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Join us at the forefront of public health advocacy as the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance Scotland Lead. This is a unique opportunity to shape the direction of our efforts to combat non-communicable diseases in Scotland. You will work closely with NCD Alliance Scotland members as well as government bodies, politicians, academics and third sector partners to drive impactful policy changes.
If you are passionate about making a difference in public health, this role offers a platform to create lasting change and improve the health of communities across Scotland.
As our NCD Alliance Scotland Lead, you’ll support all joint activity for the alliance, working with the chair, advisory board and members, building consensus within the alliance. Work will span policy development, public affairs and communications to ensure effective evidence-based policy around commercial determinants of health is at the forefront of the political agenda.
About you
With a deep understanding of the policy-making and the political process in Scotland, ideally with some knowledge of health policy and public health policy, you’ll have an extensive understanding of parliamentary procedure and government in Scotland, as well as an understanding of public policy and how it’s developed.
You’ll have a proven track record of building and nurturing excellent relationships and exerting influence over external stakeholder’s agendas. You’ll also have previous
experience of having run or managed successful policy and/or public affairs work at a senior level, ensuring expectations, responsibilities and the purpose and vision for the team are clear and delivered.
With experience of leading stakeholder relations in a high profile and/or complex organisation. You’ll also have the following skills and experience:- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, able to present with credibility and gravitas to external audiences.
- Excellent writing skills, able to provide concise written and oral briefings on complex issues, often at short notice.
- Ability to work calmly, quickly and accurately under pressure of tight deadlines.
- Proven leadership skills whilst being a team player.
- Ability to develop and implement strategies and plans, ensuring that initiatives and activities are organised, prioritised and delivered successfully.
- Excellent time management and organisation skills.
Working arrangements
Please note this is a fixed term contract for 18 months.
This is a hybrid role, where your work will be split between your home and at least one day per week, on average, in our Edinburgh Office. This may vary from time to time, so you will need to work in a flexible way to unlock your best work for our cause.
The work will require some evening and weekend work as well as travel that may require overnight stays. There will also be an opportunity to visit BHF offices in Belfast, Cardiff and London.
Belonging at BHF
By embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment, we strengthen our ability to achieve our mission of saving and improving lives, ensuring our work reflects and serves the needs of every community across the UK.
To hear from our people, check out Belonging at BHF.
Our people are at the heart of everything we do. By funding research across six decades, we’ve helped keep millions of hearts beating and millions of families together. We’re investing in ground-breaking research that will get us closer than ever to a world where everyone has a healthier heart for longer.
Benefits
We offer a competitive range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, and opportunities for personal and professional growth and continuous learning.
To find out more about our benefits you can download the Benefits document at the bottom of this page or check out our Benefits and Development pages.
Need more help balancing your work and home life? Talk to us about what flexibility is available at the application or interview stage.
Interview process
Interviews will be held in person at our Edinburgh offices on Wednesday 13th May. A presentation element will be included in the interview process.
How to apply
To apply for this role please use the apply button below. Our process involves submitting your CV and a supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role’s criteria.
Our recruitment processes are fair, accessible, and inclusive. BHF use anonymous CV software as part of the application journey.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
Our vision is a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with experience working in a policy role focused on food or related issues (climate, nutrition, health or education). You will have knowledge of the political landscape in the UK and experience working with or in government departments, academia and NGOs on a range of policy issues.
It is an exciting time in food policy, and in this role you’ll have opportunities to work across our national policy portfolio, whether its exploring the link between climate change and food prices, developing our proposition for a Good Food Bill, improving the Healthy Start scheme, or strengthening public sector procurement.
The postholder will manage a variety of high impact activities and outputs that are used to drive forward change across our national policy areas and will work will colleagues across the organisation working in national policy, local policy, communications, events and food business transformation to do this.
Due to the evolving policy landscape, there will be a chance to tailor the role to the interests and experience of the successful candidate.
Across these workstreams, you’ll get a chance to:
- contribute to the refinement of policy asks and comms messaging,
- undertake desk research to inform policy,
- coordinate activities with different stakeholders and partners working across different policy areas
- support Ambassadors on advocacy related to dietary inequalities
- support communications and campaign work related to this work
Job Description:
Management and Strategy
- Support the policy portfolio of campaigns and projects across our national policy areas, including on food prices and food inflation, our Good Food Bill campaign, Healthy Start and early years.
- Work closely with the Policy and Advocacy Manager to develop and implement project plans and deliverables across these areas
- Maintain a careful record of our policy impact according to our agreed metrics within our Monitoring Evaluation and Learning framework.
