Are you a visionary leader who can help shape the next stage of our work to protect, create and restore Scotland’s woodlands?
We are looking for our next Chief Executive, someone who can lead the charity into an exciting period of growth and change.
FWS is a Scottish charity working to create a Scotland where trees and native woodlands are thriving for our wildlife, communities and climate. Our mission is to protect, create and restore these vital habitats through knowledge, partnership and practical action.
Founded in 2012 to support innovative thinking for trees and native woodlands, we have grown into an organisation delivering practical action at scale. Today, our work stretches from city spaces to wild places — supporting farmers and landowners to create or restore native woodlands, strengthening local nurseries, building sector skills, and bringing trees into everyday landscapes across Scotland.
The organisation has grown rapidly over the past three years, and now operates as a team of seven delivering national programmes across Scotland.
About the role
This is a rare opportunity to shape a small, ambitious and high‑performing charity at a time of growth and increasing national influence.
As Chief Executive, you will report to and work closely with our Board of Trustees, providing strategic leadership and acting as the organisation’s senior representative. You will:
- Lead the delivery of our strategic plan and future direction
- Strengthen partnerships across the woodland, environmental, community and land‑use sectors
- Oversee programme delivery and organisational performance
- Support, motivate and develop our small and committed team of seven, working across programmes, fundraising and communications
- Represent Future Woodlands Scotland at senior levels across Scotland
You will bring strategic clarity, a collaborative leadership style, and the ability to build strong, trusted relationships across sectors and with funders.
Location
This role is Scotland-based, working from home with travel across Scotland to meetings. Our current team is spread across Dumfries & Galloway, Lothian, Central Scotland and Aberdeenshire.
Contract and salary
- 8% employer pension contribution
- Permanent, part‑time (3 days per week)
- £65,000–£75,000 FTE, depending on experience
- 25 days annual leave + 10 public holidays (pro rata)
- Additional annual leave increasing with length of service, up to a maximum of 10 additional days.
How to apply
Before applying, please read the Candidate Pack for full details of the role, responsibilities and the application process. You can find it on our website.
Invitations are invited from suitably qualified people and applications should consist of a CV and covering letter. The covering letter should explain how you meet the essential skills set out in the Candidate Pack and what you would bring to Future Woodlands Scotland.
If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Shireen Chambers to arrange a call (details in Candidate Pack).
Key dates:
- Application deadline: Midday, Monday 16 March 2026
- Interviews: Monday, 30 March 2026, in Edinburgh in person
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Hours: Part Time (21 hours per week)
Contract: Fixed term to end of January 2028.
Salary: £26,100 – £28,200 pro rata (£43,500 - £47,000 FTE)
This is an important project working in partnership with Government, the NHS, partners and affected communities as part of national memorial activities to reflect on the impact of Covid-19 for people across the UK.
The contract is linked to the anticipated development and delivery timeline of the Reflection Spaces project, which is the primary focus of the role.
Key Relationships: Programme Leads, COO, Director of Strategic Engagement, AD Finance and Operations, Trustees, External Partners
Overall Purpose
The Project Manager will work with NHS member charities and key stakeholders to design, lead and manage a high-profile programme of activity alongside key partners and those with lived experience to create memorial reflection spaces for communities most impacted by COVID-19. This is referred to in this document at the ‘Reflection Spaces’ project.
You will bring a dynamic, can do approach to support the design and delivery of the Reflection Spaces project, ensuring collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders, including our identified NHS Member Charities, voluntary sector organisations, funders, evaluators and government officials to create beautiful high quality and reflective spaces supportive of those experiencing bereavement with creative elements to mark their significance.
It involves working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders including our member charities, NHS trusts, funders, evaluators, and government officials, and ensuring initiatives are delivered successfully.
Overall Objectives
To support the design and implementation of new sensory reflection spaces that create a living memory and legacy for communities of those lost during the pandemic. The new COVID-19 memorials will be created across the country that reflect the importance of green spaces to the nation during the pandemic for health and wellbeing, and to bring people together in remembrance and commemoration to those who have experienced loss.
To convene and engage stakeholders to inform the national elements of the project including development of the creative brief, ensuring a golden thread that brings all of the locally funded projects together.
You will coordinate teams, stakeholders and partners to ensure high quality delivery, excellent interpretation and relevance through codesign to represent the user needs from established steering and engagement groups to ensure quality and impact.
