Marie Curie

Senior Strategic Communications Manager

The closing date is 15 June 2025

Job summary

Are you a strategic storyteller with a passion for purpose-driven communication? Join us at Marie Curie and lead the charge in aligning, planning, and strengthening our messaging to support people at the end of life.

Main duties of the job

Do you want to apply your strategic communications skills for a good cause? Join one of the UKs best known charities, Marie Curie, as we sharpen our communications to be more strategic, integrated, and insight-driven.

About us

Every day of your life matters - from the first to the last. When you work for Marie Curie, you understand that better than ever. We're a passionate, committed and diverse team of more than 4,400 staff and 12,000 volunteers, here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support, to help them get the most from the time they have left. Everyone knows our daffodil, but it's our warmth, creativity and care that touch lives. Here, we take the time to really get to know the people we care for and those who love them. And we do whatever it takes to give them the final days and hours they deserve.

Details

Date posted

04 June 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£44,550 to £49,489 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

6378

Job locations

1EG

London

SW11 7BW


Job description

Job responsibilities

Want to apply your strategic communications skills for a good cause? Join one of the UKs best known charities, Marie Curie, as we sharpen our communications to be more strategic, integrated, and insight-driven.

In this newly created role, you will lead the charity's approach to strategic communications, ensuring alignment with our wider organisational strategy. You will utilise your experience, knowledge, and influencing skills to advise senior leaders and key stakeholders. Additionally, you will guide cross-functional teams and oversee high-impact projects. Your passion for audience insights will shape how audiences understand and engage with Marie Curie.

Join our ambitious, motivated and welcoming department.

Main responsibilities:

  • Develop, manage, and optimise theMarketing Communications strategy, ensuring alignment across channels, teams, and priorities.
  • Lead strategic communications planning, translating organisational goals into actionable, audience-led communications plans.
  • Develop and overseekey messaging frameworksand thematic narratives based on insight and research.
  • Manage cross-departmentalaudience insight initiatives, including segmentation, message testing, and establishing a shared insights repository.
  • Monitor and report on performance against strategy and KPIs, using data to support continuous improvement.
  • Advise and work closely with senior management, internal communications, teams across the income, innovation and engagement directorate and external agencies.
  • Act asoperational lead for crisis communications, coordinating responses and ensuring preparedness through robust planning and documentation.
  • Oversee external agencies and ensure strategic alignment and delivery of contracted work.
  • Line manage the Strategic Communications Manager and lead matrix teams on key projects.

Key Criteria:

  • Extensive experience in a senior communications role, with a strong track record of developing and delivering integrated, high-impact strategic communication strategies.
  • Confident and persuasive communicator with excellent writing, planning, and leadership skills. Proven ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all organisational levels.
  • Expertise in audience segmentation, insight analysis, and message testing to ensure communications are targeted, relevant, and effective.
  • Demonstrated experience overseeing issues and crisis communications.
  • Experience leading relationships with external agencies to ensure alignment and quality delivery.
  • Skilled in managing agency partnerships and working across teams. Highly capable of prioritising tasks and managing multiple projects and campaigns to meet deadlines.
  • Previous experience in the charity, health, or non-profit sectors is advantageous.

Application & Interview Process

  • As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV and Cover Letter. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.
  • Close date for applications:June 15th, 2025.We recommend submitting applications early, as the application process may be closed once a sufficient number of qualified candidates have applied.

Salary: £44,550 49,489 per annum + £3,500 London Weighting Allowance if applicable

Contract:Permanent, full-time (35 hours per week)

Based:Hybrid. Home-based and 1-2 days a week in the Embassy Gardens office in London.

Benefits youll LOVE:

  • Flexible working. Were happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage.
  • 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays)
  • Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%)
  • Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets
  • Continuous professional development opportunities.
  • Industry-leading training programmes
  • Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes
  • Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits
  • Access to Blue Light Card membership
  • Subsidised Eye Care

Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work. We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.

We are committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We're happy to accommodate any requests for reasonable adjustments. Please email any requests torecruitment@mariecurie.org.uk

Job description

Job responsibilities

Want to apply your strategic communications skills for a good cause? Join one of the UKs best known charities, Marie Curie, as we sharpen our communications to be more strategic, integrated, and insight-driven.

In this newly created role, you will lead the charity's approach to strategic communications, ensuring alignment with our wider organisational strategy. You will utilise your experience, knowledge, and influencing skills to advise senior leaders and key stakeholders. Additionally, you will guide cross-functional teams and oversee high-impact projects. Your passion for audience insights will shape how audiences understand and engage with Marie Curie.

Join our ambitious, motivated and welcoming department.

