Business and Operations Manager Greenmyres

Job Overview

Huntly Development Trust (HDT) is an ambitious, active community anchor organisation serving the town of Huntly, Aberdeenshire and its wider rural catchment. We undertake a range of initiatives to make our community a better place to live, work and visit, both for now and the future.

One of our key projects since 2014 has been development of Greenmyres, a 63-acre (25 hectare) former hill farm, into a vibrant asset providing all kinds of benefit to our community and visitors alike. Over recent years, with the support of several funders, we have been developing family-friendly, introductory-level outdoor adventure facilities at Greenmyres, alongside making improvements to site biodiversity and delivering activities for all in our community, especially young people.

HDT is now seeking a Greenmyres Business and Operations Manager to help us make the most of what this unique site has to offer. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of current Greenmyres operations, as well as leading the planning and delivery of future site developments. This will ensure that Greenmyres delivers maximum benefit for a range of users, offers opportunities for (social) enterprise of all kinds and generates income for future delivery and reinvestment.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring that Greenmyres becomes financially self-sustaining through design and delivery of a varied programme of on-site activity that can serve all in our community. This is likely to include growing existing activities programmes, such as children's holiday camps, and outdoors education sessions for The Gordon Schools, as well as developing a wide range of other strands, such as land management for biodiversity, environmental education, rural skills and community growing.
• Managing day-to-day safe operation of the outdoors adventure activities offered on/by Greenmyres. This will include managing freelance instructional staff to ensure they are trained, inducted and confident in their work, conducting risk assessments and ensuring that we can retain our AALA licence. It will also involve acting as operations/facilities manager for the site, completing regular maintenance checks, identifying and mitigating risks and organising repairs where needed.
• Actively promoting Greenmyres and the opportunities it offers, managing enquiries and securing bookings for activities at the Ecobothy and the wider site. This will include liaising with users before, during and after their visit, ensuring that all equipment is ready for them to ensure a positive experience and that HDT obtains feedback to aid further development.
• Helping prepare a holistic Greenmyres development plan and robust accompanying business plan to ensure financial sustainability of the site. This will principally involve ways of generating income from site operations, as well as helping identify appropriate funding sources for future development. Support will be provided with grant funding applications, but the successful candidate will be expected to liaise with funders and prepare progress reports for them, and for the Greenmyres subgroup and HDT board.
• Working creatively with other parts of HDT, including Number 30 and the Huntly Travel Hub, to develop programmes that provide an attractive and mutually supportive offering for our community and visitors. This will include the Greenmyres subgroup, other HDT staff, Trustees and HDT members.
• Establishing and developing partnerships with others in the wider community to maximise the opportunities that the site offers. This will include developing and managing a programme of appropriate volunteer opportunities, as well as ensuring that all site users enjoy their time at Greenmyres.

Required Skills/Attributes

A. Essential

• Passion for the great outdoors, with enthusiasm and skills to share that affinity with others
• Self-motivated with the ability to work under own initiative. Comfortable with some lone working, and works well as part of a small dynamic team
• High-level problem-solving skills and good judgement on when to bring in others
• Entrepreneurial and creative thinking to develop new and engaging income streams
• Knowledge and understanding of the needs and demands of running a community facility
• Qualifications, experience, interest and ability to organise and deliver outdoors adventure experiences e.g. watersports/cycling/hill-walking, especially leading group sessions
• Ability to proactively identify and mitigate risk, and examine/compile robust risk assessments
• Management experience of working with (freelance/casual) staff
• Understands marketing objectives. Possesses promotional skills and has a good level of competence in the effective the use of social media
• Understands rural communities and their needs and ambitions. Able to form partnerships and work with others in a constructive way
• Project management skills and experience (including financial management) with the ability to manage priorities
• Good communication and presentation skills, with attention to detail. Fluent in the use of Microsoft Office applications, e.g., Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook.

B. Desirable

• Experience of working in the rural/adventure tourism sector with an ability and willingness to undertake hands-on site maintenance jobs, if necessary
• Experience of or an interest in all or any of the following: land management for biodiversity, environmental education, rural skills, community growing, sport development
• Experience of and ability to make high-quality funding bids

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £37,500.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension

Work Location: In person