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Financial ServicesISCO 2432

Public affairs consultant

A public affairs consultant is a person who acts as a representative of a client's objectives, seeking to persuade legislative bodies and policy makers to adopt laws or regulations in line with what that client wants.

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Rate 5 of the 11 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

apply diplomatic principles

manage relationships with stakeholders

protect client interests

maintain relationships with government agencies

advise on conflict management

About public affairs consultant

The consultant carries out analytical and research tasks so that a client's interests are presented accurately to the right parties, and knows the legislative procedure well enough to tell when a position can still change a draft and when it is too late. The consultant advises on legislative acts, and on conflict management where a client's aim collides with someone else's.

The consultant maintains relationships with government agencies, manages stakeholder relationships, and negotiates with parties whose interests potentially conflict, which means finding what each side can accept rather than winning outright. In these talks the consultant applies diplomatic principles.

The consultant also consults clients on their interests and policies and, when what a client asks for cannot be obtained, says so plainly. The consultant protects client interests and manages the implementation of public policy. Registration and transparency obligations for this work are set by national lobbying law.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (11)

government policy implementationgovernment policy implementationThe procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.legislation procedurelegislation procedureThe procedures involved in the making of laws and legislation, such as which organisations and individuals are involved, the process of how bills become laws, the proposal and reviewing process, and o...diplomatic principlesdiplomatic principlesThe practices of facilitating agreements or international treaties with other countries by conducting negotiations and attempting to protect the interests of the home government, as well as facilitati...apply diplomatic principlesapply diplomatic principlesApply the processes involved in the creation of international treaties by conducting negotiations between representatives of different countries, protecting the home government's interests, and facili...manage relationships with stakeholdersmanage relationships with stakeholdersCreate and maintain solid internal and external relations with stakeholders at operational level based on mutual trust and credibility in order to achieve organisational goals. Ensure organisational s...protect client interestsprotect client interestsProtect the interests and needs of a client by taking necessary actions, and researching all possibilities, to ensure that the client obtains their favoured outcome.maintain relationships with government agenciesmaintain relationships with government agenciesEstablish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.advise on conflict managementadvise on conflict managementAdvise private or public organisations on monitoring possible conflict risk and development, and on conflict resolution methods specific to the identified conflicts.influence legislatorsinfluence legislatorsInfluence the organisations and individuals involved in the process of making or changing legislation and laws in order to obtain a desired result, by identifying which parties would be best to contac...advise on legislative actsadvise on legislative actsAdvise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.manage government policy implementationmanage government policy implementationManage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.
Optional (18) — show
government representationgovernment representationThe legal and public representation methods and procedures of the government during trial cases or for communication purposes, and the specific aspects of the governmental bodies being represented in ...European political studiesEuropean political studiesAcademic field of studies focused on European politics, governance, and other related social sciences. Within the European Union framework, it examines a large range of topics such as EU institutions,...legal researchlegal researchThe methods and procedures of research in legal matters, such as the regulations, and different approaches to analyses and source gathering, and the knowledge on how to adapt the research methodology ...rhetoricrhetoricThe art of discourse that aims at improving the ability of writers and speakers to inform, persuade or motivate their audience.legal terminologylegal terminologyThe special terms and phrases used in the field of law.media and information literacymedia and information literacyThe ability to access media, to understand and critically evaluate different aspects of the media and media content and to create communications in a variety of contexts. It involves a range of cognit...advise on public relationsadvise on public relationsAdvise business or public organisations on public relations management and strategies in order to ensure efficient communication with target audiences, and proper conveying of information.establish collaborative relationsestablish collaborative relationsEstablish a connection between organisations or individuals which may benefit from communicating with one another in order to facilitate an enduring positive collaborative relationship between both pa...present arguments persuasivelypresent arguments persuasivelyPresent arguments during a negotiation or debate, or in written form, in a persuasive manner in order to obtain the most support for the case the speaker or writer represents.moderate in negotiationsmoderate in negotiationsOversee negotiations between two parties as a neutral witness to ensure that the negotiations occur in a friendly and productive manner, that a compromise is reached, and that everything is compliant ...conduct public surveysconduct public surveysConduct the procedures of a public survey from the initial formulation and compilation of the questions, identifying the target audience, managing the survey method and operations, managing the proces...facilitate official agreementfacilitate official agreementFacilitate an official agreement between two disputing parties, ensuring that both parties agree on the resolution which has been decided on, as well as writing the necessary documents and ensuring bo...monitor political conflictsmonitor political conflictsMonitor the possibility and development of political conflicts in specific contexts, such as in or between political parties, governments, or between different countries, as well as identifying its po...perform public relationsperform public relationsPerform public relations (PR) by managing the spread of information between an individual or an organisation and the public.liaise with politiciansliaise with politiciansLiaise with officials fulfilling important political and legislative roles in governments in order to ensure productive communication and build relations.assess risk factorsassess risk factorsDetermine the influence of economical, political and cultural risk factors and additional issues.advise on public imageadvise on public imageAdvise a client such as a politician, artist or another individual dealing with the public on how to present themselves in a way which would gain most favour from the general public or a target audien...build international relationsbuild international relationsBuild positive communication dynamics with organisations from different countries in order to build a cooperative relationship and optimise information exchange.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a public affairs consultant do?

Public affairs consultants function as representatives for a client's goal. They attempt to persuade legislative bodies and policy makers to implement laws or regulation in accordance with the client's wishes, and negotiate with parties with potentially conflicting interests. They perform analytical and research duties in order to ensure that the client's cause is being addressed in an appropriate way to the appropriate parties. They also consult their clients on their causes and policies.

What skills does a public affairs consultant need?

A public affairs consultant needs 11 essential skills, including government policy implementation, legislation procedure, diplomatic principles, apply diplomatic principles, manage relationships with stakeholders.

Will AI replace public affairs consultant jobs?

The AI disruption score for public affairs consultant is 14/100 (very low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: legal research, legal terminology, conduct public surveys. Most resilient: maintain relationships with government agencies, diplomatic principles, moderate in negotiations.

Quick Facts

SectorFinancial Services
ISCO GroupBusiness and administration professionals
Essential Skills11

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