External Communications Consultant
Career Integrity & Compliance Audit Report
This vacancy has been independently reviewed by the OppaJob Transatlantic Career Intelligence Desk to confirm authentic direct employer recruiting, verify compensation transparency, and eliminate applicant processing fees.
Transatlantic Cost of Living & Purchasing Power Benchmark
Compare US ($) vs UK (£) Salary & Net Take-Home Pay
Calculate tax deductions, living costs, and purchasing power parity across US & UK metros.
Position Overview & Specifications
About the role
External Communications Consultant
Up to 24 months Fixed Term Contract/Secondment
Salary – Durham up to £38,200, Essex up to £38,700
Location –Durham/Homebased or Chelmsford/Homebased
About the role
We're looking for an experienced communications professional to join our Corporate Communications team in Durham or Chelmsford.
The successful candidate will be able to analyse complex information quickly and translate into simple, but effective, language for our customers.
You’ll be required to write for a number of different audiences and channels while being able to deliver effective campaigns in a fast moving and reactive environment.
You’ll be expected to always be on the lookout for media and PR opportunities for the business and be committed to supporting colleagues and keeping them up to date with priorities, targets and objectives.
An important part of this role is also being able to build good working relationships both internally and externally and being able to provide support and guidance as well as challenging when necessary to produce results.
Please scroll to the bottom of this page to access the full job description.
About you
You will need to be proactive, motivated and enthusiastic individual with proven experience of working in media relations. You’ll also have proven experience of being able to build good working relationships with key regional stakeholders (local councillors and MPs) and understand the regions media outlets too.
The successful candidate will be able to research, write and edit engaging and creative content for a range of communication channels (video, digital and social media) as well as produce news releases and provide briefings and manage events.
You’ll be resourceful and resilient; able to manage multiple projects and competing demands. Being able to remain calm under pressure is essential as well as being able to prioritise your time and resources efficiently and effectively to ensure that all your activities and projects are delivered in line with our values.
This is a great opportunity to develop your existing skills. So if you are ambitious, detail-focused, calm under pressure and have experience of managing multiple projects, then we want to hear from you.
Here at Northumbrian Water Diversity, Inclusion and Equity means bringing your full self to work. We encourage and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, as we believe and strive for community representation within all our teams, structures and organisation
About us
NWG (Northumbrian Water Group) provides water and sewerage services to 2.7 million people in the North East of England as Northumbrian Water, and water services to 1.5 million people in the South East of England as Essex & Suffolk Water.
We are proud to serve our customers and we're committed to delivering great service, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.
Our values
Our values describe our main principles, qualities and attributes. They are the guiding principles which define who we are, what we do and how we do it. They make us different from our competitors and guide our decisions and actions to drive us towards our vision.
Our values are:
Results Driven
We take responsibility for achieving excellent business results.Ethical
We are open and honest and meet our commitments with a responsible approach to the environment and our communities.Customer Focused
We aim to exceed the expectations of our internal and external customers.Innovative
We continuously strive for innovative and better ways to deliver our business.One Team
We work together consistently, promoting co-operation, to achieve our corporate objectives.Colleague benefits
We’re the great company we are because of you – our people. As our way of saying thanks, we offer you a wide range of benefits and discounts to take advantage of.
To find out more about our benefits, see our benefits booklet attached to this advert.
Eyecare
Discounted Medicals
Employee Assistance Programme
Cycle2work
Buying & selling annual leave
Long service awards
Salary sacrifice car scheme
Computer
Loans
Award winning wellbeing site
NWG savings scheme
Company pension scheme
Pre-retirement workshops
Life assurance
Christmas savings club
Discounts & cashback offers
Qualification loan
Candidate Selection & Onboarding Process
Application & Resume Screening
Submit your tailored CV/Resume directly to the talent acquisition portal.
Technical & Competency Interviews
Virtual interviews with the hiring manager and multidisciplinary team.
Formal Offer & Benefits Negotiation
Written agreement outlining compensation, equity, retirement vesting, and relocation allowances.
Onboarding & Corporate Integration
Equipment provisioning, team orientation, and commencement of duties.
United Kingdom Right to Work & Skilled Worker Visa Guide
Employment in the United Kingdom requires legal Right to Work verified under the Home Office Points-Based Immigration System:
Sponsoring employers must hold an active Home Office A-rated Sponsor License and assign a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Role must meet the general minimum salary threshold (£38,700) or occupation going rate.
Continuous employment under Skilled Worker status establishes eligibility for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 continuous years, leading to British Citizenship.
Candidate Preparation Blueprint: Energy & Utilities
Based on transatlantic hiring benchmarks for External Communications Consultant roles across Northumbrian Water/Essex & Suffolk Water's corporate sector, successful applicants typically excel across three core dimensions:
Demonstrated portfolio evidence, architecture/system design case studies, or validated professional certifications directly applicable to Energy & Utilities.
STAR method competency responses highlighting cross-functional leadership, conflict resolution, and delivering measurable enterprise ROI under tight timelines.
Total compensation expectation aligned within the benchmarked £29,685 - £41,000 bracket, including retirement vesting and health parity.
Explore Related Opportunities (United Kingdom)
Other high-paying verified positions matching your industry profile.
Principal Data Analytics Specialist
Senior Clinical Diagnostic Radiographer
Senior Site Reliability & Kubernetes Engineer (SRE)
Consultant Acute Care Physician (General Medicine)
Head of Cyber Security & Zero Trust Architecture
Apply for this Position
Receive high-paying Energy & Utilities openings directly to your inbox.