You may also be required to oversee other NHS Charities Together initiatives successfully so they deliver on their objectives, managing stakeholders, and are delivered on time and to budget - in particular the Green Communities project, which is an existing grant programme with NHS Charities to create and improve green spaces and help improve the nation’s health.
Key Responsibilities
Project Design and Development
- Work with the Programme Leads and SRO to develop the Reflection Spaces project from design to implementation considering sustainability and legacy of local project design and implementation with NHS charity members.
- Managing high profile stakeholder relationships and partners across government, horticultural partners and bereavement organisations to codesign the programme of activity and/or high level design brief to guide local project delivery.
- Establish evaluation requirements for the programme and projects delivered at a local level and in line with partners involved, leading processes to convene, capture and share evidence, data and insight to support knowledge of impact for users of the spaces. Commission and manage external evaluations where appropriate, ensuring quality and alignment with project aims.
- Plan funding aspects of the programme allocating awards to chosen NHS Charities able to support the requirements of the spaces as per brief.
- Develop project plans with clear objectives, timelines, milestones and manage and monitor associated budget, ensuring that projects are financially sustainable and cover our costs.
Delivery and Management
- Lead initiatives, in particular the Reflection Spaces project, to ensure they are delivered on time, within scope and budget.
- Establish and oversee robust project governance, risk management, and reporting processes, maintaining strong administration and compliance throughout
- Regularly review and monitor impact against the goals of the programme, ensuring the benefits and impact we seek are being achieved
- Provide line management of staff where required, such as the Senior Projects Officer working across our other related greening projects
- Manage project resources and staff effectively, fostering a collaborative team culture and supporting and ensuring team members are empowered
- Support or lead the process of securing appropriate partnership propositions, selecting service contracts or grant arrangements where appropriate, with regard to considerations such as control and VAT efficiency. Where multiple potential partners exist, ensure we have effective decision making to select the most appropriate partnerships in line with our strategic criteria, either through procurement or application assessments and establish appropriate tender processes for artistic commissioning.
- Manage contracts or grant arrangements with external partners, including evaluators and delivery organisations, delegating as required; lead or support negotiations as needed and ensure partners meet their obligations.
- Oversee and manage the delivery of the Greener Communities project to completion.
Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
- Convene and engage stakeholders, including member charities, NHS trusts and employees, funders and evaluators, to co-produce and steer projects collaboratively.
- Facilitating and supporting engagement to harness lived experience voice to inform the design and delivery of locally delivered projects to ensure relevance and suitability of spaces and also to support national commemoration events such as the National Day of Reflection.
- Manage stakeholder relationships throughout the lifecycle of each project, ensuring effective communication and engagement.
- Provide support and guidance to member charities through the projects we fund, enabling high quality spaces and user experience and outcomes.
- Represent the organisation externally, acting as a champion for NHS Charities Together and NHS charities
- Form professional and beneficial relationships with internal and external stakeholders – including at a senior level, representing the department internally and externally and bringing your experience of greening for health.
- Work collaboratively with teams across the organisation to plan commemorative events around the National Day of Reflection and to support the design of communication plans.
Creative Arts Installation
- Lead the creative arts commissioning aspects of the Reflection Spaces project in collaboration with partners to ensure spaces have interpretation and recognition around their purpose and also any installation artwork featuring across all sites acting as the golden thread for the programme.
- Identify and build effective relationships with new stakeholders and funders who are required for the artistic aspects of the Reflection Spaces project to support ambition, working collaboratively to secure income such Arts Council applications or equivalent for the devolved nations such as Creative Scotland.
- Establish creative steering groups that help to codesign artistic aspects that will establish interpretation of the spaces and create a ‘golden thread’ unifying the spaces
Other duties
- Visibly live NHS Charities Togethers values of Human, Collaborative and Pioneering, including our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Carrying out the duties of post in accordance with NHS Charities Togethers policies and procedures on Health and Safety and take responsibility for ensuring personal health and safety.
- Working flexibly, prioritising workload, and working effectively as part of a team. Demonstrating an ability to work calmly and effectively when under pressure of tight deadlines, to deliver work on time and to a high standard.
- Work with organisational systems to capture and share stakeholder interactions in a timely manner
- Adhere to relevant legislation, best practice, policies, and processes including, but not limited to charity law, the fundraising regulator, GDPR and professional codes and standards.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of duties. The need for flexibility is required, and the post holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and abilities whenever reasonably instructed.
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