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Ref no:
HTR00015
Published:
14/05/2021
Closes:
30/06/2021
Location:
Home Based, IV3 5NQ
Rate:
£21.43 per hour
Contract Type:
Permanent, Temporary
Position Type:
Part Time
Hours:
10 hours per week

Freelance Opportunity: Support and Development Officers (12-month contract)

Do you love Scotland’s islands as much as we do?

The Scottish Islands Passport (SIP) project is seeking freelance support to assist with the management and development of our app, website and paper-based publications.

Despite the global pandemic we have been working from our home on the Isle of Jura to develop resources which cover 73 of Scotland’s islands. This has included liaising with islanders from Unst to Arran to collect information about their island homes and gather some amazing photography to showcase what our fabulous islands have to offer.

After a user testing phase in Shetland last year, we intend to roll our app out across the remaining islands this summer, adhering to covid guidance and bearing in mind local sensitivities and capacity as travel reopens. We recently released a pilot version of our paper travelogue for feedback, with a view to launching our first public version later this year.

Support required

The project is currently staffed by two job-share Project Managers (PMs) sharing 1 FTE post. Both PMs have experience of the tourism and community development sectors. One PM has a background in digital development and one has a background in the governance of public projects.

As we move into launch phase, the PMs now require additional experienced support to help with the following areas:

· Creating and managing our content feedback loop – this will be used to check the information we hold about each island is still relevant, up to date and in line with how individual island communities are happy to promote themselves. This will include liaison with businesses and community members, cross referencing information, and updating our content management system.

· Assisting in the design and roll out of planned product developments – this includes working closely with island businesses and communities to develop options for extending island ‘stamps’ to promote their businesses, as well as working with stakeholders (including DMOs, Visit Scotland and transport providers) to develop functionality which aligns with and supports their work and relevant national and local strategies.

· Community liaison - as we roll out the app and paper products across our 73 islands, this will involve listening to local views on the approach we take, as well as developing partnerships to assist with the roll out and inform the development of the project.

· User / stakeholder engagement – this will include working with the PMs to facilitate and deliver focus groups, newsletters and webinars; develop user research networks; actively participate in wider stakeholder networks; and, where appropriate, engage with stakeholders on a one-to-one basis to gather feedback which will influence the development of the project.

· Audience building – this will include managing our social media output in line with a defined strategy; engaging with stakeholders to increase mailing list size; and working with partner organisations to amplify messaging across their channels.

· Content quality checking – helping us ensure that the quality of the products we produce remains high byproof reading; checking accuracy and local / seasonal appropriateness of content; checking location data; liaison with communities / businesses / transport providers / etc to capture missing or changing info - and then updating the content management system accordingly.

Your skills and experience

The successful candidates will be self-motivated individuals who are comfortable working with others at a distance. We’re looking for freelancers with current experience of living and working in island communities and a track record of delivering projects with multiple stakeholders.

Strong communications skills are key. You will need a good eye (and ear) for detail and the ability to distil information from multiple sources into useful and usable information.

You will have an understanding of the project administration involved in delivering publicly funded projects as this will inform the structure of your day to day work.

Training in our content management system will be provided but you should be comfortable with managing data in spreadsheets and either have experience of programmes such as Mailchimp, Zoom and Facebook Business Suite, or be highly comfortable with the prospect of learning how to use these independently.

Ideally you will have experience in at least one of the following areas – digital marketing; content editing; community development; information management; digital design; or business development.

Time commitment / working arrangements

The support we are looking for covers a range of skills and our preference is to engage more than one person to carry out this work in order to access a wider range of skills and geographic knowledge.

Our preferred model would be three freelancers working an average of 10 hours a week each, or two freelancers working an average of 15 hours a week each, and we are looking for assistance from the start of July for a period of 12 months.

Freelancers will be home-based and expected to be in regular contact with the job-share Project Managers via email, phone and video call. The project may include opportunities to travel to / around the islands we cover and there is a travel budget to facilitate this.

Fees and payment

There is a set budget for this work which equates to a fixed rate of £21.43/hour for freelancers in this role.

If travel to / around the islands is required, all associated costs must be agreed in advance with the PMs and will be reimbursed in addition to your hourly rate.

The contractor will be engaged on a freelance basis and be responsible for all other costs relating to this work including, but not necessarily limited to, payment of taxes and NI, equipment costs, licences and insurance. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that they are working in a safe, legal and non-discriminatory manner and that they are covered by all relevant insurances including public liability and professional indemnity insurance.

Payment will be made on submission of invoice, with a maximum of one invoice per month.

SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST

Anyone interested in this role should submit the following to passport@hitrans.org.uk no later than noon on Monday 31st May 2021:

· a CV clearly outlining your relevant experience (max 2 pages);

· a covering letter indicating why you are interested in this role (max 1 page);

· details of the number of hours per week you are ideally seeking.

Selection will be based on evidence of the necessary skills and experience as outlined above, demonstrating an understanding of the project, and best value. We intend to select freelancers to undertake this work no later than Wednesday 16th June.

Additional information

Submissions will be considered from applicants seeking to work on any Scottish Island provided that suitable working arrangements can be agreed. The postholder may be expected to travel to some of the islands covered by the scheme. The voices of contemporary islanders are key to the integrity and success of this project and we are therefore seeking freelancers who understand the need to keep this at the core of our work. Being located on a Scottish island participating in the project would therefore be considered an advantage.