Farming with Nature Knowledge Exchange Manager

Job title: Farming with Nature Knowledge Exchange Manager Grade: E Salary: £46,228
Hours: Full-time (35), fixed term – to end of March 2025 Location: Edinburgh is the
preferred location, but other locations in Scotland including homeworking will be considered
Closing date: Midday, 25 July 2024 Internal candidate interviews: 8 August 2024 External
candidate interviews: 21 August 2024

Job Purpose Summary

Help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change and enable Scotland to
become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture by supporting knowledge
sharing among farmers and crofters on how to work with nature; and by improving understanding
of land management issues among NatureScot colleagues.

This is a temporary, full-time role within NatureScot’s Natural Resource Management team.
Externally, the post-holder will work with land management stakeholders to facilitate the
sharing of sustainable farming and crofting practices. Internally, they will work with
colleagues to coordinate the development and delivery of a learning programme on agriculture
transformation and linked areas of land management internally within NatureScot.

Externally, the role will involve engaging with land management stakeholders and with land
managers to facilitate the sharing of knowledge on farming and crofting practices that are
positive for nature and for the climate – especially through peer-to-peer learning; and to
promote the tools developed by NatureScot to help farmers and crofters manage the natural
capital assets on their land holdings. This will involve working with advisory bodies such as
SRUC, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT);
representative organisations such as National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS), Scottish
Crofting Federation (SCF) and Scottish Land & Estates (SLE); and academic institutes such
as the James Hutton Institute. In addition, the post-holder will work closely with Scottish
Government staff managing the Farm Advisory Service programme; and with the NatureScot Farming
with Nature Communications Officer.

Internally, the post-holder will work with colleagues in NatureScot’s Natural Resource
Management team, colleagues in other policy areas and with NatureScot’s People and
Organisational Development team on the development of a learning programme on policy and land
management changes needed to help deliver nature restoration and climate outcomes. This will
enable NatureScot staff to engage effectively on these issues in their day-to-day work with
farmers, crofters and other land managers. The focus of this post will be to make connections
across NatureScot teams, with the delivery role shared with colleagues in Natural Resource
Management and other Activity Teams. The post-holder will work closely with others delivering
the overall NatureScot Learning Framework.

Context

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Scottish Agriculture outlines the ambition for Scotland to
become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, and sets out the support
for farming and food production to help achieve this. Scotland will have a support framework
that delivers nature restoration alongside food and climate outcomes – and land management will
change as Scotland tackles the twin biodiversity and climate crises.

In order to help farmers and crofters evolve their land management, they need to understand the
route the new rural support framework is likely to take – this framework is being developed by
the Scottish Government’s Agricultural Reform Programme. Many farmers and crofters have already
adopted agricultural practices that combine profitable food production with management for
nature and for climate outcomes – it is important that this knowledge and experience is shared
more widely among land managers.

NatureScot’s Farming with Nature Programme is developing a suite of tools to help farmers and
crofters manage their land for nature and climate. These include the Biodiversity Audit and
Farm Biodiversity Scotland App, and the landscape-scale Natural Capital Tool. In order to
further test and refine these tools, and promote their adoption, NatureScot is working with
partner bodies and with land managers directly.

The post-holder is expected to have a good understanding of farming and crofting practices in
Scotland and the effects – positive and negative – that these can have on nature and the
climate. They should have an understanding of the ways in which rural support is likely to
change over the coming years. The post-holder should have an awareness of the Scottish
Government’s policies and targets for biodiversity and for climate change – especially how they
relate to agriculture. They should have experience in planning and delivering knowledge
transfer and capacity-building. The post holder will need to travel around Scotland as part of
their work.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead engagement with key external stakeholders to facilitate NatureScot input to advisory
   and training programmes for land managers and land management advisers.
2. Work closely with partner organisations to develop peer-to-peer networks for farmers and
   crofters to share knowledge on managing for nature and climate
3. Contribute to the development of an overall plan for a learning programme for relevant
   NatureScot staff.
4. Help with the development of learning content to be prepared during 2024-25
5. Help with the delivery of learning content during 2024-25
6. Secure resources through NatureScot business planning process for content preparation and
   delivery for 2025-26

Role Requirements (please refer to these in your Supporting Statement)

1. An understanding of farming, crofting and other land management systems in different parts
   of Scotland, including the changes they will face over the next few years; and an awareness of
   the Vision for Scottish Agriculture, the SG Agricultural Reform Programme and the Scottish
   Biodiversity Strategy.
2. An understanding of the role of peer-to-peer networks in knowledge exchange to support
   behaviour change.
3. Relevant experience of developing and delivering learning and development programmes,
   ideally on land management issues; and an understanding and knowledge of a range of ways to
   deliver learning and development.
4. Effective communication skills (including visual skills such as the use of infographics),
   and the ability to convey technical issues to general audiences.
5. Effective interpersonal skills including: engagement, negotiating, influencing, networking
   and forging good working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
6. Good project management and organisational skills, and the ability to meet deadlines.
7. The ability to use office software – in particular for remote and hybrid working, word
   processing, spreadsheets, presentations and communicating.
8. The ability to work as part of a dispersed team, and comfort with operating in a dynamic
   work environment, with an ability to learn and adapt to new circumstances, and work
   collaboratively.
9. The post covers the whole of Scotland and on occasions this will require travel that
   necessitates nights away from home. This may involve site visits, so a driving licence or other
   means of transport is required.
10. Degree or other relevant/equivalent experience.

Prerequisites Required

• Right to work in the UK
• To undertake a disclosure Scotland Application
• Although Gaelic language is not a prerequisite it is a desirable skill in support of our
  commitment to our Gaelic Language Plan

NatureScot’s Net Zero commitment

Whether working at home or in an office, or travelling to meetings and site visits, as a
NatureScot you will contribute to our Net Zero plan, for example through carbon-positive travel
choices.

Nature is vital to all of us, so it is vital that we are an organisation for all of Scotland.
The more diverse NatureScot is, the better we will be in connecting everyone with nature. We
particularly encourage applications from people from Minority Ethnic (ME) backgrounds and
people with a disability.