Operations Manager

Operations Manager

A key conservation position on one of Scotland’s most beautiful islands. