Trustee and Director

About us

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture (SBP) is a charity that works to make rewilding happen across Scotland, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises. Our vision is of a vast network of rewilded land and water, where wildlife flourishes and people thrive.

We are an agile and progressive team that works in a spirit of collaboration with many different interest groups to:

• Drive support for rewilding
• Commit more land and water to rewilding

Learn more about SBP and the way we work here: www.scotlandbigpicture.com

Context and role overview

Since its inception in 2020, SBP has grown rapidly, establishing an exciting and evolving portfolio of nature recovery projects across Scotland. Following the recent appointment of our first Chief Executive Officer, we are now seeking to recruit an additional Trustee with qualifications and demonstrable experience in one or more of the following:

• Legal compliance
• Charity fundraising
• Media and comms
• Advocacy and public affairs
• Ecology, nature restoration and/or rewilding
• Technology, digital transformation and/or cyber security
• Data protection and information governance

Other desired attributes

• Commitment to nature restoration in Scotland, and willingness to learn more about rewilding and emerging and evolving trends in the sector
• Sound project management and leadership skills, and the ability to advise and work collaboratively with the Board, CEO and other members of SBP staff
• Strong relationship building, and interpersonal and communication skills
• A positive, entrepreneurial, and inclusive outlook

More about the role

This is a voluntary, unpaid role. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed in line with SBP’s expenses policy.

SBP Trustees are appointed for a term of up to four years. Afterwards, Trustees have to be reconfirmed by the majority of the Board and can be re-elected up to a maximum of two further times, for a total of 12 years in office (three terms). Trustees can serve as Chair, Co-Chair or Treasurer for up to two terms.

The role will ideally suit an individual based in Scotland, but applications from outwith Scotland will be considered.

The Role of SBP’s Board of Trustees

The Board is the governing body of SBP. The Trustees operate at the most senior leadership level within the charity and report to SBP’s supporters, donors and partners, and to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

The Trustees have ultimate legal responsibility for the direction of travel and strategic leadership of the charity. They have a watching brief on activity relevant to their expertise, and a general remit of oversight at Board level. You can read more about the responsibility of Charity Trustees here.

What is expected of an SBP Trustee?

SBP’s Trustees are passionate advocates for rewilding who volunteer their time to support the charity’s objectives. They are expected to provide a clear steer and make tangible contributions within their area of expertise and beyond. We envisage a total time commitment of approximately 8 to 10 days a year.

Board meetings are held on a quarterly basis (virtually, and typically in the late afternoon/evening). Trustees are also required to:

• Keep up with correspondence in-between meetings
• Actively engage with the Chair, the CEO, individual SBP staff and Board members, and/or external stakeholders as needed
• Support off-line Board activities as and when

There are also opportunities to join in-person gatherings of the Board and staff team, and to attend events such as the biennial SBP Conference.