OUR PLACEMENTS

Placement summary

Established in 1998, Westray Development Trust (WDT) has grown to become one of Orkney’s largest Development Trusts. We now have an exciting placement opportunity for a Graduate Researcher. The successful candidate will undertake research to develop a process to calculate the social benefit of our loan service and consolidate the existing grant assessment methods.

Job description

Project Description

Westray Development Trust (WDT) encourages members of the community to seek financial support through a loans process setup by the Trust.  The aim of the loan process is to support economic, social as well as cultural initiatives to ensure the island continues to be sustainable. 

The successful candidate will undertake research to identify or develop a new template that calculates the social benefit of our loan service. They will also consolidate the existing grant assessment templates, together with supporting documentation, assess their usability, validity and completeness, refining them where necessary and making them available for other communities who wish to build on Westray’s experiences.

For informal enquiries regarding this position please contact Andy Makin, Operations Manager, T: 01857 677 858, E: [email protected].

This position is part funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.

Placement Objectives

To review and develop our application and assessment processes. 

Role Description

Specific tasks of the placement will include:

• Reviewing the current grant application and assessment processes (the templates);
• Undertaking research into alternative application and assessment methodologies;
• Refining the processes and evaluating the improvements with a representative subset of users;
• Developing guidance on template processes so that community members, seeking support, are able to assemble their requests in a format that makes assessment easier and quicker;
• Designing and assembling a database of all project submissions so that later applicants can access and learn from these;
• Developing a process to support the use of different loan rates depending on the social benefit of the relevant project;
• Preparing the final project report.

Qualifications

Minimum Degree. All subjects accepted provided the candidate has the required skills. 

Skills / Experience

Essential Skills

• Works well as a member of a team
• Able to organise their work with minimum supervision
• Enthusiastic about the project and confident in their ability to deliver a successful outcome
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Able to learn from constructive feedback
• Process orientated
• Attention to detail

Desirable Skills

• IT skills
• Typing skills
• A willingness to learn
• Experience of software development

Benefits

Company benefits

• WDT has strong and growing relationships with many other Trusts, both in Orkney and elsewhere is Scotland.  The Graduate will be benefit from this network.
• Westray has a well-equipped gym and swimming pool and the successful Graduate will be encouraged to join.
• The WDT office is located in the centre of the village of Pierowall, and is a hub of activity.  The Graduate will be quickly absorbed into the social and cultural life of the island.
• WDT has a policy of part-funding training for residents – as a resident the Graduate will benefit from this.
• Non-financial assistance will be offered to the Graduate to locate accommodation on Westray.
• WDT will assist the graduate with applying for and receiving Islander Travel Subsidies making visits to mainland UK more affordable.

Placement benefits

As part of the ScotGrad Graduate Placement Programme, you will have access to a tailored graduate business skills training course. ScotGrad placements also offer a unique opportunity to connect with a vast network of graduates and ScotGrad alumni. All graduates appointed through the programme are encouraged to use the ScotGrad LinkedIn group to communicate with other ScotGrad participants, learn about any professional development opportunities, including any relevant networking events and build up a professional network.

Additional information

Location: Pierowall, Westray

Preferred start date: 10/07/2017

Company information

Westray Development Trust, was set up to deliver a Development Plan, which defines a vision for the future of the island: "To develop the economic, social and cultural sustainability of our community by harnessing the quality of our resources, people and the island environment".

The Trust subsequently established a wholly owned trading subsidiary, Westray Renewable Energy Ltd, to develop and manage a single 900kW wind energy generator.

Westray is the largest of Orkney's North Isles with a population of 600. The primary industries are agriculture and fishing, with a rapidly growing tourism economy.

Company sector: Other

Company website: www.westraydevelopmenttrust.co.uk