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Development Manager

  • Full time
  • £32,000
  • On site: Kinlochleven
  • Closing 29th May 2026


  • Advertised from 6th May 2026
  • 37.5 hours per week. Flexible working by agreement. Fixed-term to 31 March 2027, with the intention to extend to 31 March 2029 — securing the funding to make this possible is part of the role.

Role

Help us turn community ambition into practical delivery in the West Highlands.

About us

Kinlochleven Community Trust (KCT) is the Community Anchor Organisation for our village, set between mountains and sea at the head of Loch Leven in Lochaber. We are a community-led charity managing a range of assets and services that matter locally — from community facilities, paths and woodland to e-bike hire, an AIRES motorhome site and the developing Aluminium Story Museum.

Supported by the Scottish Government / DTAS Strengthening Communities Programme and the Highland Community Regeneration Fund, KCT is entering an important three-year development period. We want to grow income, strengthen systems, deepen community engagement, and explore long-term arrangements for strategic local sites.

The role

We are looking for a Development Manager: a practical, organised and ambitious person who can take community ideas and make them real.

Working closely with the Board, you will lead day-to-day delivery across income generation, asset and lease management, governance, monitoring and reporting, community engagement and partnership working. Income generation is at the heart of the job — a core priority is helping KCT identify and secure the funding needed, through new grants and stronger earned income, to continue this post and our wider work in Years 2 and 3.

This is a varied, hands-on role with real scope for someone who enjoys spotting opportunities and turning them into income — whether that is e-bike hire, visitor donations, the AIRES site, an events programme, or grant fundraising.

What you will do

  • Lead income generation: grow earned and donation-based income, develop the events programme, support the Ice Factor lease arrangement, develop the Aluminium Story Museum as a sustainable visitor attraction, and identify and secure further grant and trust funding.
  • Strengthen asset management: develop business and maintenance plans, improve lease and tenant records, and help the Board explore long-term arrangements for strategic local sites including the Kinlochleven Business Park.
  • Improve governance, finance, monitoring and reporting: including maintaining a combined monitoring and evaluation framework and submitting quarterly CRF and SCP funder reports on time.
  • Improve communication and engagement with members, residents, tenants, visitors and partners.
  • Support land, environmental and visitor activity: paths, woodland, public realm and visitor infrastructure.
  • Help KCT live its Fair Work First commitments and operate as a fair, well-run small employer.

Who we are looking for

You will probably bring much of the following:

  • Experience in community development, project management, asset management, charity management, social enterprise or fundraising.
  • A track record in identifying and securing grant funding and/or developing earned income for a charitable or community organisation.
  • Strong organisational, communication and report-writing skills and the ability to manage a varied workload.
  • Financial awareness including budgeting, income monitoring and grant reporting.
  • The ability to work constructively with a voluntary Board and build relationships with tenants, funders, public bodies, partners and community members.
  • Working knowledge of Scottish charity governance and OSCR expectations.
  • A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (or a clear plan for travelling reliably across Lochaber), and the right to live and work in the UK without restriction.

Experience of community asset management, Community Right to Buy, rural community organisations, or delivering against SCP/CRF or similar Scottish Government funding is desirable but not essential. We are far more interested in the right person than the perfect CV.

Why work with KCT?

  • A genuinely meaningful role in a small, ambitious, community-led charity at an important moment in its development.
  • Real autonomy and breadth — no two weeks the same, and the chance to shape a job rather than inherit one.
  • Salary of £32,000 per annum in line with our Fair Work First commitments.
  • 20 days’ paid annual leave plus 9 Scottish public holidays, auto-enrolment workplace pension, and flexible working by agreement.
  • Working life in one of the most beautiful corners of Scotland, with mountains, lochs, walking, climbing and the Ice Factor on the doorstep.

Application notes

How to apply

To request the full candidate pack (Job Description and background information), please email: admin@kinlochleven.co.uk

To apply, send a CV (no more than three pages) and a covering letter (no more than two pages) explaining how you meet the essential criteria of the person specification to the same address.

Closing date: Friday 29 May 2026. Interviews will be held in Kinlochleven during the first two weeks of June 2026. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed for shortlisted candidates travelling more than 30 miles.

For an informal, no-obligation conversation about the role before applying, email admin@kinlochleven.co.uk and we will arrange a call with the Chair or a designated trustee.

Kinlochleven Community Trust is an equal opportunities employer and a Fair Work First organisation.

We particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented in the Scottish third sector and in rural community organisations.


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