Head of Rural Enterprise and Conservation (HREC)

Reporting To: The CEO

Background: Atholl Estates extends to approximately 120,000 acres of Highland Perthshire, managed from an office in Blair Atholl, a picturesque village close to the resort town of Pitlochry and less than two hours’ drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The estate is probably best known for Blair Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Atholl whose history dates to the 13th century.

We operate on a commercial basis but with a strong element of corporate social and environmental responsibility. The core businesses are tourism, events, farming, forestry, energy, housing and field sports, all with a strong emphasis towards conservation and sustainability.

Atholl Estates consist of four ownership entities located between Dunkeld to the south and the Inverness County boundary to the north. Centrally, the largest estate under charitable status, the Blair Charitable Trust, owns the castle and our commercial interests around Blair Atholl plus farms and sporting beats. The three other estates are privately owned, and all include a diversified range of commercial interests as well as their core land based enterprises. The estates are operated by a management company, Blair Castle Estate Limited based at our head office located near to the castle.

More information about Atholl can be found on our website, www.athollestates.co.uk and by reading our current Forward Plan and Induction Guide which are included with the application pack.

The Position:

The successful applicant, whilst reporting to the CEO, will also develop direct relationships with the ‘family’ who make up the private ownership. You will also periodically report directly to the Board of the management company.

Within our senior management team, the HREC would be responsible for managing the rural estates and leading the rural team of 14 full time staff across the main operations of farming, forestry, field sports and property letting.

They will also take a leading role in the delivery of our projects pipeline to transition in-hand farms to regenerative agriculture, establish landscapescale broadleaf woodland plantations and restore a minimum of 500 hectares of peatland over the next five years.

There is a close inter-reliance between our rural, tourism, property and finance teams which requires effective communication and support between senior managers. Our business works to clear objectives and financial targets which, once agreed, are the responsibility of senior management to deliver.

More specifically, the core role will involve:

• Forestry – overseeing the management of 5000 hectares of woodland, working with the forest manager to implement our long term forest plan to benchmarked targets.

• In Hand Farming – overseeing the management of three mixed livestock farms two of which are transitioning to regenerative agriculture, working with farm managers to achieve productivity targets, management plans and market prices.

• Let Farming – supporting our tenant farmers and maintaining regular links. Rent reviews. Encouraging maintenance of the units through agreed plans and ensuring landlord’s obligations are being met. Monitoring longer term strategy for let farming given economic and legislative changes.

• Housing – managing a portfolio that includes over 200 let, tied, pensioner and farm leased housing. Maintaining at least annual contact with tenants and monitoring property condition. Rent reviews. Managing tenancy transfers and register of interest. Working closely with our Works Dept to ensure landlord’s obligations are being met. Ensuring full use of maintenance and renovation grants. Compliance with legislation relative to registration, accreditation and multiple occupancy.

• Moorland and River Management – Leadership of our gamekeeping, stalking and river management operations. Line management of senior keepers. Working with staff to set and achieve targets particularly relative to deer, grouse and heather management with benchmarks that are measurable and relevant to external comparison. (Lodge letting and sport client liaison managed by others).

• General:

o In consultation with team leaders, producing annual detailed operating plans and delivering those plans to budget or better.

o Participate in the continual review of our risk register to inform operational planning and insurance cover.

o Benchmarking our performance externally.

o Monitoring external market opportunities and threats.

o Delivering Investors in People standards consistently across all teams.

o Effective recruitment of full time and seasonal placements. o Representing our business at forums, events and promotions.

o Developing effective business and community relations.

o Supervision of secretarial / admin support. Professional Description: The successful candidate is likely to have:

o A personal interest in conservation and the environment

o Professional qualifications in land management.

o A minimum of five years relevant post professional qualification experience.

o Thorough practical knowledge of stock farming, moorland management and forestry.

o Proficient I.T skills.

o Experience leading and developing staff. The Package:

o A challenging but very rewarding role in a spectacular part of the country.

o Significant opportunity for learning and career development

o Competitive salary, commensurate with experience (to be discussed at short list interviews)

o Accommodation, rent and council tax free.

o Company car (optional)

o Employer contributory pensions scheme.

o Relocation expenses.

o 26 days holiday plus 4 public holidays p/a.

To Apply:

Before registering your application, we will need to have received your current CV and our fully completed application form accompanied by a cover letter. The cover letter is a chance for you to expand on your experience and express why you are excited about this role. Additionally, you should also address these four themes:

o The role of regenerative agriculture in the management of upland farming in Scotland

o The opportunities and threats of delivering carbon sequestration in the Highlands

o The future of managing farms through third party business arrangements in Scotland

o Effective management of let housing in rural Scotland

Your application pack should be submitted by email to Helen French at helen@atholl-estates.co.uk to be received no later than Monday 19th June 2023. For further information about this position, please contact Andrew Bruce Wootton, CEO on 07815153009 or abw@atholl-estates.co.uk