About Us:

The Scottish Food Commission was established as a new independent statutory body within the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022. The Commission’s purpose: to provide stewardship and oversight of Scotland’s Good Food Nation ambition, and to support progress towards a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system for all.

The Commission are now recruiting our first senior staff team. These initial roles will shape how the Commission operates, how it scrutinises evidence and policy, how it engages with relevant authorities and communities, and how it communicates its work with clarity, independence and impact.

We should at the outset make you aware that there is a Programme for Government (PfG) commitment for the Commission to be integrated into Food Standards Scotland, and with this planned integration is the possibility that organisational structures, policies and processes, as well as aspects of the roles may change over time. Whilst we do not expect these changes to be forthcoming imminently, if there are any changes before the appointment start date, these will be communicated with the successful candidate. We do not however expect there to be any changes to the role itself.

Equalities:

The Scottish Food Commission is an inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion and belief, pregnancy and maternity, relationship status, disability, age and social class.

We want this recruitment process to be inclusive. Candidates will be invited to tell us about any reasonable adjustments needed in relation to the application process, assessment exercise or interview.

The Role:

The Head of Engagement and Communications is a senior leadership role with responsibility for the Commission’s engagement across the food system particularly with the Relevant Authorities, interested parties’ relationships, public involvement, communications strategy, digital channels, publications and public profile, giving you the opportunity to lead on shaping how a new national body connects with people and organisations across Scotland’s food system. This is a chance to bring strategic communications, relationship-building and public engagement together in a role with real purpose and visibility.

You will ensure the Commission engages diverse perspectives, including relevant authorities, communities, people with lived experience of food-related issues, children and young people, and interested parties across Scotland’s food system. In practice, you will ensure a wide range of voices are heard, including those who are often less involved in decision-making. If you are passionate about inclusive engagement and creating trusted spaces for people to contribute, this role gives you a strong platform to make that happen.

You will lead communications that make the Commission’s work clear, accessible, inclusive and impactful, while safeguarding its statutory independence and reputation as a credible and constructive body. You will help people understand the role of the Commission and its work. You will play an important part in building confidence in the Commission’s independence, credibility and public value.

You will work closely with the Head of Policy and Research to ensure engagement informs scrutiny, evidence, advice and recommendations, and with Corporate Services to ensure publication processes, organisational coordination and corporate requirements are well managed. This means, working collaboratively with colleagues across the senior team, helping to turn engagement insight into practical evidence, advice and recommendations. This is a role where your ability to connect people, ideas and processes will be highly valued.

The role requires excellent engagement, facilitation, relationship-building and strategic communications capability, with strong judgement in handling sensitive or high-profile issues. You can expect to demonstrate your confidence in working with people, ability to navigate complexity with sensitivity and calm judgement, and represent the organisation on issues that matter.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will also have an organisational leadership role, working closely with the Chief Executive and other Heads of Function to ensure the Commission is effective, independent, collaborative and influential. Giving you the opportunity to be part of the organisation’s senior leadership from the outset, helping to shape its culture, ways of working and external influence.

So, if you are keen to be our Head of Engagement and Communications and you can display the skills and experience listed here, this is the role you’ve been waiting for.

Further information regarding the role can be found in the recruitment pack and job description

Scottish Food Commission Benefits:

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days with service, plus Public Holidays

Flexible working

Salary sacrifice schemes

Civil service pension scheme – some of the benefits include:

member contribution rates among the lowest in the public sector

tax relief on your contributions

generous employer contributions

a secure, inflation-proof pension for life, with no investment uncertainty

the option of tax-free lump sum on retirement

potential access to ill health and injury benefits if you become too ill to work

life assurance cover

benefits for loved ones and dependants

keeping all your pensions in one place by transferring in a pension you have built up elsewhere

About You:

Some of the skills you will need to be considered as our Head of Engagement and Communications (please refer to job description for full list of criteria):

A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience

Experience of leading inclusive engagement and communications

Awareness of food systems policy context

Exemplary communication skills

Experience developing communications strategies, plans, and publications

Ability to communicate complex issues clearly

Strong judgement in handling sensitive, high-profile or reputational matters

Ability to gather, interpret and present engagement insight clearly to inform scrutiny, advice and recommendations

Understanding of how lived experience, public insight and expert perspectives can inform policy and decisions

Strong management skills and the ability to lead staff

Ability to provide organisational leadership

Experience of business planning and budget management

Current UK Driving Licence and Willingness to travel

Permission to work in the UK

Change Mental Health is looking for an experienced Senior Service Manager to oversee the delivery, quality and development of our community mental health services across Central Services.

This is a senior operational leadership role with responsibility for multiple Hub and Outreach services, combining service oversight, people leadership, quality assurance, performance management and strategic development.

About the role

You’ll lead the safe and effective delivery of services across the region, ensuring high standards of person-centred support, strong safeguarding and health and safety processes, and consistent quality across teams.

You’ll oversee budgets, contracts, KPIs and service performance, lead audits and service reviews, and use data, feedback and outcomes to demonstrate impact and drive improvement.

Working closely with the Head of Service, you’ll also contribute to strategic planning, service development, funding opportunities and partnership working, deputising where required and helping shape the future direction of services.

