Head of Region - Scotland

The RNLI is a charity led by the mission to save lives at sea, powered by amazing volunteers and staff, all delivering an on-call 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service, seasonal lifeguard service, and water safety education and drowning prevention initiatives. Our lifeboat crews, seasonal lifeguards and volunteers need a dedicated, professional, and talented team behind them, and that is where you come in. This is your chance to join that team and help save lives every day.

The role

As one of six regions we are looking for an inspiring and experienced leader in Scotland, who will ensure our people are at the heart of all that we do and will work collaboratively across the RNLI teams to bring to life the 2040 Strategy. Responsible for the delivery of our lifesaving service, you will lead the lifesaving effect in the region including the lifeguard service, lifeboats and water safety enabled by fundraising, asset and estates management, communications, and business functions, liaising with Poole support teams.

As Head of Region – Scotland, the role encompasses supporting our communities across the mainland and islands of Scotland, providing people centric operational leadership and support to 45 lifeboat stations, 8 lifeguarded beaches, and an army of volunteers and staff. Responsible for leading an established multi-disciplinary regional leadership team, you will be focused on ensuring effective business performance across all services. This includes understanding safety and risk, opportunities and threats, and monitoring and analysing data and trends to track progress, performance, and regional impact. You will be at ease working in an assurance and compliance framework.

You will build relationships, provide support and constructive challenge within the region and the wider Lifesaving Operations Senior Leadership team, as well as bringing the regional voice to the wider organisation. Building and working with key internal and external stakeholders, you will ensure that we operate in the most effective way to save the most lives through rescue and prevention activity.

About You

Already an outstanding leader with extensive experience of leading your people through change and transformation. You will be able to build strong relationships, influencing and collaborating across boundaries. You will be accustomed to following a clear strategy, whilst at the same time, able to be strongly autonomous in your leadership and delivery.

This is a highly visible and critical role responsible for a wide variety of activities within the region therefore, you will convey the necessary credibility to influence at both a community and board level, whilst having the humility and empathy to work alongside our passionate volunteers and staff. You will be a champion and advocate for inclusion bringing to life the strength that diversity of people and thinking bring to the organisation.

Experience

• Senior leadership and influencing skills gained from leading multi-functional teams within a similarly complex organisation.
• Experience of building and leading high performing teams
• Proven experience in formulating annual business plans, monitoring, and reporting with significant financial responsibility in relation to assets and services.
• Experience of working within organisation risk and compliance frameworks.
• Experience of working with volunteers and/or communities
• Expert communication skills to deliver sensitive information, internally and externally. Comfortable delivering to media and press.
• Experience of change leadership and delivering programmes and projects.

There will be an expectation to work from the regional base in Perth or travel to other RNLI locations on occasion. RNLI supports flexible working.

If this is the role for you, please apply via the button shown.

Safeguarding and referencing

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include reference checks at offer stage and relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.