Head of Engagement and Communications

Salary: £60,303 - £68,911 (Band F) FTE or £51,688 - £59,067 for 30 hours/week)

Location: Home working, with regular in-person meetings and travel. Office base requirements may be considered.

Job Type: Permanent contract

Hours: 30 hours per week, flexible and part time working can be considered

Closing Date: 23:59pm, 4th October 2026

Interview Date: Expected w/c 23 November

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

Equalities: The Scottish Food Commission is an inclusive organisation and welcomes 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. This role provides the opportunity to lead on shaping how a new national body connects with people and organisations across Scotland’s food system. 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.

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, 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 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.

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 benefits include: member contribution rates among the lowest in the public sector, tax relief on 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 include:

• 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

How to apply: To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button. Please note, we do not accept Curriculum Vitae (CV). Further information regarding the role or about the recruitment process will be available on the Cairngorms National Park Authority website.

Please note that as the Food Commission is still in the early stages of being established, the Cairngorms National Park Authority is providing HR support for recruitment of initial roles.