Background

Deafblind Scotland is the specialist charity working with adults living with Deafblindness (dual sensory loss). Our ambitions are high for members and we are therefore at the cutting edge of finding ways to support people to lead their most meaningful life. Deafblind people are at the centre of all that we do and staff endeavour to work side by side with those who understand what it means to live with this condition. Deafblindness can be a devastating condition that can make daily life extremely challenging and as a result, many people living with Deafblindness become isolated. Our services can make a vital difference to their lives; enabling people to regain confidence, gain vital communication skills and re-establish social connections. Some people may acquire the loss of both senses where others may be born Deaf or with Visual Impairment and lose the other sense in adulthood through conditions such as Ushers Syndrome.

Purpose of Job

As the Business Development Officer you will be responsible for the identification and development of business and sponsorship opportunities for income generation. This will include Charity of the Year, promotion of our legacy fundraising, and managing relationships with individual fundraisers. One specific area of development will be leading on the creation of our Corporate Partnership programme The role is also responsible for building a robust pipeline of new and potential funders, writing and submitting compelling funding proposals and applications that showcase the amazing work of Deafblind Scotland. Specifically to support us to grow the charity’s services and programmes with income from trusts and foundations, lottery bodies and other grant makers of all sizes.

This is a great opportunity to lead one of Scotland’s key heritage organisations based in the Trust’s dedicated office at the charitable hub in Stirling, adjacent to the HES Engine Shed.

This post is being advertised as the current Trust Manager is retiring in late summer/ early autumn 2025. It is anticipated that there will be some overlap to enable the new manager to have a handover period to support the transition into the role. The possible start date for the successful applicant is flexible but likely to be August or September 2025.

As Trust Manager you would:

• Be responsible for all the operational activities of SCHT and act as the pivotal link between SCHT staff, its Board, its funders and key external stakeholder groups.
• Provide strong, decisive, clear and consistent leadership of SCHT.
• Manage the budgets, funding reporting and staff.
• Ensure effective delivery of all SCHT projects.

To meet this role, we seek an individual with:

• Degree or Postgraduate qualification in Architecture, Building Conservation, Planning, Building Surveying or other relevant discipline.
• Experience of organisational leadership, staff management and leading a team.
• Technical expertise in building conservation; knowledge and practical experience of traditional building materials, techniques and projects.
• Sound financial management experience and excellent numerical skills.
• A passion for Scotland’s traditional buildings and an enthusiastic approach to feed into the development of the service.

The Development Manager – Connecting communities will assist in identifying, targeting and participating in a key number of local and national strategic partnership projects, programmes and initiatives which have the potential to make a special contribution to the regeneration of coalfield communities.

You will be able to liaise with other programme staff and departments to co-ordinate project activity and investment opportunities and contribute to corporate goals ensuring the Trust delivers excellent capacity building support and quality investments.

The role will involve contributing towards the delivery of the Trust’s Strategy, Operational plan and overall objectives by delivering approved programmes to meet: spend, output and outcome targets.

Knowledge and understanding of the issues facing disadvantaged communities is required along with a flexible and adaptable approach to work.

Proven experience in successful programme and project management and awareness of current policy and funding regimes and how these are delivered at regional and local levels is required.

Organisation Profile

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) is the only community wealth building charity dedicated to the regeneration of Britain’s coalfield communities. For over 25 years, the CRT has worked with communities to deliver a breadth of projects creating opportunities for people, strengthening the role of community organisations and identifying place based solutions responsive to the challenges still experienced in former coalmining towns and villages. To support delivery, the CRT has developed an innovative community wealth-building model generating sustainable income to deliver both social and economic value. Enabled by engaging key stakeholders, partners and, most importantly the communities, activities delivered are personalised to meet the needs of the people, the organisations and the place.

The Assistant Programme Manager will help coordinate and manage day-to-day operations. By working closely with other teams across Energy Saving Trust, they will develop and establish new processes and procedures across the programme to achieve high levels of customer service, operational efficiency, and performance management.

Who we are

Energy Saving Trust is a leading and trusted organisation, dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use. We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as we transition to net zero.

At Energy Saving Trust we don’t just offer jobs – we offer careers. For our people, being part of the effort to address the climate emergency makes working for us truly meaningful and rewarding.

Here are some of the benefits we offer:

• 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional leave earned through length of service
• Three extra days off over the Christmas period as a gesture of goodwill
• A competitive pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Flexibility in our ways of working – work from home, in the office, or a mix of both, depending on your role
• Two paid volunteering days per year – a chance to give back to the causes that matter most to you.

Please see our careers page for the full list of benefits we have to offer and why Energy Saving Trust is a great place to work.

The team

Business Energy Scotland is one of the key advice and support services at Energy Saving Trust and is funded by the Scottish Government to provide free and impartial support to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) save energy, carbon, and money. As Scottish businesses try to overcome the twin challenges of high energy prices and playing their part in reducing carbon emissions, our work is more important than ever. We train, coach, challenge and guide our people within a welcoming and supportive team, and pride ourselves on pulling together to deliver excellent service for our customers. You will be encouraged to share ideas and drive innovation within a team that values collaboration and individual input, and we draw on the experience and diverse skills of our team members to deliver impactful support for Scottish SMEs in response to the climate emergency.

The role

This role is central to helping the service deliver effective, high-quality advice and support to enable the installation of energy efficiency, low carbon heat and renewables projects, making SMEs more competitive and helping them on their journey towards Net Zero.

What you’ll do

• Work closely with the Business Energy Scotland programme manager to manage and coordinate operational and change activities towards programme targets.
• Set and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to quality assurance and produce reports to demonstrate impact.
• Drive technical innovation and improvement to advice and support provision.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the programme to continually drive service improvement.

What you’ll bring

• Experience of energy efficiency, low-carbon heat, and renewable technologies in buildings.
• Excellent organisation skills. Results orientated with the ability to work independently to deadlines and prioritise work as required.
• Experience of delivering a high standard of customer service.