Stakeholder Engagement Lead

Merrifield Consultants are delighted to be partnering with a leading railway membership body to recruit a Stakeholder Engagement Lead for a major national accessibility programme.

This role leads stakeholder engagement, communications and public affairs activity, shaping strategy and building high‑level relationships across government, industry and passenger groups. It’s a brilliant opportunity to influence a high‑profile programme improving accessibility across England’s rail network.

The Role

You’ll drive the communications and engagement strategy, manage senior stakeholder relationships, and represent the programme across industry forums. You’ll oversee media activity, support creative and campaign delivery and ensure consistent, proactive messaging throughout the rollout. This is a hands‑on, fast‑paced role requiring strong judgement and confident representation.

Contract: 9 months

Salary: £80,000 – £150,000 (experience dependant)

Working style: Hybrid

Type: Full-Time

Key Responsibilities

Lead stakeholder engagement with government, industry bodies, disability groups and passenger organisations
Deliver and maintain the communications and engagement strategy
Align daily operations with the strategy, maintaining and delivering this
Manage media opportunities, briefings and proactive PR activity
Oversee creative and campaign development with external agencies
Represent the programme at industry and accessibility forums
Support programme reporting and senior leadership engagement

Person Specification

Strong experience in stakeholder engagement, communications or public affairs
Ability to influence senior stakeholders in complex environments
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Political awareness and sound judgement
Confident representing programmes in public‑facing settings
Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery
Experience working with rail, government, regulators or industry bodies

Don’t miss out on your chance…Apply today!

We practice a diverse and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all we work with, irrespective of race, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age or gender. As an organisation, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and will ensure measures are met when required, to allow a fair process throughout.