HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd
Briefings, Correspondence and FOI Adviser
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Job Description
Location: Birmingham
Base salary: £32,050 per annum to approximately £37,700 per annum, depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer a flexible benefits fund of 15% which is paid on top of the base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.
HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.
As a Briefing, Correspondence and FOI Adviser at HS2, you will provide support to the Briefing, Correspondence and FOI Manager and administer systems to ensure the delivery of the Briefing, Correspondence and FOI function.
About The Role
- Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.
- Prepare briefing materials and written correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers and senior stakeholders for the HS2 leadership team, whilst working and coordinating with colleagues in other teams and functions.
- Deliver the provision of responses to Parliamentary Questions.
- Acknowledge, log, coordinate and respond directly to requests for information received by HS2 Ltd under the FOI Act 2000 and EIR 2004; making an assessment on the information held by the organisation, the service areas responsible and whether the information can be disclosed.
- Formulate responses to FOI/EIR requests, working with and advising colleagues, senior managers and directors in other directorates to reduce complex materials into a concise form and to agree a final response.
- Assist the Briefings, Correspondence & FOI Manager with internal training workshops; dealing with the logistics, preparing materials and supporting delivery where required, in order to ensure broad understanding across the organisation of FOI and EIR issues.
- Respond to updates in guidance and legislation, ensuring HS2 Ltd meets requirements through updating policy and procedures in relation to FOI Act and EIR.
- Administer systems and the team rota within the unit and support the BCFOI Manager to implement correspondence and FOI processes.
- Support procedures to enable comprehensive and accurate recording and reporting of correspondence and FOI data.
- Support the BCFOI Manager to maintain internal reporting by providing weekly, monthly and ad-hoc reports.
- Administer and support Public Affairs and External Affairs processes and programmes, including the Speaker Request process, maintaining and reviewing records to ensure accuracy and provide visibility to the wider business.
- Develop and maintain collaborative internal relationships, knowledge of the project and understanding of stakeholder concerns, ensuring flows of information across the business to support delivery of the directorate plan and the wider HS2 programme.
- Support the delivery of external affairs activities and projects, including supporting colleagues in providing appropriate briefing materials.
- Liaise with relevant Business Areas to ensure the appropriate accurate and timely population of the Publication Scheme with relevant information.
- Work as part of the BCFOI/Public Affairs rota, performing on-call out of hours duties when required.
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Skills
About you:
- Communications skills, particularly clear, accurate and consistent written communication.
- Stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to adapt to different audiences and deal with difficult customers/stakeholders.
- Analytical skills, including the ability to collate, interpret and present information in a coherent and meaningful way.
- Project Management and planning skills, with the ability to work to specified timescales.
- Ability to handle confidential information sensitively and discretely.
- Ability to produce results to tight deadlines.
- Problem resolution skills, with the ability to identify issues and exercise judgement to solve problems and escalate as required.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office programmes (especially Excel) and CRM databases.
Knowledge
- Political awareness and understanding.
- Knowledge of information management systems and processes.
- Knowledge of the planning and parliamentary processes.
- Knowledge of Project Management techniques.
- Knowledge of the FOI Act (2000), EIR (2004) and associated legislation, guidance and codes of practice.
- Knowledge of corporate communications, community engagement, internal communications, social media, PR and media relations.
- Understanding of requirements for the publication of information.
- Understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) databases.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes, especially Excel.
Type Of Experience
- Experience of administering and maintaining information management systems.
- Experience in coordinating and responding to multiple customer or stakeholder enquiries in a timely manner.
- Experience of managing briefings and correspondence to senior stakeholders.
- Experience of working with financial, policy and technical concepts to deliver accessible and accurate information and correspondence.
- Experience in processing or handling sensitive data and enquiries.
- Experience in handling FOI/EIR requests (and the requirements of the FOI Act 2000 and EIR 2004) to meet statutory requirements.
The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect.
It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.
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As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.
Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.
We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert. Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process - YouTube
Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
About Us
High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK’s new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.
HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.
In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.
HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our ‘Safe at Heart’ programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.
HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.
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