Lesmahagow Development Trust is entering a landmark three-year period of growth. Supported by the Scottish Government’s Strengthening Communities Programme, we are moving beyond traditional grant-funded delivery toward a model of long-term economic independence and community-led infrastructure.

We are seeking a commercially-minded Business Manager to drive the financial evolution of the Trust. You will treat our community assets as a portfolio, identifying new revenue streams and operational efficiencies to ensure our long-term independence from grant funding.

You will be responsible for transitioning the trust away from grant dependency by optimising our assets and building a resilient, sustainable income model.

Key Deliverables:

• Commercial sustainability: identifying and developing business models that generate a sustainable commercial surplus to reduce grant dependency.
• Financial management & reporting: maintaining the Trust’s day-to-day financial records, managing cash flow, and producing internal quarterly reports to ensure the Trust remains within budget.
• Asset & operations oversight: strategic management of physical and financial assets to ensure they are performing optimally for the community.
• Grant compliance: ensuring all financial reporting for the Strengthening Communities Programme is accurate and submitted on time to trigger quarterly payments.

Essential Criteria:

• Commercial experience: proven track record in business management, commercial development, or social enterprise leadership.
• Financial literacy: competency in day-to-day financial management
• Reporting skills: ability to prepare clear financial summaries, reconciliations, and budget-versus-actual reports for Board review.
• Operational management: experience in overseeing contracts, leases, or facilities to ensure cost-efficiency and compliance.
• Strategic planning: ability to translate the Trust’s goals into viable business cases that generate income.

Desirable Criteria:

• Governance knowledge: understanding of charity finance regulations.
• Accountancy systems: experience in the use of cloud accounting software (e.g. Xero) and spreadsheet modeling.

The Larick is recruiting a Business Development Lead

Do you have the experience, knowledge, skills, imagination and enthusiasm to take us to the next level of service, self-sustainability and resilience?

The Larick Centre is Tayport’s purpose-built community hub, opened in 2020. Our lovely building has won several architectural awards and is home to a sports hall, activity rooms, a cafe, a campsite and a community fridge. Everything we do is achieved with a small staff team and a big band of volunteers, supported by the trustees of Tayport Community Trust and the directors of Tayport Community Enterprise.

Life at the Larick is for everyone. We are here to serve our local community, and we want to attract visitors to Tayport, too. We use our building for all kinds of activities, classes and events. These are a mix of our own community engagement (free or small charge) and private hire. Our cafe is a relaxed, airy space that has become a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike, and our popular campsite has already won TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards. Our community fridge (which is much more than just a fridge) ensures surplus food and household products do not go to waste.

In the past five-and-a-bit years, we’ve been establishing who we are and what we do as a charitable trust. It takes a lot of effort and money to serve the community well and so far, our grant funding applications have been successful. We need to maximise funding opportunities, but we can’t rely on these alone. We also generate income through room hire and the cafe and campsite, and this is something we need to build on. Can you help us develop an operating model for resilience and self-sufficiency that works in balance with our purpose and ethos?

We’re looking for someone who easily and positively communicates and engages with all kinds of individuals and groups; who can build teams, collaborate and create; someone with imagination and ideas; someone who looks for opportunities and solutions, and knows how to maximise potential; someone who skilfully and strategically plans, markets and promotes. And of course, someone who cares about people and community as much as we do.

Lesmahagow Development Trust is entering a landmark three-year period of growth. Supported by the Scottish Government’s Strengthening Communities Programme, we are moving beyond traditional grant-funded delivery toward a model of long-term economic independence and community-led infrastructure.

We are seeking a visionary Community Economic Development Lead to architect the long-term growth of Lesmahagow. You will act as a strategic catalyst, transforming community aspirations into a robust economic development plan and securing the high-level investment required to deliver ambitious, large-scale infrastructure and resilience projects.

You will lead the creation of a Community Economic Development Plan, identifying high-impact capital projects and bringing them to life.

Key Deliverables:

• Strategy development: author and drive the "Lesmahagow Economic Development Plan," identifying high-impact opportunities for promoting economic growth and participation in the local area, or to promote community wealth building.
• Project management: lead the "options appraisal" and feasibility stages for ambitious community economic projects.
• Stakeholder engagement: act as the primary interface between the Trust and regional/national bodies and facilitate high-level community and business engagement to ensure that development projects reflect local needs and enjoy broad public support.
• Impact monitoring: establish frameworks to measure the social and economic step-change achieved through Trust activities, providing data for the Board and SCP funders.

Essential Criteria:

• Strategic leadership: proven experience in designing or leading local economic development, regeneration, or community planning initiatives.
• Project catalysis: a track record of taking complex projects from initial concept through to business case or funding-ready status.
• Political & professional acumen: experience in managing partnerships across the public and private sectors, with the ability to influence decision-makers.
• Autonomy: ability to work with minimal supervision, setting one's own milestones and providing high-level strategic advice to the Board of Trustees.
• Advanced communication: exceptional ability to translate complex strategic goals into compelling narratives for grant applications and public consultations.

Desirable Criteria:

• Regional knowledge: existing networks within the South Lanarkshire economic landscape or the Scottish Third Sector.
• Capital funding expertise: success in securing significant capital grants (e.g., Scottish Land Fund, RCGF).
• Data literacy: proficiency in interpreting socio-economic data to justify strategic interventions.