Main responsibilities:

  • Develop, manage, and optimise theMarketing Communications strategy, ensuring alignment across channels, teams, and priorities.
  • Lead strategic communications planning, translating organisational goals into actionable, audience-led communications plans.
  • Develop and overseekey messaging frameworksand thematic narratives based on insight and research.
  • Manage cross-departmentalaudience insight initiatives, including segmentation, message testing, and establishing a shared insights repository.
  • Monitor and report on performance against strategy and KPIs, using data to support continuous improvement.
  • Advise and work closely with senior management, internal communications, teams across the income, innovation and engagement directorate and external agencies.
  • Act asoperational lead for crisis communications, coordinating responses and ensuring preparedness through robust planning and documentation.
  • Oversee external agencies and ensure strategic alignment and delivery of contracted work.
  • Line manage the Strategic Communications Manager and lead matrix teams on key projects.

Key Criteria:

  • Extensive experience in a senior communications role, with a strong track record of developing and delivering integrated, high-impact strategic communication strategies.
  • Confident and persuasive communicator with excellent writing, planning, and leadership skills. Proven ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all organisational levels.
  • Expertise in audience segmentation, insight analysis, and message testing to ensure communications are targeted, relevant, and effective.
  • Demonstrated experience overseeing issues and crisis communications.
  • Experience leading relationships with external agencies to ensure alignment and quality delivery.
  • Skilled in managing agency partnerships and working across teams. Highly capable of prioritising tasks and managing multiple projects and campaigns to meet deadlines.
  • Previous experience in the charity, health, or non-profit sectors is advantageous.

Application & Interview Process

  • As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV and Cover Letter. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.
  • Close date for applications:June 15th, 2025.We recommend submitting applications early, as the application process may be closed once a sufficient number of qualified candidates have applied.

Salary: £44,550 49,489 per annum + £3,500 London Weighting Allowance if applicable

Contract:Permanent, full-time (35 hours per week)

Based:Hybrid. Home-based and 1-2 days a week in the Embassy Gardens office in London.

Benefits youll LOVE:

  • Flexible working. Were happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage.
  • 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays)
  • Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%)
  • Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets
  • Continuous professional development opportunities.
  • Industry-leading training programmes
  • Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes
  • Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits
  • Access to Blue Light Card membership
  • Subsidised Eye Care

Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work. We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.

We are committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We're happy to accommodate any requests for reasonable adjustments. Please email any requests torecruitment@mariecurie.org.uk

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Best practice strategic
  • communications planning
  • principles and stakeholder
  • management.
  • Audience insights practices
  • including theme and message
  • testing, audience segmentation.
  • Marketing and Communications
  • measurement, including full funnel modelling, KPIs and
  • outcomes.

Desirable

  • Best practice crisis
  • communications

Experience

Essential

  • Developing and implementing
  • integrated communications
  • strategies and plans.
  • Building insights and evaluation
  • into all communications activity
  • - and using the knowledge
  • acquired to shape excellent
  • communications
  • Procuring agencies to
  • undertake work.

Desirable

  • Setting up a Strategic
  • Communications function within
  • an organisation for the first time
  • Working in a charity, not-for profit or health related
  • organisation.
  • Convening and managing a
  • matrix team (or of managing a
  • team directly) to deliver agreed
  • work or strategy.
  • Issues and crisis management
  • Management of agencies,
  • alongside functional leads.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Best practice strategic
  • communications planning
  • principles and stakeholder
  • management.
  • Audience insights practices
  • including theme and message
  • testing, audience segmentation.
  • Marketing and Communications
  • measurement, including full funnel modelling, KPIs and
  • outcomes.

Desirable

  • Best practice crisis
  • communications

Experience

Essential

  • Developing and implementing
  • integrated communications
  • strategies and plans.
  • Building insights and evaluation
  • into all communications activity
  • - and using the knowledge
  • acquired to shape excellent
  • communications
  • Procuring agencies to
  • undertake work.

Desirable

  • Setting up a Strategic
  • Communications function within
  • an organisation for the first time
  • Working in a charity, not-for profit or health related
  • organisation.
  • Convening and managing a
  • matrix team (or of managing a
  • team directly) to deliver agreed
  • work or strategy.
  • Issues and crisis management
  • Management of agencies,
  • alongside functional leads.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Marie Curie

Address

1EG

London

SW11 7BW


Employer's website

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Marie Curie

Address

1EG

London

SW11 7BW


Employer's website

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Senior Strategic Communications Manager

Recruitment Team

recruitment@mariecurie.org.uk

Details

Date posted

04 June 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£44,550 to £49,489 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

6378

Job locations

1EG

London

SW11 7BW


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