Board Stakeholder Engagement Lead

Requirements of the role

We are the UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

The Role

The Stakeholder Engagement Lead will work closely with the Chair & Chief Executive and Board Members and be responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders to support delivery of the overall CAA’s mission and organisational objectives. The postholder will engage with those we protect (consumers) and those we enable, for example, airlines, and new technology providers at the cutting edge of innovation.

This role requires strong communication, relationship-building, and project management skills, along with the ability to work effectively and autonomously with both internal teams and external stakeholders at senior levels.

This will be a highly visible role with travel around the UK, and regular attendance at the CAA’s London and Gatwick offices.

Core Accountabilities 

• Develop, implement, and lead a senior stakeholder engagement strategy to align with the organisation’s mission and objectives, working closely with the Chair & Chief Executive to deliver the full breadth of the CAA’s mission to protect people and enable aerospace.
• Serve as a point of contact for senior stakeholder interactions, ensuring clear and consistent communication on the CAA’s position on key strategic issues, including regular (monthly) meetings with Senior Leaders to shape their engagement schedule.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key industry stakeholders, trade bodies such as airlines, airports, and community groups.
• Work closely with high-level stakeholders and industry bodies to accurately and confidently represent the CAA’s strategic view on key issues, such as growth, new technology, sustainability and environmental impacts of aviation.
• Prepare and/or coordinate succinct, relevant, and timely briefings and support materials for senior leaders to facilitate effective stakeholder engagement. This would include relevant technical information from across the business, as well as areas to influence and issues to resolve.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across the Communications, Strategy, and Policy Group (CSP) and other teams within the organisation. This would include leading the collation of information from across the business to provide Senior Leaders with up to date accurate advice and details to support their engagements, as above.
• Work with cross-functional teams to identify stakeholder needs and proactively address concerns. This includes understanding existing and emerging issues, such as new technology and economic growth.
• Plan and organise key meetings, support the Communications team with planning for significant events (including major industry events, e.g. Farnborough Air Show, CAA’s Annual Address), and visits to support stakeholder engagement, in collaboration with relevant teams, to enable CAA to engage with all its key stakeholder groups in a balanced and proportionate way.
• Monitor and evaluate stakeholder engagement activities, by reviewing past and planned engagements as well as correspondence from stakeholders ensuring the CAA leadership maintains effective connections with the aerospace sector.

Decision Making

• Identify potential risks associated with stakeholder relationships and develop mitigation strategies, escalating the highest risks, such as potential relationship breakdowns, to Head of Office of the Chair and CEO as required.
• Make recommendations and decisions as to which stakeholders to prioritize given capacity constraints of senior leadership.
• Oversee external correspondence to the Chair and Chief Executive, taking action to determine whether it accurately reflects the views of the CAA and supports stakeholders to understand the position of the CAA.

Influencing

• Provide advice to the CAA Board and Executive Committee on stakeholder-related matters so that the CAA covers senior stakeholder groups in a balanced and appropriate way.
• Promote engagement from external stakeholders: C-suite level contacts across industry including airline, airport, and community groups such as those interested in airspace changes, noise, and other sustainability interests.
• Internal influencing of senior leaders, including ExCo and the Board to facilitate effective stakeholder engagement. A significant component of the role will be influencing areas of the business to engage on preparation of materials to support senior leaders, as well as supporting senior leaders to understand which issues to engage on. The postholder will also need to engage with stakeholders to understand their views and help them understand the views of the CAA.

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