Project Background

The Lochwinnoch Parish church is a class “A” listed building, completed in 1808, with important ties to the community through a unique history leading to its construction. The church was closed in 2020 and LCDT have recently acquired the building from the Church of Scotland with the intention of securing its future as a valuable part of the community by restoring, renovating and bringing it back into use for the benefit of the community.

Our plan is to refurbish the building and create a community space that could be used to host activities such as weddings and musical events, as well as wide engagement from groups within the community.

With the support of funding from the Scottish Land Fund, Architectural Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland and National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are commencing the development phase that will lead towards creating the plan for the capital refurbishment of the building.

Project Current Status and Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Project Co-ordinator to support the project development phase to create a new community centre in Lochwinnoch.

This role will lead in co-ordinating a £4m capital works plan, creating buy-in to save and repurpose this historic building, overseeing the project to budget and on time, maintaining stakeholder relationships, and enabling the creation of a revitalised community centre.

You will work closely with the project steering group as well as with the wider team, Board of Directors, external stakeholders, project consultants, architects and contractors, overseeing finance, design and planning to RIBA 3, and funding dependent, lead into construction and through to post project review.

Ensuring community engagement is essential to ensure the ongoing long-term sustainability of the venue. It will depend upon flexibility of spaces and maximization of commercial opportunities to ensure its long-term success.

This is a rare opportunity to play a key role in revitalising a building that will deliver a mix of facilities to meet the needs of the community and provide creative opportunities to generate income streams to support the running of the building.

Scope of Work

Reporting to the Chair of LCDT and working with the team, this role will act as client lead for a multi-disciplinary design team, taking the project from RIBA 0-3 with the possibility of extension to RIBA 4-6, funding dependent.

You will:

• Lead the project for LCDT and act as client representative with design teams, consultants, funders and stakeholders, advocating for and securing support for project success
• Collaborate with consultants and teams to deliver a range of aims and strategies in line with project objectives
• Manage the project lifecycle through consultation, design and integration
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships throughout the project lifecycle
• Perform the project management role, ensuring briefs are agreed, contracts are in place, works managed to time and to budget, and health and safety standards adhered to
• Ensure robust financial and risk management monitoring is in place and maintain commercial awareness in areas that may impact the project
• Monitor and report on progress in line with organisation and funders requirements

Funding and project continuation dependent:

• Scope, develop, plan and coordinate the successful delivery of the programme of works
• Manage the appointed contracts, ensuring quality of build to cost and time, ensuring H&S compliance and risk mitigation
• Liaise with the Design Team and their contractors, on behalf of LCDT
• Manage the project lifecycle through construction, completion, handover and post project review

Knowledge & Experience Required

To be successful as our Project Manager, you will have:

• A proven track record in delivering a capital project, preferably in a conservation or heritage setting
• Experience of building positive relationships, collaborating with organisations and creating an inclusive culture
• Experience of appointing and managing consultants and contractors
• Experience of procurement and budget management; and reporting on progress against budget and programme
• Confident in stakeholder engagement and management
• Knowledge and experience of delivering to RIBA stages
• Experience of liaising with multi-disciplinary design teams
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to tailor presentation to different audiences
• Understanding of the cultural sector

Timetable This role will start November 2025, initially for 12-18 months with an on-site requirement. Pending further success with funding, this project will continue through to delivery of the capital works from 2027 onwards.

To submit a proposal for consideration, please submit the following:

CV and Cover letter outlining your experience and skills, explaining why you are the right candidate

Relevant case studies of successful projects (max 3)

Fee proposal – inclusive of expenses and VAT

Proposed framework of delivery

2 References (to be taken up prior to commencement of the role)

Send a submission to chair@lochwinnochtrust.org.uk

Deadline 5pm 17th October 2025