Scotland’s leading nature conservation charity is looking to co-opt a Trustee for the position of Vice- Chair (Finance). This role includes being a Vice Chair of the Trust and Chair of our Finance & Audit Committee, a sub-committee which reports into our main Board of Trustees (“Council”) and provides vital governance oversight of financial & risk management, as well as other support functions at the Trust. The candidate is required to have extensive experience in financial management and leadership (albeit it not necessarily in the third sector) in order to reinforce its governing body’s knowledge and expertise in this vital area.

For over 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.

Nature conservation has never been more important, and this is an exceptional opportunity to join a vibrant and committed Board of Trustees, which provides the governance function for the charity.

Most members of Council are directly elected by the membership, but this will be a co-opted position.

The successful candidate will have:

• Extensive experience in financial management and leadership; additionally, experience focused on the third/charitable sector would be desirable
• Experience with investment management, so as to be able to provide oversight of our investment portfolio performance, strategy and the appointed investment managers
• Ability to think strategically and differentiate between strategy and operations
• Ability to constructively challenge fellow Trustees and senior management
• A strong personal commitment to environmental issues and the Trust’s mission and values

The post is without remuneration, but reasonable out-of-pocket expenses may be reclaimed.

If you would like to play a role in achieving the Trust’s vision of a network of healthy, resilient ecosystems across Scotland’s land and seas, we would love to hear from you.

Wild fish and their waters need your help. Will you join us in making a difference?

WildFish is a charity dedicated to conserving wild fish and their aquatic habitats.

We are looking for a bright and experienced individual, a self-starter with experience of leading high-profile campaigns, to join our team in an exciting new phase of our work to rein in the damaging impacts of salmon farming. You will lead the charity’s Off the table campaign (offthetable.org.uk).

A passion for improving wild fish populations and aquatic habitats is essential. Knowledge of sustainable food systems and the hospitability sector would be a plus. You'll play a pivotal role in amplifying our voice in the media and driving awareness of the critical issues facing wild fish populations.

Key Responsibilities

• Helping to develop, manage and drive forward the Off the table (OTT) campaign and communications
• Building links and partnerships with external stakeholders in the hospitality sector, media, charity/voluntary sector and government.
• Maintaining a suite of communication aides, including website, hard copy and/or digital communications, images, video, film – to support the narrative.
• Acting as a campaign spokesperson, in the media and at conferences (this may include international travel).
• Working with our campaigning team to increase awareness of the damaging impacts and unsustainability of salmon farming.
• Supporting with investigations/research into salmon farming industry in Scotland.

Personal Requirements

• Demonstrable experience of running a multi-stakeholder campaign with successful outcomes.
• A confident communicator, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, who is comfortable talking to a diverse range of stakeholders with different interests, perspectives and personalities.
• Prepared to take the initiative and manage own workload, reacting to shifting priorities as required.
• Able to travel around UK and occasionally internationally.
• IT skills (Microsoft Office, GIS, website management, social media) and project planning, organisation and delivery experience.

Desirable

• Academic training or equivalent practical experience in a relevant environmental/ biological discipline.
• Experience of digital campaigning

What We Offer

• Salary: £30,000–£35,000 (dependent on experience).
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays.
• Additional leave during the festive season.
• Flexible and remote working arrangements, with fortnightly travel to Salisbury (SP2).
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Pension contributions of 5%.

Diversity and Inclusion

At WildFish, we value diversity and inclusion. We are an equal-opportunity employer and encourage applications from individuals from under-represented groups in the conservation sector. If you don’t meet all the criteria but are passionate about our mission and believe you can contribute, we encourage you to apply.

We have an opportunity for a Strategic Planning Manager to join the Strategic Planning team on a full-time fixed term contract for 12 months. This is a dynamic role where you will co-ordinate the key components of the strategy management system.

It’s an exciting time to join the Fund as we implement our 2030 strategy ‘It Starts with Community’. Our ambitious 3-year Corporate Plan sets stretching goals to guide the organisation’s delivery of the strategy. The Strategic Planning team plays a key role in driving the Fund to achieve our overarching strategic ambitions. Through our strategy, we aim to build resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable. We’re committed to focusing our efforts where the need is greatest, particularly with people, places and communities who experience poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination. We’re eager to make a significant impact in the years ahead.

You will be part of a small, dispersed team working flexibly to meet the needs of our key stakeholders. The team oversees the Fund’s corporate planning, business planning and project/programme management processes to ensure we achieve our strategic ambitions.

You will bring expertise in strategic planning to facilitate the annual business planning process within senior leadership teams across the Fund, supporting directorates to deliver our strategic aspirations. We are looking for someone with a keen eye for detail who can also see the bigger picture. Through a continuous improvement approach you will regularly review our ways of working and be empowered to identify and implement innovative solutions. With your strategic thinking and analytical skills you will contribute to reports to senior leaders to provide assurance, raise issues and support effective decision making.

You will work collaboratively with our wider network of colleagues from across the organisation to deliver our key corporate processes, including the Finance team to ensure alignment between planning and budgeting.

You’ll play a key role in reporting against our strategic transformation and delivery programme, helping the Fund to assess whether we are on track to achieve our goals. You will have a strong background in project delivery, helping to develop and strengthen our internal project management capabilities by rolling out project management tools and templates, and providing coaching and guidance to project leads.

