Spey Catchment Engagement Officer - Spey Catchment Initiative

The Company:

The Spey Catchment Initiative is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation working in partnership across the Spey catchment to protect and restore its rivers, woodlands and wider natural environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Understand: build a clear picture of who the catchment’s land managers are, and how best to reach them
• Inform: keep land managers up to date as these programmes develop, through focus groups, events and digital content
• Identify: gather insight on appetite for nature-based solutions and sensitivities to help shape where and how nature-based solutions are explored
• Listen: build relationships through one-to-one conversations and honest discussions to ensure land managers are integral to decisions as things progress, as well as providing an evidence base to attract worthwhile investment
• Act: turn engagement into delivery — feeding what you learn into SCI’s own project pipeline, spotting potential pilot sites and local champions, and shaping TNC and AST’s project design directly, with a genuine seat at the table

As a secondary part of the role, you’ll also take on day-to-day creation and scheduling of SCI’s social media content, working closely with the wider team and under the oversight of our Head of Communications and Strategic Projects — full support will be given to develop these skills if they’re new to you.

The Candidate:

Essential

• Excellent, warm interpersonal and listening skills, with a genuine ability to build trust and rapport with people from a wide range of backgrounds and views, including those sceptical of environmental programmes.
• Demonstrable experience of community, stakeholder or public engagement — planning and facilitating conversations, focus groups or workshops that generate honest, useful input.
• An understanding of, and genuine interest in, environmental conservation, catchment management or nature-based solutions, and the ability to explain technical programmes in plain, accessible language.
• A pragmatic, self-motivated approach, comfortable working independently with minimal day-to-day supervision, while keeping colleagues and partners well informed.
• Sound written communication skills, able to synthesise conversations and findings into clear summaries for partners and funders.
• Full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle, with a willingness to travel extensively across the catchment, including to remote locations.

Desirable

• Familiarity with the Spey catchment, Cairngorms National Park, or a comparable rural Scottish catchment, and an appreciation of the practical realities and pressures facing farmers and land managers.
• Direct experience of farming, land management or estate work, or of working closely with farmers and landowners in a professional capacity.
• Previous experience within the catchment management, forestry, fisheries or wider natural heritage sector.
• Existing relationships or networks within the Spey catchment or the wider Cairngorms area.
• Experience using lightweight CRM or database tools (e.g. Airtable) to track engagement or contacts.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or an equivalent qualification/experience in a relevant field such as rural development, environmental management or community engagement.
• Confidence creating engaging content for social media and other digital channels, and experience with content planning or scheduling — full support and training will be available for this secondary part of the role.

Please email your CV and a cover letter explaining why you, your skills and experience make you suitable for this role, to [email protected] by Sunday 1 November 2026.