Trail Developer

Location:

Primarily Caithness and Sutherland (Scotland), working from home and in the field. Must have access to a vehicle and home based workspace. Will consider remote working arrangements in some circumstances.

Salary: £28-33K (37.5 hours per week) commensurate with skills and experience. Will consider part-time applicants at pro-rata pay.

Benefits:
Pension 3% of salary, 28 days of holiday plus bank holidays, statutory sick leave. Mileage and other expenses paid. Assistance in relocation.

The Opportunity:

Live in the Far North of Scotland and help develop, fund, and look after long distance trails and local paths. Our trail network runs from Inverness north to John o’ Groats and west to Cape Wrath. Current funding for a one year position but may be extended.

About Us:

The Association of Northern Trails Scotland (ANTS) champion long distance walking and hiking in the far north of Scotland, chiefly through the development, maintenance, and promotion of the John o’ Groats Trail (JOGT) and the North Coast Trail (NCT) and are starting to develop other walking trails and paths in the Far North. We take a practical approach: solve the problem, build the solution.

We connect communities, promote health and wellness, and improve access to our natural landscapes. Our organisation is committed to fostering a love for the outdoors and ensuring access to trails for all! We are also committed to an open-minded approach to recruitment:
If you think helping to develop (build) a long distance trail is something you’d love to do, please get in touch. We are happy to chat pre-application.

Job Summary:

Trail development for a small charity is a multi-faceted role, including indoor as well as outdoor work. The job will entail taking the lead on project development on bridges, paths, and general trail improvements, both within a community and also on longer stretches of trail. It will also involve helping to run a small charity, including communicating with trustees and volunteers, fundraising, social media, and other operations in a team environment.

These are well supported projects locally, and bring clear benefits to the community as well as helping to create several hundred miles of long distance walking routes. While the ideal candidate will be well-rounded and may be able to support all the facets of the job encompassed here, we are looking to assemble a talented staff who complement one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

Therefore, please do not hesitate to enquire just because you feel you lack certain skills or experience.

The role, with support from ANTS board of trustees and their current staff, will play a key role in writing applications for and administering grants, leading community consultations as well as liaising with landowners, engaging with key stakeholders, exploring feasible improvements, seeking funding opportunities, procuring an appropriate contractor and over-seeing projects through to completion. Much time will be spent outdoors meeting with contractors, visiting sites, inspecting works, and walking sections of the trails.

The successful candidate’s agreed job description will take account of the individual’s strengths and weaknesses and will seek to target their skills and experiences in the most effective way to complement those of other staff and Trustees. The position will have specific involvement either in community path projects in the Halkirk area or trail development in the Melvich area, in addition to projects in other locations on the North Coast Trail and the John O’ Groats Trail.

There will of course be plenty scope for the person to learn new skills and to build on existing.

• Great at written communication and administration, including grant applications (essential, candidates should emphasise relevant experience and an excellent cover letter)
• Self starter with high motivation to deal with people and solve problems
• Great organisational and project management skills
• Good at spoken communication, public outreach, and negotiation
• Works well in coordination with others
• Preferably able and willing to work in the field, and walk several miles to remote sites