely with teams across External Engagement including Policy, Legacy & Community & Political relations. -Monitoring stakeholder concerns and issues, providing timely and effective responses. -Plan all engagement activities to align with the various stages of impact in the Eastern/Western/Central section of the route, including Construction phases where applicable. -Manage Local Representative Groups across the Eastern/Western/Central section of the route. -Developing and maintaining effective working relationships with the relevant Area Managers. -Manage Community Conversations across the Eastern/Western/Central section of the route. -Develop trusting relationships with stakeholders ranging from members of the public, Parish Councils, LA Councillors, Landowners, Businesses as well as with both elected and non-elected stakeholders where appropriate. -Take responsibility of your own and others’ health and safety by adopting and working to the EWR Co Health and Safety principles. -Oversee the strategic direction of stakeholder engagement towards securing a DCO. -Oversee external engagement across the business including, and not limited to, the delivery and design focus areas of the business.

Requirements

• stakeholder management
• stakeholder engagement
• communication
• negotiation
• cost-conscious
• it tools

What You Bring

Exceptional IT tools -Demonstrates a cost-conscious mindset, keeping tax payers’ money at the forefront of decisions. -Experience in developing and implementing stakeholder engagement plans. -Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills. -Excellent communication and negotiation abilities. -Proven experience in stakeholder management, preferably within a large infrastructure project.

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Benefits

Employee Assistance Programme We are open to secondments through the Rail Industry Talent Exchange Programme. Up to 12% employer’s pension contribution Great work-life balance and flexible working opportunities Advanced learning and development programmes EWR Co strives to embrace a flexible working environment, where a degree of flexibility is maintained to accommodate both the needs and preferences of employees and what is required to achieve business objectives. EWR Co will always work with any individual to assess and accommodate an individual’s work life balance and style 36 days holiday a year (including bank holidays) + up to 2 days to buy Enhanced family-friendly policies Life assurance Access to a range of benefits on the Perkbox platform Competitive base salary

About East West Railway Company

-Born in 2017 to tackle the long-stalled Varsity Line revival, the company is spearheading the Oxford‑to‑Cambridge rail renaissance. -Operating independent of Network Rail, it unites the roles of developer, constructor and early operator to streamline delivery. -Its funding model blends government backing with industry-first 'Enterprise Partner' arrangements to align construction and operations. -Phased across three connection stages (Oxford→Bletchley/Milton Keynes→Bedford→Cambridge), it stitches key communities into a regional corridor. -Recent works include reconnecting Oxford–Bicester (operational since 2016), Bicester–Bletchley (freight active mid‑2025), and Bedford–Cambridge design. -Typical projects span infrastructure renewal, new track construction, rolling‑stock procurement and community consultations. -Specialist focus ranges from rail systems and civil engineering to stakeholder engagement and enterprise‑level project leadership. -Unusually, it combines asset management, operations and strategic planning under one roof—an integrated, systems‑led approach.

Sector Specialisms