Divisional External Affairs Manager
Job Title: Divisional External Affairs Manager
Location: Thornaby, TS17
Looking for a career where your ambition meets real opportunity? Join Persimmon Homes as Divisional External Affairs Manager and step into a role where your success is celebrated, your growth supported, and your work truly matters.
Why Persimmon Homes?
We’re one of the UK’s largest and most established housebuilders — FTSE 100 listed, with 29 regional offices and thousands of quality homes built every year.
At Persimmon, we don’t just build homes — we build careers. When you join us as Divisional External Affairs Manager, you’ll benefit from:
- Competitive salary
- Company Car/Car Allowance
- 5* housebuilder - Be part of a company that consistently delivers quality homes and outstanding customer satisfaction
- Life Cover & Contributory Pension
- Healthcare
- Bonus
- Employee Benefits Platform – giving you access to high-street discounts, wellbeing support, and more
- Committed to diversity, inclusion, and empowering your development
What is the role?
We are recruiting an External Affairs Manager to join our External Affairs team. This role can be based at any of our following offices: Newcastle, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham or Leeds - with regular travel across the region.
Reporting to the Head of External Affairs (Yorkshire & North East), you will work closely with Managing Directors and regional teams in a hands-on role focused on managing reputation and building strong relationships with key stakeholders. You will play a central role in delivering our external affairs strategy across six operating businesses: leading engagement with councillors, MPs, officers, media and local communities.
This role would suit someone ready to step up into their first manager role, or an experienced external affairs or communications professional looking for broader responsibility.
What you’ll do as a Divisional External Affairs Manager
- Organising and leading stakeholder engagement to support planning applications; working directly with councillors, MPs, officers and local communities
- Responding to media enquiries, identifying proactive PR opportunities and promoting positive stories
- Drafting clear, high-quality communications including press releases, briefings and stakeholder correspondence
- Advising senior colleagues on political, reputational and communications issues
- Monitoring political and policy developments; identifying risks and opportunities
- Anticipating and helping manage reputational risks
- Ensuring consistent messaging across external affairs, press and internal communications
What experience do I need?
- Experience engaging with political, community or business stakeholders
- Background in public affairs, communications, PR or a political environment; this could include roles in local authorities, consultancies/agencies or working in an MP’s office
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities
- Proven ability to deliver proactive communications or PR opportunities
- Confidence working with senior stakeholders and advising on approach
- Experience in a large or complex organisation would be advantageous