Essential

• Significant experience leading, managing and developing teams delivering high-quality support.
• Excellent knowledge of Scottish health and social care policy, including safeguarding, risk management and Care Inspectorate requirements.
• Experience managing service budgets, contracts, performance and KPIs.
• Experience developing and implementing operational policies, procedures and quality systems.
• Strong stakeholder management and partnership-working skills.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience interpreting and presenting service and outcome data.
• SVQ Level 4 Social Services and Healthcare (Adults) or willingness to work towards this if required.
• Appropriate qualification for Care Inspectorate Registered Manager requirements, or willingness to work towards this if required.
• Willingness to travel across service locations.

Desirable

• Experience working within and delivering a regulated service, including acting as a regulated supervisor.

What we offer

• 37 days’ annual leave (pro rata)
• Two paid Mental Wellbeing Days
• Enhanced sick pay and leave entitlements
• Professional development, including funded opportunities
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Blue Light Card eligibility
• Support for flexible working and work-life balance

Hours are typically worked Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, although occasional evening and weekend working may be required. The role may also participate in an on-call rota.

Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) is Scotland’s national building preservation charity, saving significant historic buildings at risk and giving them a sustainable future in their communities. We have restored over 40 buildings and raised more than £40 million, and in 2028 we reach our 50th anniversary.

The Marketing & Communications Manager is pivotal in promoting our charitable mission, telling the story of our restoration projects, and building the audiences and public profile that our work depends on. Our commercial activities, including weddings, events and venue hire, sustain that preservation work.

Reporting to the Director and Head of Operations of SHBT, working with project managers, internal stakeholders and SHBT Trustees, you will lead communications and audience development for the Trust and its projects.

This is an ideal role for a proven storyteller, communicator and marketer with experience in heritage and culture, who wants to shape how a national charity is understood, turning complex architectural and historical context into clear and effective communications campaigns that drive SHBT towards its key objectives and support for its projects across Scotland.

Key responsibilities

Marketing

• Management and delivery of SHBT’s digital presence, ensuring our values and brand identity are communicated clearly and consistently
• Build and deliver a rich content and editorial calendar, including blog posts and newsletters, in coordination with the events, projects and properties teams
• Commission and manage film and video content, briefing filmmakers and freelancers, guiding scripts and edits, and publishing across our channels
• Design and produce promotional material for our buildings, weddings and events, including brochures, leaflets and print, working in Canva or similar and briefing designers on larger pieces
• Monitor and measure the reach and impact of our activity, collating analytics and producing reports for senior management team meetings, fundraising documents and Board meetings, ensuring GDPR compliance
• Brief and work alongside retained specialists on website, design and campaign work, making sure content is supplied in good time

Communications

• Develop, manage and implement the communications strategy for key projects, activities and events, in coordination with the project managers
• Drive engagement on social media through content appropriate to each network, growing our reach and building relationships with the audiences that matter to us
• Drive media relations through media releases and arranging interviews with relevant outlets and partners
• Promote the Director of SHBT as an authority on the work of the Trust as a building preservation trust, and as an expert in the field of regeneration, across television, radio, print, social media and blogs

Knowledge & Engagement

• Work with the Development & Engagement Officer to develop and deliver online fundraising campaigns
• Represent SHBT and reach new audiences through networking and attendance at key events on behalf of the Trust
• Create and distribute listings for our knowledge and engagement events, including lectures, conferences and supporters’ events, and promote these to deliver capacity audiences
• Evaluate campaign performance and identify opportunities to improve

Other duties

• Facilitate the Marketing Working Group of staff and trustees, taking minutes and providing quarterly reports for the group and for Board meetings
• Manage marketing administration, including image permissions and licensing
• Manage the marketing budget, tracking spend across campaigns, design, print and film, and reporting on it to the senior management team
• Support fundraising, projects and engagement work where marketing and promotion can help

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven experience in marketing and communications, ideally in the heritage, culture or charity sector
• Excellent written communication, with the ability to write accurately and at pace for audiences ranging from funders and trustees to press and the public
• Strong working knowledge of digital communications, including social media and email marketing
• Experience of creating communications material, including web content, e-appeals and social media communications
• Confidence commissioning and coordinating film and video content at a basic level, including briefing suppliers and preparing short edits for social
• Experience of report writing
• Sound understanding of GDPR
• Experience of Mailchimp or similar for mass communications
• WordPress CMS experience
• An interest in historic buildings, their conservation and cultural heritage

Desirable

• Experience of the heritage sector, the work of building preservation trusts, or capital projects in receipt of public funding
• Experience developing relationships with media partners and building a network of contacts
• A clear understanding of marketing for an organisation which undertakes both charitable and commercial activities
• Experience using analytics tools and a CRM system
• Familiarity with AI tools, and an openness to how they can be used ethically to support the work of a heritage charity
• Ability to create simple designs in Canva, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite or similar.
• Experience managing budgets

Personal Qualities

• Creative and strategic thinker with a results-driven mindset
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Highly proactive and ability to know what needs to happen to achieve an objective without supervision
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills
• Demonstrable ability to work on your own initiative, and to meet objectives and deadlines under pressure
• Able to work outside office hours by mutual arrangement

For the right candidate, this is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful difference, and to have a lot of fun along the way.

Reports To: Director/Head of Operations