The Role

Purpose of the Scotland Director

To build and sustain outstanding relationships with partners, training providers, businesses and government/funders leading the delivery of Lantra’s annual workplan for Scottish Government and other activities, as well as actively identifying and pursuing new opportunities for Lantra.

As a member of the Lantra SLT, to work closely with other Directors to deliver Lantra’s strategic plan with a particular focus on policy, research and advocacy. The Director will also play a key role in collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders across the UK nations, ensuring alignment and knowledge sharing on strategic priorities and sector challenges.

Responsible for the Scotland operations, to lead a team of 10 staff with full P&L accountability for Lantra’s operations in the region.

Overview

Job Title: Scotland Director

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Line Management: team of 10 staff incorporating marketing, partnerships, business development, and project management.

Salary: Competitive salary plus benefits

Hours: Full Time 37.5 hours/week, but with hours commensurate with fulfilling the responsibilities of the role

Location: Perth Scotland with some opportunity for Hybrid Working.

Travel: Expectation to travel to Lantra’s locations across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Main Responsibilities

Contracted Delivery

Deliver contracted outputs for all funded activity including but not limited to Work Plan, Farm Advisory Service, Skills Hub, Training Funds and ALBAS
Achieve KPIs and other targets associated with contracted outputs
Deliver income and contribution (P&L) in line with business plans/targets
Work with funders and partners to Identify new opportunities for Lantra

Partnerships and Collaboration

Build outstanding partnerships with actors across the skills system and rural economy in Scotland
Represent Lantra with policymakers, politicians and funders
Support commercially driven opportunities to extend Lantra’s sales and income
Identify partnership and joint venture opportunities to amplify Lantra’s impact.
Facilitate knowledge exchange and best practice sharing between Scotland and other UK nations, ensuring Lantra leverages learning and innovation from across its operations.

Policy and Influence

Provide authoritative subject knowledge to inform research, policy, and external engagement in Scotland
Advise on the impact of policy changes and represent Lantra in key meetings, events and forums
Support research and related Lantra projects to maximise impact in Scotland

Lantra-wide Leadership

Contribute to Lantra’s overall leadership through membership of SLT, working to address challenges and develop solutions that benefit both Scotland and the wider organisation.
Attend Lantra Board meetings and liaise with trustee’s – including the Scotland Chair – as required.

Person Specification

Knowledge & Skills

Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills at senior levels
Strong strategic and analytical skills with the ability to develop compelling business cases
Ability to represent the organisation confidently in external settings, including policy and industry forums.
Leadership skills required to lead cross-functional teams
Financial and numerical skills to enable effective budget planning and management
Intermediate or above on Microsoft Office packages, including Word, Excel and Teams

Experience

Proven track record of delivery, ideally in a government, education or membership-based environment
Experience in education, training, skills development OR the rural or nature-based economy
Experience in navigating complex funding environments, with a track record of adapting strategy and delivery to meet both local and organisational funding constraints.

Personal Attributes

Strong communicator with excellent presentation skills.
Commercially astute and results-driven.
Collaborative and able to work effectively across teams including product development, quality, policy & research.
Innovative thinker with a proactive approach to problem-solving

Behaviours

Customer First, continually seeking improvements to customer service, solving customer problems quickly and in full, and rising to challenges to take ownership of customer issues
Commercially Driven, understanding the business structure and their role in achieving business plan, striving to get think commercially to achieve cost savings, and able to streamline process, costs and resources to focus on adding value
Collaborative, encouraging effective communication across all levels, sharing knowledge and information, and asking questions and checks understanding
Camaraderie,sharing best practice and knowledge with team members and colleagues across teams, recognising and responding when others require help and support. Always approachable and open to the ideas of the team
Leadership, acting as a role model of the corporate values and behaviours, developing trust by delivering on promises and communicating all changes, and able to engage with others and makes suggestions or offers help when it is needed
Personal Effectiveness, taking ownership of allocated tasks, planning ahead and communicates plans to those who need to know. Operating in a proactive mindset, and able to adapt when the needs of their role or the organisation changes