Strategic Communication Officer

Tobacco kills over 170,000 Pakistanis every year. This is your chance to lead communications that change that — shaping public awareness campaigns, mobilising civil society, and countering industry interference at the highest levels of government.

About the Role

Vital Strategies is seeking an experienced and driven communication professional to lead tobacco control communications in Pakistan. Based in Islamabad, you will be embedded in a high-impact global health team working alongside government partners at city, provincial, and national levels, as well as civil society organisations, to advance evidence-based policy and shift public perception of tobacco-related harm.

This is a rare opportunity to own the full communication cycle — from strategy and campaign development through to production, launch, and evaluation — on work that directly saves lives.

Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute a communication plan to raise risk perception of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, support the adoption and effective implementation of tobacco control policies and counter tobacco industry misinformation.
• Align strategic communication and campaigns with local and national government priorities, integrating strategic partners input throughout.

•     Provide strategic communication counsel on whether and how to respond to legislative developments and industry interference.

•     Collaborate closely with Vital Strategies’ Pakistan team, its industry monitoring focal point, global program leads, government stakeholders and civil society partners.

Campaigns & Media

•     Provide technical support to government agencies on the planning and implementation of evidence-based communication campaigns that build support for public health policies and promote healthy behaviors.

•     Ensure campaign alignment with local and national governmental priorities and other civil society stakeholders.

• Lead campaigns end-to-end: concept, message development and testing, production, media delivery and optimization, launch, and evaluation.
• Develop evidence-based messaging and key messages grounded in country priorities and latest research.
• Manage creative, production, media planning, and research/evaluation vendors.
• Drive dissemination across digital, social, and traditional media platforms.
• Organise campaign launches via press events and stakeholder activations.
• Produce PR materials — key message documents, media statements, press releases, talking points, and presentations.

Stakeholder Coordination & Reporting

• Liaise with Vital Strategies' regional and global tobacco control teams.
• Represent the communications team in partner meetings and public forums.
• Provide leadership with regular updates on policy activity, industry interference, and communication needs.
• Participate in and contribute insights and learning to a global team of public health communication colleagues.
• Write and submit monthly results-focused activity reports.
• Align stakeholders on campaign objectives, strategies, tactics, timelines, roles, and budgets.

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate complex evidence into compelling public messaging.
• Experienced media or communications professional with a strong portfolio of campaign work.
• Genuine passion for public health and reducing preventable disease.
• Politically savvy with an understanding of Pakistan's government landscape and civil society.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Urdu; ability to write for diverse audiences and formats.
• Familiarity with Pakistan's media landscape — print, broadcast, digital, and social.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).
• Self-motivated with excellent time management; able to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.
• Well-organised, detail-oriented, and collaborative.
• Experience with message testing, audience research, or campaign evaluation is an advantage.