Jobs

National Trust for Scotland is a charity that was founded in 1931 to promote access and protection of Scotland’s natural and human heritage in our care. Our vision is simple: Nature, Beauty and Heritage, for everyone.

Our work ranges from managing castles to coastlines, art to architecture, wildlife to wilderness, for everyone to experience today and for generations to come.

Under the Trust’s ten-year strategy, by our centenary in 2031 we will be able to demonstrate that the Trust is not only carbon neutral but is making a significant contribution to how Scotland faces up to climate change.

We are also committed to providing ways for everyone to experience wellbeing in our beautiful and calming places, as well as bringing families and friends together in safe and meaningful ways.

We are the largest membership organisation in Scotland, one of the best supported charities when it comes to our 2,500+ volunteers, and we a charity that provides employment and skills development to over 1,500 people across Scotland.

As well as being driven by our purpose we are also guided by our Values: Brave, Caring, Inclusive, Vibrant and Curious. Standing up and being counted matters to us, as does supporting each other, including everyone, being engaging and always looking for ways to improve.

THE CUSTOMER & CAUSE DIRECTORATE
A key directorate at the Trust is Customer & Cause which comprises a team or circa 40 people, supported by a strong set of external agency partners.

We are here to inspire more people to visit, join and donate to the Trust. We do this by managing marketing, communications, digital, social media and fundraising activity for the charity.

We manage the membership experience and our proud to look after over a third-of-a-million members who help support our vital conservation work as well as experience the best of Scotland by being a member of the Trust.

The directorate works closely with our regional colleagues at our properties and outdoor places to support them in their activities. This work includes ensuring that the uniqueness of each place is well communicated as well as being presented in the context of the wider Trust brand and messaging.

The directorate is formally based at the Trust’s HQ in Edinburgh but the nature of most of our roles lend themselves to working flexibly in terms of location and affords ongoing opportunities to experience properties and places on a regular basis.

The Marketing Team is one of the four teams in the Customer & Cause directorate: Communications, Marketing, Membership and Fundraising.

The Marketing Team is responsible for the National Trust for Scotland brand, delivering national and regional marketing campaigns to inspire visits and promote the work of the charity including our membership product, fundraising and commercial activities. The team also manage our digital platforms and deliver content and materials for multiple channels.

JOB PURPOSE

Lead the digital product team, working creatively to deliver results that balance user and business needs. Working with the Head of Marketing this role will manage the delivery of the agreed programme of work for 2023-24 including managing the day-to-day digital agency relationship, tracking the program of work against budget and reporting on progress to stakeholders. In addition, this role will manage the pipeline of fixes and improvements required by the wider Trust team on the existing website, including for example system upgrades for CRM, bug fixes, website platform upgrades, developing new landing pages.

As well as managing the Trust’s digital product team, this individual will have a hands-on role directly delivering improvements to large and complex digital products within the wider portfolio. The aim is to inspire visits, memberships and donations to deliver the strategic objectives of the organisation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Be responsible for the digital product pipeline – this is the prioritised ‘to-do list’ for digital development tasks across all digital products. It informs the new features, changes to existing features, bug fixes, infrastructure changes or other activities that the team may deliver in order to achieve a specific outcome. The product backlog is the single authoritative source for ‘business as usual’ tasks that the team works on, and should be maintained in coordination with wider business objectives and strategies. You will form a part of the Trusts’ Change Advisory Board (CAB) and advise on digital deployments and associated processes.

• Manage website integration – Monitor the existing integrations between our website and the Trust’s CRM

• Line- Management – provide direct line-management to two Digital Product Executives, ensuring each person has clear annual objectives which are regularly reviewed in monthly 1:1 sessions, half-year and end-of-year formal reviews. Lead by example to promote a culture of continuous improvement and user-focused, agile product development.

• Manage external agencies – to ensure the Trust can flex its capacity for specific digital development workstreams, you will have to manage multidisciplinary, agile teams from across the Trust and agency partners. You will ensure that we have the best resource available by preparing briefs and influencing suitable statements of work.

• Manage stakeholders and collaborate with cross-functional teams – you will be collaboratively working with cross-functional teams to ensure that wider digital marketing campaigns are aligned to any technical considerations and will oversee communication to relevant business stakeholders, involving them as appropriate at key points during digital product development.

