Founded in 1889, St Andrews Botanic Garden is managed by an independent charitable Trust to address the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. Our mission of botanical conservation and education has seen us take transformational steps in recent years, including radical steps to achieving Net Zero, investment in building projects, establishment of international and regional partnerships, development of the Garden’s habitats, and publication of research that establishes the Botanic Garden’s expertise in urban ecology.

These steps have been critical to establishing strong institutional foundations, and our focus now is to consolidate this progress by preparing for ambitious capital investment and in turn, growth in turnover and expansion of our charitable activities. The success of these next steps will depend on developing partnerships that connect our mission and resources to deliver positive, long-term change.

Located in the historic town of St Andrews, the Botanic Garden is part of a thriving coastal community with links across Scotland and further afield.

The role

We are looking to recruit an Executive Director and establish the Botanic Garden as a leading site for ecological innovation through programmes that deliver a new business model for conservation and education.

The Executive Director will be a capable, organised and experienced individual with an outstanding professional background who shares our enthusiasm for plants and the ways they shape places and people. We expect that the incoming Executive Director will have demonstrated experience of managing competing strategic demands amidst dynamic policy and funding landscapes.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who recognises the role that botanic gardens can play in bringing people together, wants to lead a vibrant and outward-looking organisation, and intends to continue and further the

excellent work of the last few years.

The opportunities for the Executive Director are significant and wideranging, as befits a botanic garden at an inflection point. Significant progress has been made to safeguard the Trust as an independent charity and demonstrate capacity for innovation in a fast-moving landscape, and the incoming Executive Director will be working with a Board of Directors

dedicated to supporting the Garden as it navigates new opportunities in a challenging and ever-changing environment.

Could you help us shape what's next?

OutLET is a Lanarkshire-based charity and social enterprise using nature to support emotional wellbeing, confidence and resilience. We deliver therapeutic forest school projects, community play and wellbeing programmes, and training for practitioners up to Forest School Leader level.

We've built a strong reputation for doing things differently, developed innovative programmes and training, built trusted relationships with partners and funders and, perhaps most importantly, assembled an experienced, committed and stable team who genuinely care about what they do.

Now we're ready for the next chapter.

We're looking for an innovative, strategic and big-picture thinker to become our new CEO and help us explore just how far OutLET could go.

This isn't a role for someone who simply wants to maintain the status quo. We're looking for someone who sees possibilities where others see barriers; who can spot opportunities, bring people with them and turn good ideas into practical action.

The Role

As CEO, you'll work closely with our Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team to lead OutLET's strategic direction, organisational development and long-term sustainability.

You'll help us identify opportunities for growth, innovation and expansion — whether that's through new partnerships, income streams, areas of work or ways of working.

We already have people who know how to deliver. We need someone who can help us think about where we go next.

You'll provide strategic oversight without being expected to do everything yourself. Our experienced Senior Leadership Team and established staff teams bring considerable knowledge and expertise. Your role will be to bring those strengths together, create space for good ideas and turn ambition into action.

You'll also lead on governance, organisational sustainability, people and culture, marketing and communications, and representing OutLET with partners, funders and stakeholders.

Who are we looking for?

We're looking for someone who is:

• Innovative - curious, creative and willing to challenge conventional thinking.
• Strategic - able to see the bigger picture and turn vision into action.
• Entrepreneurial - able to spot opportunities and explore new approaches.
• Collaborative - able to bring people together and get the best from a team.
• Authentic - leads with honesty, openness and integrity.
• People-focused - understands that great organisations are built around people who feel valued and supported.

You don't need to be an outdoor learning expert - our team already has that expertise. What we need is the leadership, curiosity and imagination to help us make the most of it.

*This post is subject to membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme and satisfactory PVG Scheme Record/Update. The successful candidate will be required to undergo the appropriate Disclosure Scotland vetting checks prior to appointment.*

Why OutLET?

You'll be joining an organisation with:

• A strong reputation - established, trusted and known for doing things differently.
• An experienced and stable team - people with deep knowledge, expertise and commitment.
• Real potential for growth - exciting opportunities to develop our work, reach more people and explore new possibilities.
• Space to innovate - we're open to new ideas and different ways of working.
• A family-first approach - we recognise that people have lives outside work.
• Flexible working - we're open to discussing hours and working patterns with the right person.