Light Rail Programme Communications & Stakeholder Management Lead

Background 

The Light Railway Capital Programme business unit is responsible for delivering a portfolio of nationally significant light railway projects that support sustainable economic growth in Ireland and enable the National Strategic Outcomes and priorities of the National Development Plan.   

The light railway projects under the remit of the Light Railway Capital Programmes business unit include Luas Finglas, Luas Lucan, Luas Poolbeg and Luas Bray, all of which are supported by the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042. TII is also progressing the route selection of a light railway scheme in Cork, in line with the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.  

The Light Railway Capital Programme business unit also supports the management of the Luas network, including supporting Life Cycle Asset Renewals programmes and Network Enhancements programmes, in collaboration with the Luas Networks business unit in TII’s Commercial Operations division.  

Two new sections, Light Railways Dublin Metropolitan Area, and Light Railways Greater Dublin Area (GDA) and Regional Cities have been established within the Light Railway Capital Programmes business unit. Each of these sections will lead the planning and delivery of TII’s portfolio of light railway projects, with each section being assigned a set of light railway projects. 

Reporting to the Head of New Schemes, and acting as line manager for their team , the Light Rail Communication and Stakeholder Management Lead will be tasked with a leadership role in the delivery of communications and stakeholder management activities in the context of a set of light railway schemes, and other light railway related projects.  

The below job specification is not exhaustive and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties associated with this role and, consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the role which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 

ROLE, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

Managing relationships, engagement and communication with all stakeholders and the media is a key activity in delivering major capital projects and will be the primary focus of the Light Rail Communications and Stakeholder Management Lead, who will manage, lead or contribute to these tasks depending on the context. 

The key areas of responsibilities for this role are:  

• Develop and maintain (as applicable) systems and procedures associated with the management of stakeholders, media and communication aspects of the projects.  
• Act as client representative for the procurement of stakeholder management systems. 
• Input into tender requirements for consultants and contractors with reference to stakeholder management and communication. 
• Lead and oversee project communication teams.  
• Develop and implement the communication and engagement plans for projects.  
• Engage with third parties and stakeholders including the public, the business community, public sector bodies elected representatives and government as required. 
• Prepare and curate responses to PQs, FOI and AIE requests. 
• Prepare briefing notes for Government Departments, relevant Ministers and internal parties. 
• Develop and execute strategic communication campaigns. 
• Oversee the creation of press releases, statements and other communications strategies. 
• Act as integrator for communication activities delivered by project teams, consultants and contractors as appropriate. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with media outlets, government agencies, and community organisations. 
• Ensure that all communication is consistent with TII’s brand and messaging guidelines. 
• Create and oversee social media plans including internal and external content creation.  
• Create and execute plans to effectively manage and mitigate any potential public relations issues. 
• Analyse and report on engagement data and analytics to interpret and inform communications decisions. 
• Advise the Head of Light Rail Capital Programmes on the effectiveness of communication strategies. 
• Build and maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally. 
• Represent the organisation at public events and meetings as required. 
• Act as spokesperson as required. 
• Escalate issues to the leadership for each project in a timely manner and, where required, to the Head of Light Rail Capital Programmes 
• Support and collaborate with the Director of Corporate Communications and Internal Communications and Engagement Manager if required. 
• Manage and orchestrate key external press and market engagement events.  
• Advocate for continuous operational improvement, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. 
• Perform additional tasks, activities or other duties as may be required or assigned as part of the role and as are appropriate to the grade. 

All of the divisions within TII have inter-dependent responsibilities and close cooperation and teamwork is required.

Note: The functions and responsibilities assigned to this position are based on the current stated role and may be changed from time to time. The person appointed will be required to demonstrate the flexibility necessary to fulfil other roles and responsibilities at a similar grade within TII and may be assigned to other such roles as business needs arise.  

Education & Experience 

The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate the key competencies for an Assistant Principal position as identified in TII’s Competency Directory, as well as the following job-specific requirements:  

• Degree or 3rd level professional qualification (NFQ Level 8 or equivalent) in English, Public Relations, Journalism or equivalent subject. 
• 7 + years’ experience of managing an organisation’s communication team/press office, internal communications team and event management. 
• Hands-on experience in developing, managing and implementing strategic communication programmes across multiple areas. 
• A deep understanding of social media and analytics and specific track record in managing initiatives on social media. 
• Experience of leading and managing a team is desirable.  
• An understanding of the challenges of operating effectively in a dynamic major project development environment. 
• Excellent command of the English language (verbal and written) 
• Current driving licence.  

Note:  

In order to assure the shortlisting panel that you satisfy these requirements you must explicitly reference how you meet the requirements in your application. Failure to demonstrate these may prevent your application progressing to future shortlisting stages. 

Candidates who come under consideration following the final selection stage will be required to provide documentary evidence of their eligibility, including qualifications and evidence of fluency in the English language. 

Candidates who are unable to show that they hold the required qualifications may be withdrawn from the competition at any stage.  An invitation to interview or any element of the selection process is not acceptance of eligibility. 

To apply for, or to locate further information on, these posts please visit our website: https://www.tii.ie/careers/ 

The closing date for applications is 12pm Thursday 2nd October at 12pm.   

Transport Infrastructure Ireland is committed to a policy of equal opportunity.