Content & Creative Manager

The opportunity you've been waiting for

By 2028, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland wants to reach 175,000 people every year. Every one of them will meet CHSS through a story, a design or a piece of content first. This role decides how good that first impression is.

CHSS has brought storytelling, copywriting and design together into one creative function. You'll lead it. You'll set the content and design strategy, shape a talented team of four and make creative work a driving force behind the No Life Half Lived strategy.

How you'll make your mark

Reporting to the Head of Communications & Marketing, you'll manage a Senior Designer (who has one direct report) and two Content & Stories Officers. You'll work alongside the Digital Marketing Manager and Strategic Communications Manager to plan integrated campaigns that hang together.

Key deliverables

• Lead CHSS's content and design strategy across print and digital, testing new formats and the smart use of AI.
• Transform how lived experience stories are gathered, managed and published, building a strong and diverse story pipeline.
• Make sharing a story a positive experience for contributors, with consent and data protection built in from the start.
• Deliver flagship outputs including the annual report, State of the Nation content, policy reports and Buzz.
• Create fundraising appeal, retail and service content that gets people donating, volunteering and calling the Advice Line.
• Run a clear team workflow, from brief to sign-off, so projects land on time and colleagues know where they stand.
• Set impact measures and an always-on test and learn approach that keeps content improving.
• Lead organisation-wide improvements, including the brand hub and photography and videography management.
• Own copywriting standards across CHSS and help colleagues create strong content of their own.
• Build a preferred supplier list and manage freelancers and agencies for quality and value for money.

What you bring

• 5+ years in content creation, design or creative leadership, including at least 2 years managing people.
• A track record of leading brand development or a rebrand.
• Experience in the production process and putting in place new ways of working
• A supportive management style that keeps a busy team focused and motivated.
• Experience briefing freelancers and agencies, and managing supplier budgets and contracts.
• Confidence advising senior stakeholders on complex and sensitive content.
• Experience improving systems and processes, and embedding EDI principles in communications.
• Familiarity with tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, WordPress or Drupal, and accessibility checkers like Siteimprove or WAVE.
• A degree in communications, design or a related field, or equivalent experience. CIPR or CIM membership is a plus.

What's in it for you

• A 32.5-hour full-time week, with flexible working available.
• 36 days' annual leave in your first year, rising to 42. You can buy up to a week more each year.
• 8% Pension inc 5% employer contribution, plus life assurance at two times salary
• Medicash health cash plan and the Help@Hand app, with remote GP, physiotherapy and unlimited counselling sessions.
• A departmental learning budget, personal development plans, and study leave with exam support.
• Enhanced family leave, 24 hours of volunteering leave a year, cycle to work and Blue Light Card discounts.
• Leadership of a newly unified creative function, with the scope to shape how it works.

A bit more about Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

CHSS supports people across Scotland living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and long Covid. Its services, shops, volunteers and campaigns reach communities the length of the country.

The No Life Half Lived strategy runs to 2028 and sets a clear target: reach 175,000 people a year. Content and creative work sit at the heart of how CHSS will get there.

Bringing stories, copy and design into one team is a deliberate move. This role exists to lead that team and prove what it can do.

Denholm's take

The best charity content is built on real stories, told well and gathered with care. CHSS knows this and has restructured to put it at the centre. That's a strong signal.

You'll inherit a capable team, a clear strategic target and the licence to rebuild how stories travel through the organisation. For a creative leader who wants their work measured in people reached, this one is worth a look.

Get in touch with the Denholm team for a confidential conversation.