Head of Estate Development

Job Description

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is a national organisation with a powerful mission to look after Scotland’s national forests and land for the benefit of all, now and for the future. Managing 9% of Scotland’s land area, FLS plays a vital role in the country’s environmental, social, and economic wellbeing. It supplies 40% of Scotland’s timber, supports the green energy transition as the UK’s largest onshore wind estate, welcomes 10 million visitors annually, and leads on conservation and restoration of iconic landscapes.

With a commercial income of approximately £140 million per year, supplemented by Scottish Government grants, FLS is on a journey to become fully financially sustainable within three years. This transformation includes ambitious productivity improvement projects and a renewed focus on commercial performance across timber, estates, renewables, and visitor services.

About the role

FLS is seeking a strategic and forward thinking Head of Estate Development to join its senior leadership team. The Head of Estate Development role is high profile, customer facing and strategic. They play a senior role in overseeing land transactions and the day to day management and utilisation by 3rd parties of the National forests and land which make up 9% of Scotland’s land area (640,000 hectares). They are responsible with project delivery leads for setting the direction of and growing and developing our energy and estate development value stream to generate economic, social and environmental benefits and improve commercial performance.

The Head of Estate Development oversees national specialists as well as the strategic direction and approach for other staff embedded in our 5 Regions collectively responsible for managing a large and diverse land and property portfolio and with bringing forward and integrating 3rd party activities. This involves acquisitions and disposals, infrastructure projects, minerals, telecoms, recreation infrastructure, natural capital creation and a wide variety of other land agency work and land agreements being managed alongside our timber harvesting and forest management operations.

Innovation will be required in relation to how to make best use of public land and develop commercial partnerships able to deliver a wide variety of policy outcomes, including community wellbeing and empowerment and nature restoration.

In addition, as a member of the FLS Senior Management Team, you will play a key part in setting the strategic direction and transformation of FLS.

Key Responsibilities Leadership

• Provide visible and inspiring leadership and build strong networks and relationships across the whole organisation and with partners by influencing beyond the sphere of your directly managed team.
• Bring together national and regional aspirations and plans, ensuring our teams are capturing opportunities, delivering a quality service and making an impact in a coordinated way.
• Champion and ensure a robust approach to project and programme management of renewables and energy infrastructure projects.
• Lead for FLS in complex commercial negotiations and in ensuring Best Value through commercial partnerships.
• Ensure the effective mitigation and integration of 3rd party projects into sensitive environments and working forests.
• As an FLS Senior Management Team Member and Member of Commercial Development Leadership Team you will set and lead the delivery of strategy associated with our work on estate development leading to benefits being realised, innovation and a step change in our commercial performance.
• Ensure the delivery of an efficient and effective land agency operation and service whilst consistently getting a good deal for FLS and improving standards and securing compliance.
• Role model visible & inspirational leadership, collaborative working and partnering with and influencing other senior leaders in FLS and across Government and with Ministers to ensure join up between functions and organisations.
• Collaborate in the identification and development of commercial opportunities and actively seek opportunities for other organisations to work with or for us, ensuring efficient and effective use of resources, knowledge, skills and experience.
• Bring forward business process improvements and harness external advice, data and digital technology to improve performance.

Delivery

• Oversee an expanding portfolio of land agreements from a land manager perspective.
• Substantially grow the size and diversity of the lease portfolio and the management of stakeholders and the establishment of strong commercial partnerships for this purpose.
• Progress, deliver and ensure success in relation to ways of increasing community enterprise and oversee FLS’ involvement in the Community Asset Transfer Scheme.
• Ensure professional leadership, clear guidance and support to a dispersed team of staff and an oversight of associated workforce planning.
• Oversee high level relationships with stakeholders and use these to develop better ways of working and the resolution of complex cases which safeguard and unlock value.
• Oversee FLS’ carbon credits programme and engagement in emerging natural capital markets, funding opportunities and associated commercial partnerships.
• Oversee a strategy and approach to the disposal and acquisition of property assets.
• Oversee a programme of land development opportunities leading to improvement and investment.
• Ensure an asset management approach leading to value being understood and protected and increased over time.

Success Profile

The Success Profile below set outs the essential and desirable elements that make up the vacant position – you’ll be expected to demonstrate how you meet the Experience and Technical criteria at application stage. Experience, Technical and Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage.

Experience

• Inspirational leadership and management of large and dispersed teams.
• Track record of changing, improving and growing a successful commercial operation.
• Developing strategy and managing organisational performance.
• Delivering results through a multi-site matrix management structure in a large organisation.
• Influencing and persuading professional and lay audiences.
• Relevantindustry experience.

Technical

• Land, estates, infrastructureor estate development, including overseeing teams of specialists.
• Membership of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and/or relevant professional experience.
• Business, budget, performance and project management skills and experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of forestry.
• Management and/or leadership qualification.

Please complete the form below to download the candidate brochure.

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Apply Now

To apply, please send your CV to Kirsten Hendry, Associate Director at FWB, to or for an initial confidential discussion, please contact her on .

Applications will be accepted until Monday 27th of October. First round interviews will take place on Thursday 27th November.

Contact the team at FWB to discuss your individual or company requirements, or to discover more about our specialist services.