With strong organisational skills you will manage your workload and priorities throughout the year, ensuring that team priorities are met and aligning your efforts with the overall goals of the team. Your strong communication skills and passion will help raise the profile of the team and our work with colleagues across the Fund. There will be some travel expectations, with quarterly face-to-face team meetings within one of our offices.

Are you a confident individual, looking for a role which combines a love for wildlife with your engagement and communication skills? If so, then now is the time to join the Scottish Wildlife Trust as one of our Face-to-Face Membership Recruiters!

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Membership Recruiter to help grow our membership base.

No day is the same for our Membership Recruiters – you will travel around varied, exciting and unique venues throughout Scotland, within a 1 hour radius of your home base, unless otherwise arranged with your line manager. Your days will be spent managing your own membership stall, actively engaging with the public, encouraging and inspiring them to become members of the Trust.

Our membership recruiters are often the first point of contact for people who are yet to learn about our work. And so, whilst the main part of this role is to recruit new members, our recruitment team also work hard to inspire the public to become as passionate as we are about protecting Scotland’s wildlife.

Whilst experience is desirable, we are open to meeting the right fit for our team, and so this position comes with direct training, with your fuel and parking costs paid for on top of your salary and commission.

As a member of our recruitment team, you will:

• Attend venues and events as a Membership Recruiter
• Use appropriate communication and sales techniques (with no ‘hard sell’) to encourage members of the public to join the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

The successful candidate will:

• Be an engaging communicator, able to comfortably create rapport with members of the public and colleagues.
• Be well-organised with good administrative skills.
• Have some knowledge of conservation and wildlife in Scotland. Although a passion for protecting Scotland’s wildlife and nature is most important as knowledge can be increased through training and ongoing support from the trust.
• Preferably have worked in a customer-facing role such as Direct or Field Sales or Customer Service with experience of working to targets.
• Have the flexibility to work weekends.
• Be comfortable with working outdoors and independently.
• Have a full driving licence.

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.

Established in 1936 and one of Scotland’s leading wildlife bodies, the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club is a registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) with some 3500 members. Its purpose is to advance the study and appreciation of birds in Scotland by promoting their documentation, promoting interest in them, promoting their conservation, providing a focus for information about them and encouraging the appreciation of relevant creative arts.

The Club’s headquarters, which also feature a renowned ornithology library, wildlife art gallery and sales outlet, are in Aberlady, East Lothian. Fifteen nationwide Branches are led by members who organise events, outings and projects in their areas. Staff contribute a national series of events, conferences and training activities for members of all ages. Publications include the highly regarded quarterly journal Scottish Birds, mobile app (Where to Watch Birds in Scotland), regional bird reports, e-newsletters and other online media.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Treasurer is a key member of the SOC Council and serves as a trustee of the Charity, with all the associated duties and responsibilities. More details on these responsibilities can be found in the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) guidance for charity trustees: OSCR Guidance.

While professional qualifications are not required, the role requires an interest in the financial operations of the SOC and a broad understanding of financial requirements for charities in Scotland.Further details on the role can be found here.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Elected at the SOC AGM (usually in November) for an initial two-year term, with re-election every two years.
• Provides financial advice and guidance to staff and branch officials as needed.
• Attends Council and Management Committee meetings (each held four times per year) and presents a written financial update at each.
• Convenes and chairs Finance Committee meetings (3–4 per year), reporting recommendations to Council.
• Attends the Club’s AGM (usually in November) to present the End-of-Year Accounts.
• Meets with Brewin Dolphin (SOC’s investment managers) at least annually to review investments and assess risk levels.
• Works with Council to maintain and update SOC’s Investment Policy, including setting reserve levels.
• Regularly liaises with the Finance Officer to ensure smooth financial operations.
• May be consulted on HR issues and trustee induction.
• Out-of-pocket expenses incurred on SOC business are reimbursed.
• SOC FINANCIAL PROCESSES
• The SOC Council has collective responsibility for the Club’s finances.
• The Finance Committee oversees financial strategy and budgeting, meeting 3–4 times a year. It consists of the Treasurer, the Finance Officer, and two other members.
• SOC’s financial year runs from April to March.
• SOC uses Xero for bookkeeping, holds accounts with the Royal Bank of Scotland, and has investments managed by Brewin Dolphin.
• Two staff members, the Treasurer, and a past President (from the Lothian branch) currently have signatory responsibility, with protocols ensuring that transactions over a specified amount require two signatures.
• The Finance Officer manages day-to-day accounting and banking procedures.
• The Treasurer provides financial updates and forecasts to the Council and the Management Committee at each meeting, working closely with the Finance Officer.
• The Treasurer, Finance Officer, and Independent Financial Examiner (currently Whitelaw Wells) oversee the end-of-year financial process, culminating in the submission of the independently examined accounts to OSCR.
• The Club’s core income sources include membership subscriptions, events, sales, commission from artwork sales, and legacies. Legacy income is highly variable, requiring careful financial planning.
• SOC branches maintain some financial independence but provide annual financial summaries to SOC.

Our current Treasurer will remain in position until November 2025.