- Policy and research
- Synthesize evidence for and play a significant part in the development of position statements/briefings/reports, working closely with the wider policy team and our designer.
- Support the Public Affairs lead to develop policy products for use in parliamentary engagement.
- Working closely with our Research Lead, identify evidence gaps and policy research questions which are relevant to our policy work to support new positions and generate new ideas for research or evidence collection which help achieve our policy goals.
- Work where needed with external contractors in the delivery of specific pieces of work, setting clear expectations and holding them accountable for delivery.
- Stakeholder engagement
- Develop and maintain a strong civil society network of stakeholders, working to broaden the support base for specific policies.
- Participate in coalitions of organisations who are campaigning together on specific areas of policy change.
- Develop and maintain relationships with junior civil servants in key departments across all policy areas.
- Work with the Citizens Engagement Manager to identify opportunities to bring Adult and Young Food Ambassadors into policy activities and research.
- Represent the Food Foundation and present our work in external events and meetings with relevant audiences and the media.
- Budgets and fundraising
- Administer grants which support our projects and ensure that funders are kept well informed, receive timely reports and that budgets are kept on track.
- Maintain good relationships with funders according to their requirements and provide input to proposals and funding bids.
Communications and campaigns
- Develop a comprehensive approach to dissemination of our policy outputs so they reach our intended audiences.
- Act as a local/regional media spokesperson, brief journalists, and respond to media queries.
- Contribute policy and evidence expertise to support campaign delivery.
- Contribute policy expertise to press releases, newsletters, web copy, podcasts and blogs.
- Support the maintenance of website pages related to project areas.
- Draft social media posts and newsletters.
Personal Profile
Technical skills:
- Knowledge and understanding of the food system, food and nutrition and/or health policy and policy levers for change.
- Strong knowledge of the mechanics of the UK policy-making landscape, including the workings of Westminster and Whitehall.
- Proven experience in synthesising evidence and using evidence to make a case for change.
- Proven experience in writing reports and briefings for different audiences, with the ability to explain complex and highly nuanced subject matter in plain English.
- Previous experience working in a policy role, refining policy asks and communicating these with different stakeholders
- Excellent analytic skills and close attention to detail.
Personal skills:
- Proven experience in budget management, project management and reporting to funders.
- Proven experience in managing multiple projects concurrently to tight deadlines and prioritising workload.
- Strong interpersonal skills and experience working collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
- Strong presentation skills and confidence in speaking to external audiences.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
- Ability to problem-solve and manage risk.
- Ability to work independently and manage own time effectively.
- Ability to build strong relationships with all members of the team.
- Open to giving and receiving challenging viewpoints.
- Resilience and tenacity whilst recognising the need for self-awareness and the impact of actions on others and the organisation.
- Willingness to travel for project meetings and dissemination events.
- A confident networker who enjoys building connections and relationships with new people.
This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity only. The Food Foundation is a small charity and as such all staff are expected to vary their duties as necessary to meet the needs of the organisation.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Our vision is a sustainable food system which delivers health and wellbeing for all.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.
Peterborough Citizens is part of Citizens UK, a nationwide alliance that brings together local groups to campaign for social justice and community improvement. In Peterborough, it works with schools, faith groups, and community organisations to address issues like housing, safety, and opportunity. We’ve been active for five years, building local leadership and creating positive change through collective action.
This role will focus on delivering the Pride in Place: Listening to Leadership programme across Peterborough. The Community Organiser will support the delivery of a 12-month programme that moves from listening → action → leadership, building long-term community power and neighbourhood governance. The role combines core community organising practice with structured delivery of engagement, analysis, and leadership development.
Community Organising
Through our theory of social change, called community organising, we train thousands of everyday people to lead change in their communities, equipping them with the skills to hold politicians and other powerholders to account. We are made up of 500+ member organisations in powerful alliances throughout the UK. Our members include schools, universities, faith groups, parents’ groups, health practices, charities, trade unions and other civil society organisations.
Purpose
At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.
Main Responsibilities
As a Pride in Place Community Organiser with Peterborough Citizens, you will use the Citizens UK method to build relationships across civic institutions—such as schools, faith groups, and community organisations—to develop local leaders and strengthen their collective power. You will lead a broad listening campaign to surface shared concerns, support communities to identify priorities, and co-create strategies that turn those issues into winnable campaigns, including engaging decision-makers and organising public actions. Grounded in the belief that local people can shape their neighbourhoods, you will help deliver tangible “you said, we did” outcomes, build sustainable structures for resident voice and accountability, and contribute to the wider Pride in Place initiative by embedding long-term community leadership and change.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.