Jobs in Highland

Could you be part of something different? We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to use their gifts, skills and experience to make a difference to the lives of the people in our parishes and communities.

We are looking for someone to support and develop the missional activity of Culloden & Ardersier Parish Church. You will have a passion for, and relevant experience of, outreach to the local community and working to grow children and youth ministry.

JOB PURPOSE

Join the National Trust for Scotland and support Scotland’s Nature and Heritage. The Highlands and Islands region are seeking an enthusiastic and passionate individual to join the Administration Team based at Balnain House.

As a Receptionist and Administration Assistant you’ll be one of the first people to greet visitors to the regional office and welcome the regional team. You’ll be responsible for providing administration support to the Office Manager and the wider team based at Balnain.

We’re looking for someone who enjoys a varied and dynamic role. You’ll be expected to work with IT and finance systems, book meetings, and undertake general administration duties with efficiency and accuracy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Ensure all general administrative tasks are undertaken efficiently, effectively, and timeously, including (but not limited to):

• Reception
• Inducting staff and visitors to the building
• Property correspondence (email, telephone and mail).
• Filing and record-keeping in line with data protection regulations.
• Facilities support (room bookings, support documentation).
• Data entry of deliveries – weekly, monthly, and ad hoc.
• Diary Management, recording meetings and appointments in diaries.
• Support with developing and preparing reports, and/or presentation material
• Purchase ordering and coordination with suppliers.
• Maintaining stock control for Balnain House including First Aid box, replenishing stock as and when required.
• Assisting in Health and Safety compliance for the building, including the reporting of accidents and incidents, and maintenance of the property’s Safe System of Work documents.

A level of flexibility is expected on occasion to meet the needs of the property.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification in business administration – HND or Diploma – or relevant experience.

Experience

Essential

• Ability and competence to intermediate level in MS packages – Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Possess excellent communication skills (written and oral).
• Must be diligent and accurate with an excellent eye for detail.
• Excellent customer care skills able to demonstrate care to staff, visitors and volunteers.
• Well-developed time management and organisation skills – ability to prioritise workload.
• Ability to embody the Trusts’ values.

Desirable

• Previous experience providing administrative support to several different departments is highly desirable.

Do you have the skills and compassion to make a difference in people’s lives?

We are looking for a Lead Practitioner to join our Apex Scotland team based in the Highlands, supporting people with convictions including those with complex needs to achieve positive, sustained change.

About the Role

As Lead Practitioner, you will take a key role in delivering and developing high-quality support for individuals involved in the justice system. You will provide one-to-one and group-based interventions that help participants build confidence, access training or employment, and strengthen wellbeing and resilience.

Working within a trauma-responsive and person-centred framework, you will:

• Support individuals with a range of convictions and complex barriers to manage their barriers to employment.
• Coordinate and monitor caseloads, ensuring effective action planning, review, and reporting.
• Provide guidance and reflective support to team members, contributing to consistent practice standards.
• Build strong partnerships with local agencies, employers, and stakeholders to enhance opportunities for participants. Including Job searching, applications, prospective employer contact, volunteering and work experience opportunities
• Collect and record data in line with funder requirements and service quality standards.
• Support participants to understand and safely manage disclosure of complex convictions (Full training given)
• Develop appropriate disclosure statements
• Navigate licence conditions and statutory restrictions in relation to employment, training, and volunteering
• Liaise with justice and public protection partners to ensure safe, coordinated and risk-informed progression for individuals
• Provide guidance to employers, where appropriate, to enable safe and sustainable placements

About You

You will bring experience of working with people facing multiple disadvantages, ideally within justice or employability services. You will have strong communication skills, a compassionate and strengths-based approach, and the ability to motivate others towards change. A driving licence is essential.

For the past nine years, Bethany Christian Trust have been delivering a community-based addiction recovery program in Scotland. As the demand for this service grows, we are looking for a candidate who will lead, develop and deliver Bethany’s Bridge to Freedom program within a group setting. A significant part of the role will also be to facilitate and develop recovery and resettlement work in partnership with churches and other organisations around Inverness.

It is essential that you have experience in facilitating, planning and working with vulnerable people in a community setting. A qualification in Social Work, Social Care, Community Education or related discipline is essential, or a willingness to work towards such a qualification.