• Maximise SEO effectiveness – ensure that nts.org.uk is search engine optimised in order to reach the maximum potential for organic search traffic. You will work with the Digital Marketing Manager to identify and deliver technical implementations which will improve optimisation, and collaborate with the Content Manager to ensure that there is a place for optimised content on the website in line with the content strategy.

• Maximise user focus – oversee the implementation of user-led approach to digital development aligned with the Trust’s priority audiences. You will bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business. Use analytics tools, user research and A/B testing amongst other methods of gathering evidence to support any planned development. Ensure that all digital products adhere to the Trusts Technical Standards and follow inclusive principles around accessibility.

• Budget management – manage the budget designated for the ongoing maintenance of nts.org.uk, including the digital product backlog and a programme of annual system upgrades, plus digital development projects with our dedicated third-party agency partners. Ensure that the budget allocations and agency partners are being regularly tracked, reviewed and re-forecast where applicable.

• Performance review and optimisation – work with colleagues who manage Trust content, digital marketing channels and ecommerce business areas and oversee the continuous review of performance to ensure that the user experience we deliver is driving conversion rate optimisation (CRO) such as securing a membership sale or donation to an appeal. Provide consultancy regarding digital metrics to colleagues across the Trust whose business area has a digital presence.

This role does not require you to undertake a criminal records check.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential
▪ Degree in a relevant digital discipline or equivalent practical experience

Desirable
▪ Driving Licence, valid for driving within the UK

Experience

Essential
• Can apply an agile mindset to all aspects of work, continuously reflecting and challenging the team whilst formulating new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes
• Able to understand, identify and analyse problems to find the appropriate solution, whilst being unafraid to take risks and willing to learn from mistakes
• A good understanding of user experience, accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Capable of leading a team through the different phases of product delivery, including user research, UX, UI, content design, development and performance analysis
• Managing and developing multiple digital products at the same time, utilising strong planning and organisational skills within a complex stakeholder environment
• Leading a multidisciplinary team of staff, contractors and agencies to deliver complex digital products, including managing integration with business systems such as CRM
• Setting, monitoring and reporting measurable performance objectives for digital products using Google Analytics or equivalent tools
• Demonstrable experience in mapping customer journeys and delivering digital content and campaigns across multiple channels including social media, email and websites
• Line management experience of those in more junior product roles with the ability to develop their capability through coaching
• Able to get buy-in from wide-ranging and senior stakeholders with conflicting needs and interests
• Delivering value-for-money solutions that put user needs first
• Excellent attention to detail, with effective verbal, written and visual communication skills

Desirable
• Good understanding of user-led design and inclusive design and development principles
• Experience of using project related tools such as Microsoft 365 suite, Basecamp, Jira or equivalent
• Plays active roles in professional networks, enhancing personal knowledge and skills by increasing the Trust’s influence across the sector
• Experience of contract management of agencies or suppliers
• Experience in budgeting and financial management

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

People Management
• Manage the digital product team, giving clear direction and delegating responsibilities as required
• Manage relationships with relevant external agencies and support the digital product team to ensure they are working with our partners and suppliers to deliver excellent value for money
• Collaborative working relationships with Customer & Cause colleagues including Marketing, Membership, Fundraising and Communications teams
• Develop excellent working relationships with internal stakeholders, taking the time to
• understand their needs and concerns, and collaborating with them to deliver outcomes that provide
• outstanding user experiences

Finance Management
• Management of the budget designated for the ongoing maintenance of nts.org.uk, including the digital product backlog and a programme of annual system upgrades, plus digital development projects

Tools / equipment / systems
• Experience with various Content Management Systems, including Craft
• Familiar with Adobe software (Photoshop/Premiere Pro) and experience with creating and editing multimedia content
• Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, web design and development
• Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management systems

Workplace context
• We are following a hybrid working pattern within the team. It may be necessary to travel occasionally to other locations on Trust business.
• Note that as the Trust’s properties are often in remote or rural locations where public transport may be limited, the ability and confidence to drive in the UK is desirable.

Example key performance indicators and targets
• Having a positive impact on the conversion rate of visitors, members and donors
• Increasing web traffic to key areas of nts.org.uk
• Ensuring our digital products are accessible for everyone to enjoy
• Delivering programme of work on time and in budget

The Key Responsibilities, Scope of Job, and Required Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Knowledge reflect the requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.

Application Deadline: Friday 14/04/2023