Water UK | Communications Executive

• Location: Westminster, London (with some hybrid working)
• Remuneration: £32,000- c£35,000, initial one-year fixed term contract
• Reports to: Director of Communications

Are you looking for a rewarding, entry-level PR role with loads of training and support in a busy, fun agency? Then you’ve come to the right place. 

About the role

This critical new position will be part of a highly capable team leading the industry’s work on the future of the whole sector and its efforts to secure unprecedented levels of investment to meet society’s demands for change. It is a fast paced role with exposure to senior decision makers and the opportunity to have a real and enduring impact for customers and the environment. The work is high-profile, varied and interesting.

Water UK’s Communications Team is led by our Director of Communications. The team is responsible for
all media relations, our website and any microsites, all campaigns and social media. Our team is highly
collaborative, and the successful candidate will be expected to work flexibly across the team, reporting to
the Director of Communications.

The water industry is under huge political and public scrutiny, meaning Water UK’s communications team is exposed to senior industry and media stakeholders on a regular basis. Our team plays a vital role in our work to achieve the reform needed to deliver the improvements that the public rightly expect. There is no such thing as a typical day.

The successful candidate will work across a range of activities, including assisting with media enquiries; writing statements and content; producing briefing material; planning for launches and events; generating positive PR opportunities; comms support on all campaign activity.

The role demands a high standard of written and spoken English and requires the ability to work accurately at speed.

About Water UK

Water UK represents all 17 of the water companies across Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. Our members range from Government-owned and not-for-profit companies to some of the UK’s largest enterprises listed in the FTSE100. Water UK’s job is to act as a force for good by understanding the biggest challenges facing the sector and solving them. Our activity ranges from developing long-term plans to suggesting legislation to running national behaviour change campaigns. Some recent areas of focus include:

• Improving the broader condition of rivers and seas (for example, by reducing pollutants from sewage works or supporting the creation of new wetlands and other nature-based treatment)
• Achieving net zero operational emissions, reflecting the sector’s use of about 2% of UK electricity
• Responding to new threats to drinking water, like microplastics and persistent toxic chemicals
• Better support for vulnerable customers and those struggling with bills

Person Specification:

• Excellent written and verbal English with the ability to communicate with clarity, brevity, fluency and impact
• Excellent organisational skills, able to juggle a broad range of tasks and projects with limited oversight
• Excellent clarity of thought and attention to detail: able to develop an argument from first principles or using data and research tools
• Initiative and drive to learn quickly and deliver small projects
• Work within a small team with the ability to build relationships and networks quickly
• Manage different stakeholders and empathising with their likely concerns and needs 

Key Responsibilities:

• Assisting with responses to national and specialist media enquires
• Producing draft media statements, press releases and media advisories
• Writing blogs and other content for publication/website
• Helping to produce briefing material (media Q&A, talking points, etc)
• Liaising with colleagues, members, media, stakeholders and others
• Responsibility for maintaining the communications planning grid and media tracker to ensure they are up-to-date and horizon-scanning for relevant events, risks and opportunities
• Supporting the team in the delivery of projects as required

Benefits from working at Water UK

Alongside a competitive salary, we also offer:

• Discretionary bonus up to 25%,
• Private medical insurance and dental coverage after successful completion of probationary period,
• 27 working days’ holiday,
• Pension scheme – employee 5%, employer 6%,
• Life assurance from date of joining

How to apply

To see the full role description, please click here. To apply, please email a tailored CV and cover letter to summerstars@taylorbennettfoundation.org. 

When submitting your application, please specify that you heard about the role through the Taylor Bennett Foundation.