As Bethany is a Christian organisation this post carries an Occupational Requirement in line with Equality Act 2010. Applicants should have and be able to evidence an active Christian faith and commitment.

Successful applicants for this post will require membership of the PVG scheme.

We are committed to helping our employees flourish personally and professionally. Below are a few examples of the ways we support our employees.

• Bethany provides 30 days of annual leave initially to all contracted staff, rising to a maximum of 40 days depending on length of service.
• Bethany provides enhanced payments for maternity, paternity, and adoption.
• Bethany operates a company pension scheme to which all staff are auto-enrolled, with option to opt out. We will match any staff member’s pension contribution up to a maximum of 5%.
• Bethany provides a death in service benefit scheme.

The post will be one of a team of development officer posts specifically intended to work closely with Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) throughout the Inner Moray Firth. This role will be focused on capacity building role that will support organisations around their governance, board development, or strategic planning as well as health checks. This role will work with organisations who are starting out, going through difficulty, changing their governance or closing down.

The post holder will be responsible for guiding groups around these topics, ensuring that they are informed of the regulatory and legal information necessary.

Working pattern: 14 hours per week, flexible. In-person or hybrid, minimum requirement to be present 1 day/month in Inverness (NB travel costs for in-person days are not covered). The existing staff team work predominantly in-person however we recognise that this Finance Officer role is very well suited to hybrid working. We actively encourage applicants who may be returning to work after a career break, combining the role with caring responsibilities or considering semi-retirement. NB we have carefully scoped the demands of this role and are confident that 14 hours per week is sufficient for the size & complexity of our organisation.

Benefits: We are one of just three charities to have achieved a Highland Employer Charter Gold Award. We are a Disability Confident employer. Our beautiful office is located in the historic Merkinch Welfare Hall. We have a kitchen, showers and changing facilities, free car parking and secure indoor bike parking. We think it’s an amazing place to work! We also provide:

• 14 days annual leave (based on full time allowance of 35 days)
• Time off for training and financial support for training / exam costs
• Modern family friendly working environment including enhanced maternity & parental leave
• 8 days paid sick leave (based on full time allowance of 20 days)
• Flexible working around any caring responsibilities
• Subsidised gym membership

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to work in a small organisation where you can have real impact and real job satisfaction in our friendly small charity. You will see your financial data translating directly into high quality decision making. You'll provide financial advice to the Chief Officer and work closely with our Board of Trustees. We have a very supportive Finance Subcommittee, which currently includes two highly experienced Chartered Accountants.

Primary Purpose of the Role:

The overall purpose of the role is to maintain financial transparency and strong financial controls across the organisation. There will be a focus on managing grants and donations, supplier payments, and internal financial processes. We have a mixed income model with grants, donations and earned income. In 2023 we won ‘One to Watch’ at the Social Enterprise Scotland Awards. As we approach our 5th birthday, your role will be to help us achieve even greater sustainability and impact.

Key Attributes:

If you feel like you might not quite fulfil these criteria, that could just be a sign of healthy professional self-awareness! At heart we are a learning & development organisation, so we would encourage you to apply or get in touch with us for a friendly conversation to learn more.

• Strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
• Experience in a finance, accounting, or bookkeeping role.
• Proactive and self-motivated with strong organizational skills.
• Proficiency with systems such as QuickBooks or Xero, and with MS Excel.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a proactive approach.
• Exceptional organisational skills, ability to prioritise, and work independently
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Preferred:

• Experience either in charity accounting and/or a dynamic commercial environment
• Professional qualification or working toward accreditation (e.g. AAT, ACCA, CIMA)

Key responsibilities:

• Manage all restricted funds paid to our charity, ensuring the grant process runs smoothly from application and receipt all the way through to end of grant reporting.
• Use accounting platform to maintain organised and auditable financial records (we’re currently on Quickbooks but open to your suggestions to move to other systems)
• For our charitable trading income, help us to analyse how our business is performing.
• Work with the Chief Officer to prepare and continuously update 1-year up to 3-year forecasts and budgets (currently on MS Excel but open to your suggestions to move to other systems)
• Preparation and submission of Gift Aid claims / reports
• Prepare quarterly management accounts to our Board of Trustees. NB assistance will be given by the Finance Subcommittee.
• Provide accurate data for our annual Independent Examination and published Annual Accounts, including reporting to OSCR and Companies House. NB again, assistance will be given by the Finance Subcommittee and you will be working with our Independent Examiners who are a well-established firm of charity specialists.

