Head of External Affairs in City of Westminster

Chefs in Schools exists to improve children's health and futures through better school food and meaningful food education. We work alongside schools and catering teams to transform what children eat every day, particularly in communities facing the greatest barriers to good health. We combine practical support, training, operational expertise and sector influence to help schools serve fresh, nutritious food that children want to eat. We're backed by some of the biggest names in food and are ambitious about both impact and scale. We want every child to have access to excellent school food and a real food education, regardless of background. We are a values-led organisation - bold, honest, collaborative, innovative and focused on solutions. WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS You will lead the delivery of Chefs in Schools External Affairs function, ultimately ensuring there is widespread recognition that poor quality school food is unacceptable. Through integrated media, digital and advocacy work, you'll ensure quality school food is viewed as a vital tool for healthy development and food literacy. You will turn strategic direction into coordinated delivery, leading a multidisciplinary team that increases our influence, strengthens our reputation and helps achieve meaningful improvements in school food. Working closely with External Affairs colleagues and Chief Executive, you will ensure our public profile, policy influence and media work reinforce one another, while creating the management capacity required for a growing organisation. This builds on the new functional structure where media and content, policy and campaigns, and the School Food Review programme all sit within External Affairs. We want Chefs in Schools to become the most trusted and recognisable voice in the conversation around school food and food literacy. This role will play a central part in building that influence and recognition. We are looking for somebody who understands that influence is built through consistency, credibility, creativity and cultural relevance as much as through formal communications activity alone.

What you’ll be responsible for

Leadership

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the External Affairs team.
• Translate organisational strategy into clear plans and objectives.
• Ensure media, content creation, campaigns, policy and coalition activity reinforce one another.
• Set priorities and allocate resources across competing work.
• Develop team capability through coaching, support and performance management.
• Contribute to organisational strategy and annual planning.
• Advise on reputational opportunities and risks.
• Ensure innovation is embedded at the heart of our work and approach.
• Deputise at SLT level where appropriate.
• Represent the organisation externally.
• Build a collaborative, ambitious, solutions-focused culture.

Operational planning

• Develop and oversee the annual External Affairs plan in line with strategy.
• Coordinate campaign calendars, policy priorities, publications and media moments.
• Ensure external activity supports fundraising, programmes and partnerships.
• Monitor delivery against KPIs and adjust plans where required.

Campaigns and public engagement

• Provide strategic oversight of policy development and campaigning.
• Challenge and refine policy recommendations before publication.
• Ensure campaigns are evidence-led and aligned with organisational strategy.
• Support relationships with government, sector leaders and coalition partners.
• Build strong relationships with media, MPs, councillors and key stakeholders.

Media & communications

• Oversee media strategy and organisational messaging.
• Ensure consistency across press, social media, website, publications and events.
• Identify media moments and hard hitting stories that will hit the headlines.
• Sign off major messaging and communications.
• Lead communications planning around major announcements or crises.

School Food Review

• Provide strategic oversight of the School Food Review programme.
• Ensure coalition work complements Chefs in Schools wider influencing strategy.
• Support senior relationships with coalition partners and funders.
• Remove barriers to delivery for the Programme Manager.

Budget & governance

• Manage the External Affairs budget.
• Ensure safeguarding, risk management and governance requirements are met.
• Oversee procurement of agencies and consultants.

Essential experience and skills

• Significant senior leadership experience across media relations, campaigns, policy or public affairs.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong operational planning skills.
• Excellent political judgement.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication.
• Strong project and budget management.
• Comfortable balancing long-term strategy with fast-paced reactive work.
• Strong understanding of the UK media landscape and digital channels.
• Excellent communication skills - written, verbal and visual.
• Experience of working with MPs and other key stakeholders.
• Strong alignment with the mission and values of Chefs in Schools.

Desirable

• Education, food systems or public health experience.
• Coalition leadership.
• Charity senior management.
• Experience working with ministers, journalists and on national campaigns.