Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is Scotland’s leading health charity working to help people with chest,
heart and stroke conditions live life to the full. People with these conditions need and want to know how to
manage them day to day and live as well as they can.
Experiencing a life-changing event like a heart attack or stroke or being diagnosed with a chest or heart condition
or Long Covid, can mean that people are scared and alone. Many people do not know where to turn. Nobody in
Scotland should have to face their health journey on their own. CHSS will deliver a community where people with
its conditions can support each other, secure the expert help they need and advocate for the care that matters
to them. Central to delivering the No Life Half Lived strategy, the Strategic Communications Manager plays a key
role in helping CHSS reach 175,000 people annually by 2028, ensuring all design and content reflects the
charity’s mission and values.
The Strategic Communications Manager will lead and align all external and internal communications to build and
protect the reputation of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS). This strategic role covers brand campaigns,
media, partnerships, services marketing, crisis communications and internal communications.
Working closely with the Head of Communications & Marketing, the post-holder will position communications as a
strategic enabler of CHSS’ ambition that there should be No Life Half Lived in Scotland. A key focus is to
establish CHSS as a trusted source of health information and thought leadership, particularly in relation to
Chest, Heart and Stroke conditions.
The role will provide expert media advice, supports senior spokespeople and leads a team of specialists to deliver
integrated, impactful communications. It will oversee strategic media partnerships, evidence-led content and
proactive relationship building to enhance CHSS’s visibility and credibility.
The Strategic Communications Manager will collaborate across departments to develop tailored marketing plans and
strengthen internal communications.
Duties & Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Management
- Line manage a team of four
- Oversee team workflow, development and performance reviews
- Provide
coaching and strategic oversight to ensure media activities align with CHSS goals
Strategic Communications
- Develop and deliver integrated communications plans across media, brand, services, crisis comms and internal
channels
- Lead brand campaigns including FAST and Advice Line, ensuring alignment with CHSS
values
- Manage proactive and reactive media strategies, including crisis response protocols
- Use
audience insight to inform planning and improve engagement metrics
Internal Collaboration
- Work with departments across CHSS to co-develop communications plans that support strategic
priorities
- Provide media advice to senior leaders including the Chief Executive
- Collaborate with
Evaluation & Impact, Data and Service Delivery teams to ensure evidence-led messaging
- Support Income
Generation teams with marketing initiatives for fundraising and retail
External Relationships
- Build and manage relationships with media, creative agencies and public/private sector partners (e.g., NHS,
Network Rail)
- Manage contracts with media monitoring and distribution services
- Represent CHSS
externally with professionalism and credibility
Compliance & Governance
- Ensure all communications comply with GDPR, NLA and CLA regulations
- Maintain oversight of media
monitoring tools and ensure supplier compliance
- Provide training and guidance on legal standards to
internal teams
External Engagement
- Lead communications for high-profile campaigns and joint initiatives with external stakeholders
- Use the
External Engagement Toolkit to enhance CHSS’ reach and reputation
- Promote CHSS’ mission and services to
increase stakeholder awareness and referrals
Volunteer Engagement
- Highlight volunteer impact through strategic communications and storytelling
- Collaborate with the
Volunteering Team to develop case studies and recruitment campaigns
- Promote volunteer opportunities to
stakeholders and ensure positive volunteer experiences
Preferred Candidate Background
The ideal candidate for the Strategic Communications Manager role will be a seasoned communications professional with
a strong track record in strategic media relations, brand leadership, and cross-channel campaign delivery. They
will bring a blend of creativity, technical proficiency and strategic insight, coupled with a collaborative
mindset and the ability to lead and inspire teams. With at least five years’ experience in communications within
the charity or public affairs sector, they will be confident advising senior stakeholders, managing complex
projects and driving impactful, evidence-led communications that align with organisational goals.
Required Skills:
- Supportive and effective line management style; able to motivate teams to deliver challenging
projects
- Skilled at translating complex information into engaging, audience-appropriate
content
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills across varied audiences
- High attention
to detail and commitment to quality
- Creative and solutions-focused approach to
problem-solving
- Strong relationship-building skills and ability to grow internal and external
networks
- Ability to manage competing priorities and complex issues in a fast-paced
environment
- Confident advising senior stakeholders on sensitive or strategic
communications
- Strong project management skills for own and team workload
- Skilled in maintaining
message discipline across large projects or organisations
- Effective working relationships with senior
internal and external stakeholders
Required Experience:
- Proficiency in media monitoring and distribution tools (Onclusive, Meltwater, Vuelio)
- Experience with project management and collaboration platforms (Trello, Asana, Slack)
- Familiarity with digital content creation tools (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)
- Strong understanding of social media platforms and digital PR strategies
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in strategic communications, media relations or public affairs
- Proven track record of securing national and regional media coverage across broadcast, print and digital platforms
- Experience integrating communications across digital and traditional channels
- Experience in the charity sector and understanding of its diverse business functions
- Experience coordinating colleagues and external partners to deliver impactful content
- Proven ability to develop and execute strategies for high-quality publicity
- Experience planning and delivering external communications projects across teams
- Experience improving systems and processes to increase communications efectiveness
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality work within tight timescales
- Experience developing and working within brand guidelines
- Proven line management experience
- Experience managing and reviewing contracts with external suppliers to ensure value for money