Charity registered in Scotland SC007410
The External Relations Manager is a new role which is being added to the National Trust for Scotland’s successful Communications Team during a time of transition within the Audiences & Support Directorate.
The role is responsible for leading the development of the Trust’s advocacy for conservation, including campaigning initiatives, coordinating activity aimed at a wide public audience.
Working with internal and external partners, it will deliver a strategic programme of external relations, which is heavily focused on the Trust’s nature conservation work and supporting its Plan for Nature.
The role leads the operational delivery of the advocacy elements of the strategic framework for communications established by the Head of Communications. It also supports corporate communications activity, including key annual publications like the annual accounts and annual review and the Annual General Meeting.
The post will lead stakeholder engagement, advocacy and corporate communications activity to support the Trust’s ambition to speak up for nature and heritage, while the Communications Manager retains accountability for media relations, press activity, campaign communications, editorial planning and proactive PR.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Horizon-scan media coverage relating to heritage, conservation, policy and political developments, keeping senior leaders and key internal stakeholders informed of relevant issues, debates and opportunities.
- Work with the Conservation & Policy and Audiences & Support teams to review, refine and deliver the Speaking Up for Heritage programme, ensuring it reflects Trust priorities, capacity and the Scottish and rest of UK political context.
- Develop and deliver an agreed programme of external relations activity, , integrating with colleagues across communications, marketing, policy and audience priorities to maximise impact and working with communications partners as required.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including the communication teams of Scotland-based nature, conservation and heritage organisations, and act as the key contact for the Trust’s ambassador, ensuring requests for input and support are prioritised appropriately.
- Provide proactive and reactive external affairs and stakeholder engagement advice to colleagues, senior leaders and Trustees, working with the Communications Manager where issues have media or reputational implications, and drawing on the Trust’s public policy positions.
- Work collaboratively with the Communications Manager to ensure external affairs activity is aligned with wider communications priorities, while recognising that media relations, press office activity and proactive PR campaigns sit with that role.
- Support and strengthen the infrastructure needed for effective advocacy activity, including spokesperson support, media training, staff protection frameworks, intranet resources, website content and content-generation structures.
- Responsible for coordinating and delivering agreed corporate communications outputs including, including annual publications, external corporate documents, relevant owned-channel content and the Trust’s hybrid Annual General Meeting, working with content owners and other teams as required.
- Contribute specialist content and advice for internal communications relating to corporate activity, external affairs and key advocacy initiatives, working with communications colleagues as required.
- Attend and contribute to key cross-directorate meetings, ensuring activity is integrated with Trust-wide communications, public policy, marketing and audience strategies, and remain flexible to work non-traditional hours and travel within the UK when required.
The current duties of this job do not require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.
Estate Supervisor
- Full time
- £33,245
- On site: Mar Lodge Estate, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5YJ
- Closing 23rd October 2026
Job Purpose
The Estate Supervisor will lead the estate team at Mar Lodge. The role will primarily involve responsibility for delivering all aspects of estate maintenance, including buildings and utilities, vehicles, tracks, forestry and farmland infrastructure. We are therefore looking for a candidate who is highly organised with general abilities who values working within a flexible and supportive team culture, and who would uphold the values of the Trust. The ideal candidate will be passionate about promoting nature recovery in the largest National Nature Reserve in Britain.
Context
Mar Lodge Estate is made up of more than 29,000 hectares of inspiring Scottish landscape: heather covered moorland, Caledonian pine forest, towering mountains and the Quoich wetlands, home to wading birds and otters. There are 15 Munros here, including 4 of the 5 highest mountains in the UK. The wild beauty of Mar Lodge Estate unfolds around our 19th century shooting lodge, which is used for both holiday accommodation and events.
The beautiful ancient pinewoods that surround the Lodge are home to red squirrels and pine martens as well as birds such as the crossbill and black grouse. We have a wide range of landscape conservation projects underway, including woodland regeneration through deer reduction, footpath repair and peatland restoration.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Planning
• Manage maintenance and compliance master sheets so that all works are planned according to priority, recorded in terms of progress and accurate costings tracked.
Building Maintenance
• Carrying out property condition/safety and fire safety checks and inspections in line with Safe Systems of Work.
• Identifying, initiating and monitoring contractor repair work, both in house and by external contractors, in line with contractor management procedures, and legislation.
• Maintaining on-line records in relation to the elements above to ensure compliance with legislation.
Forestry interventions.
• Plan felling and thinning rotation in accordance with the Mar Lodge Estate management objectives and long-term forest plan in conjunction with the ecology team. The estate supervisor will be involved in the periodic review of the aforementioned documents.
• Manage thinning, timber harvesting and transport operations. Manage the periodic safety inspections of trees and any subsequent necessary interventions.
Infrastructure maintenance and compliance.
• Oversee operation and maintenance of infrastructure on the estate, including roads, bridges, private water supplies, district heat network, solar panels, sewage treatment and biomass heating system.
Asset Control
• Keep an inventory of all estate tools, plant, vehicles and equipment and ensure they are securely stored and audited periodically
Grounds/Farmland maintenance.
• Work with the estate manager, conservation manager and the visitor services manager to update and deliver a landscape plan for the Mar Lodge Policies/designated landscape.
• Provide practical support on the delivery of conservation projects, such as peatland restoration.
• Erect and maintain fencing, manage conservation hay meadows and wetland interventions, manage hedgerows, manage formal lawns and garden shrubbery.
Health and Safety
• Prepare risk assessments for all activities undertaken by the estate team in accordance with Health & Safety legislation tasks. Record and report accidents, incidents and near misses as appropriate. In conjunction with others (Estate Manager, VSM, NTS H&S Team), prepare Fire Risk Assessments for estate buildings. Lead on delivery of remedial actions. Other necessary H&S administration (COSHH, HAVs recording, etc).
• In line with stated Trust policies and approaches to ensure the health and welfare of staff/volunteers and visitors in compliance with legislation.
Advocacy
• Contribute where appropriate to Trust membership recruitment.