Special features of the role:

Although this role does not involve routine contact with children, working for our youth charity is classed as protected work under the terms of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This position is therefore subject to our rigorous safer recruitment policy. This will include PVG checks, detailed background checks and follow-ups on all references.

The role provides operational leadership across a defined operational area of the Trust’s reserves, ensuring land management, people management and community engagement deliver strong conservation outcomes. It involves leading and developing the local team, supporting volunteers and representing the Trust locally and nationally, whilst building robust relationships. The post oversees planning, delivery and quality assurance of reserve and project work, ensuring compliance with policies, health and safety and regulatory requirements. It also manages budgets, risks and ecological data, embedding evidenced based decision making and maintaining accurate documentation and supporting long-term site and project development. Through this combination of leadership and operational oversight, the role helps safeguard the Trust’s reserves and advance its conservation mission.

Main objectives:

Land management and project delivery

Manage wildlife reserve operations across the North Reserves Management Area, including conservation and land management and monitoring of 6,800 hectares across nine wildlife reserves with a range of habitats, including blanket bog, heaths, fens, maritime cliffs and grasslands, woodlands within the temperate rainforest zone, and montane vegetation communities.

Representation and stakeholder engagement

Build and maintain positive relationships with landowners, volunteers, contractors, communities and interested parties. Represent the Trust professionally at local, regional and national events and meetings, and proactively manage day‑to‑day issues with neighbours and partners.

People management and teamwork

Line manage and develop the operational area team, leading recruitment, induction and performance. Foster a positive organisational culture, support collaboration across teams, and act as the key local contact for members and volunteers. Help recruit, train and retain volunteers, and provide local operational insight to support fundraising, communications and policy work.

Information and operational management

Maintain risk registers, manage budgets, and promote a strong safety culture. Use ecological data to inform decision‑making, ensure data governance compliance, and support effective reporting and monitoring of conservation outcomes through internal systems.

The successful candidate will ideally:

• HND in environmental conservation or similar (essential)
• Degree / post graduate qualification in environmental conservation, countryside management or similar (desirable)
• Minimum three years in similar role – to include experience of management planning and coordinating practical conservation work (essential)
• Health and Safety legislation/procedures relating to outdoor working (essential)
• Evidence-based decision making (essential)
• Demonstrable experience of securing permissions and consents required for conservation and land management activities on Trust managed wildlife reserves, as well as identification, mitigation and management of practical constraints, including but not restricted to environmental, ecological and archaeological (essential)
• Working knowledge of Construction, Design and Management Regulations in context of conservation projects (essential)
• Working knowledge of Controlled Activities Regulations (essential)
• Experience of delivering upland conservation projects including peatland restoration, river restoration, conservation grazing and /or native woodland planting and regeneration.
• Experience of working within rural areas of Scotland.
• Demonstrable knowledge of upland deer management and conservation grazing for nature conservation purposes.
• Demonstrable knowledge of conservation and land management to mitigate against wildfire risk.
• Demonstrable experience of communicating the importance of maintaining and expanding healthy habitats for wildlife and people.

What we offer:

• Salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work & Pension schemes.
• We have always been hugely flexible in our approach to how you wish to work and continue to offer a flexible approach.
• One Wellness Hour per week
• Enhanced Pension rate upon completion of probation
• Sick Pay Allowance
• Enhanced Maternity/ Paternity Leave
• Training and Development

If you would like more information, please email recruitment@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk.

The Trust is a passionate employer, proactive about creating a culture of diversity and inclusive workplace that promotes and values equal opportunities for all. We welcome individuals from all networks of life, backgrounds, and experiences.

About us

For more than 60 years, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has worked with its members, partners and supporters in pursuit of its vision of healthy, resilient ecosystems across Scotland’s land and seas.

The Trust successfully champions the cause of wildlife through policy and campaigning work, demonstrates best practice through practical conservation and innovative partnerships, and inspires people to take positive action through its education and engagement activities. The Trust manages a network of over 100 wildlife reserves across Scotland and is a member of the UK-wide Wildlife Trusts movement.

The benefits

• Flexi time/Hybrid working
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and pension schemes
• Weekly wellness hour
• Generous Sick pay allowance
• Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
• Training and Development focus