Jobs

JOB PURPOSE
The National Trust for Scotland is looking for a strong team player to join our Building Conservation Team, looking after many of Scotland’s most important historic buildings and structures. This role will be based in the South and West Region of Scotland providing support to the regional team. The role is in order to cover maternity leave and will be a fixed term of 12 months.
A Building Conservation professional with at least 2 years’ post-qualification experience, you will be part of the team that supports the Trust’s operational regions in caring for and operating our buildings. You will work with castles, cottages, museums, offices, bothies, residential and agricultural lets, and toilet blocks – old and new buildings are all part of the NTS portfolio. You will promote and deliver best practice in conservation, safe construction and maintenance management and support operational colleagues with guidance and advice. You will undertake surveys, diagnose defects, specify repairs, and manage projects to deliver conservation, improvement, repair, and maintenance works to our built assets.
The National Building Conservation Team are a forward-looking team of buildings professionals who are passionate about caring for the Trust’s diverse portfolio of structures both historic and modern. Although we are one of the Trust’s Central teams, managed from Trust HQ at Broadstone, Edinburgh, individual team members are dispersed across all parts of the Scottish mainland, supporting 4 Regions and our role is all about collaborating and supporting local Operations Teams.
Our Regional Offices are:
• Edinburgh & East: Broadstone, Edinburgh
• Highlands & Islands: Balnain House, Inverness
• North-East: Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire
• South & West: Culzean Castle, South Ayrshire / Greenbank House, Glasgow

The role of the Trust’s Building Conservation Team is to provide professional and technical building and conservation knowledge and support across all aspects of the care and maintenance of our buildings.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
The Building Conservation Surveyor is the senior buildings and conservation professional in each Region. The Building Conservation Team delivers direct support to the regional management and operations teams, under the management and supervision of the Lead Conservation Surveyor and the Head of Building Conservation.
Each Region is supported by a Building Conservation Surveyor and a Maintenance Surveyor, who between them support Trust property and conservation operations by delivering conservation maintenance activities to ensure that our buildings are fit for purpose, safe and welcoming for our visitors, meet legislative standards of compliance and deliver the Trust’s charitable purposes. The Team operates through a consultancy model with Building and Maintenance Surveyors aligned to a client group of properties to allow them to develop expertise in the history, significance, care, and operation of those properties. Working in collaboration and consultation with operations teams and in response to condition reports, our surveyors programme and commission appropriate consultancy services and contractors to deliver required works. You will undertake condition surveys, identify, and diagnose defects, specify and schedule works and develop options for remediation. This includes ensuring that all works specifications, contracting and project management and construction activities are compliant with legislation and Trust technical, Health & Safety and Conservation standards and policies.
As the senior surveying specialist and knowledge bearer within each region or property portfolio, the emphasis is on leading the conservation and care of the built environment, compliance against policy, statutory and legislative frameworks internally and externally (e.g. CDM, planning, health & safety, building control, environment, and conservation practice).
You will work under the day-to-day operational management of the Lead Conservation Surveyor, who in turn reports to the Head of Building Conservation. You will be supported directly by the Buildings Support Manager, and the Head of Building Conservation Policy. You will work most closely with the Regional Maintenance Surveyor to identify defects and respond to operational requests, research, plan and deliver appropriate solutions for any building related issues.
You will be required to:
1. Understand and continually refresh your knowledge of the significance, condition, and operational requirements of the buildings in your area and the Trust’s Conservation Principles and other policies and statutory requirements that impact on our buildings.
2. Undertake surveys, identify defects, and make recommendations for imminent and future works to improve, maintain and conserve the significance and operational utility of buildings and sites in the most environmentally sustainable way.
3. Lead, manage and input into the production of research and property plans in relation to built assets and their future care, use and operation.
4. Manage a range of external consultants and specialists for small, medium and large projects.
5. Produce options appraisals, work plans, schedules, specifications, and tender documents.
6. Manage procurement exercises in collaboration with our Procurement Team.
7. Develop, monitor, and manage project budgets.
8. Develop, project manage and act as Contract Administrator for conservation, maintenance and improvement projects including ensuring that all necessary statutory applications are lodged and approved with any conditions discharged.
9. Provide information in support of grant applications and the management of grant funded works.
10. Provide support and information to the Health & Safety Team in relation to compliance matters including but not limited to: CDM, contractor management, fire safety, environmental management and DDA.
11. Compile and keep under review property information appropriate to each property and all building activities undertaken in your Region.

Application Deadline: Friday 26/06/2026