Title:  Stakeholder Engagement Specialist

Stakeholder Engagement Specialist

We bring the energy – through purpose and people

Not just through the infrastructure we operate, but through the way we show up for each other, our customers’ and our communities. The future of energy is in our hands. Let’s shape it together.

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We have an opportunity for a Stakeholder Engagement Specialist to work closely with the Community & Stakeholder Manager and team to plan and execute stakeholder engagement activities along the WRL corridor.

You will be focused on areas that support the planning and delivery of the WRL project. In this role, you will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, sharing project updates and information in a timely way, and ensure stakeholder input is recorded and considered by the project.

This role is based in our Flinders Street office with regular travel to Ballarat.

What you’ll be doing in this role:

• Contribute engagement expertise to plan, guide and deliver effective engagement strategies.
• Provide advice, develop plans and support engagement and consultation to maximise community participation.
• Build and manage strong relationships across diverse stakeholders including community, industry, business and all levels of government.
• Ensure stakeholder input is accurately recorded and meaningfully considered by the project.
• Prepare and maintain stakeholder mapping.
• Partner with communications and correspondence teams to deliver clear, accurate and consistent stakeholder messaging and responses.
• Manage and respond to key stakeholder correspondence and enquiries (non-media).
• Deliver high-quality, timely engagement activities across project development, environmental approvals and construction, including community meetings and technical forums.
• Resolve issues, build trust and strengthen support for operational programs.
• Liaise with internal and external teams including landowner engagement, planning and environment, project communications and wider AusNet teams.
• Identify, monitor and proactively manage stakeholder and community engagement risks and issues.
• Support the activation of social licence for WRL through the application of IAP2 principles and standards.
• Lead and deliver community benefit and social value initiatives, including sponsorships and grants, aligned to the Project Social Value Framework.
• Contribute to Recordable Injury Frequency Rate targets and missionZero health and safety conversations.

You don’t need to check every box, however we’re looking for a good combination of:

• Tertiary qualifications in Communications, Public Relations, Community & Stakeholder Engagement or other relevant degree
• 5+ years’ experience in successfully undertaking stakeholder management and frontline engagement activities, preferably working in areas such as local government, regional development, community development, or large infrastructure projects
• Demonstrated experience developing engagement plans (through consulting and working with a range of stakeholders and teams as necessary)
• Experience in project or programme delivery, with active and regular engagement and liaison activities undertaken with external stakeholders
• Experience problem solving community issues and managing controversial issues
• Exceptional listening skills and ability to quickly and effectively build rapport, demonstrating respect, empathy, thoughtfulness in all engagements, particularly with external stakeholder on a range of subjects
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; particular need for proven quality in written communications, across various mediums of communication, with demonstrated experience writing reports and preparing presentations
• Exceptional time management and project planning / management skills
• Appreciation for statutory planning, environmental, cultural, and general government approvals processes would be highly beneficial in this role and experience in construction and delivery advantageous
• IAP2 certificate, or similar experience in local / regional economic development and engagement will be an advantage in this role

The AusNet experience is all about…

• Growing your impact: We’ll support you to build your career through real opportunities and strong connections.

• When life happens, knowing we’ve got your back: Whether it's life's big moments or the unexpected little ones, we get it - sometimes you just need to be there.

• Being apart a team that cares deeply about each other: We share in the good times. We support in the tough times. And we’re humble through and through.

We’re committed to building an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We believe different perspectives are essential to our success, and we encourage all applicants to apply. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we're happy to discuss how we can support you.

AusNet. We bring the energy. Want to be part of it too? Apply now.