Job Vacancy – Director
25 hours per week
£30,000 + 3% employer pension contribution
Edinburgh/working from home
Closing date Friday 3 June
Interviews Thursday 30 June
Background
The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) is the leading voice for all of Scotland’s rural landscapes, working to tackle the climate emergency and to promote sustainable land use for both people and nature. We empower local communities, promote effective planning systems, champion sustainable rural development and raise awareness of the vital social and economic benefits of Scotland’s rural landscapes. We do this through education, community engagement, innovative projects, high-level advocacy and partnership working. APRS is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. We currently run three projects:
- The APRS Green Belts Alliance, which campaigns for stronger protection for Green Belts around Scotland’s towns and cities and supports local action groups
- The Scottish National Parks Strategy Project1, which successfully campaigned for more National Parks in Scotland
- The Have You Got The Bottle? campaign, which successfully persuaded the Scottish Government to introduce a deposit return system for drinks containers
Our current Director2 John Mayhew retires at the end of 2022, so we plan to appoint a new Director by August to allow sufficient time for a handover period, probably during November. This will be an exciting time to lead this dynamic organisation, as there is such great potential both to build on its recent successes and to grasp new opportunities.
Role
The Director leads and manages all aspects of the work of APRS on behalf of its Executive Committee. Key responsibilities include:
Lead the development and delivery of the APRS business strategy, including developing and raising funds for new projects and managing existing projects and core activities
Influence key public sector decision-makers and partners through policy development and advocacy with respect to Scotland’s rural landscapes
Lead, manage and develop a small team of staff and volunteers
Manage the charity’s governance, budget and resources
Respond to requests for advice from APRS members and others on protecting their local landscapes through the planning system and other means
The successful candidate will have a thorough understanding and experience of Scotland’s political, landscape and planning systems. Chartered Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute is highly desirable; a background in communications, landscape architecture or public affairs is also advantageous. They will have experience of working with politicians and senior government officials to achieve positive policy change, of developing and delivering successful projects and of managing small staff teams. Candidates should display a high level of communications and presentation skills, and a proven ability to deal diplomatically with strongly held opposing views.
Applications
APRS rents a small office in central Edinburgh, only five minutes from the station and ten minutes from Parliament. The office is shared with Scottish Environment LINK, which generates regular opportunities for information sharing and work collaboration. However, it is on the second floor of a historic building, so sadly is not accessible to all. For further information, including a full job description and terms and conditions, please email info@aprs.scot. Interested candidates are welcome to contact our current Director John Mayhew on john@aprs.scot to arrange an informal discussion about the role.
1 a joint project with the Scottish Campaign for National Parks
2 NB Director is the job title of our senior member of staff, not a director for Companies Act purposes
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Latest News
Our 2022 AGM is on Thursday 26th May – see our Events page for full information
Read our latest Bulletin with a round up of all the latest news
Our new Advice Note on the Planning System in Scotland
Working from Home
All staff are working from home due to Covid-19 and can be contacted by email:
- Policy, Planning and Communications: John Mayhew, Director john@aprs.scot
- Membership and Administration: Nina Sobecka, Administrator info@aprs.scot
- Education: Joanna McFarlane, Education Manager education@aprs.scot
- APRS Green Belts Alliance: Nikki Sinclair, Green Belts Alliance Manager nikki@aprs.scot
All APRS meetings are being held by video conference – please contact Nina for further information.
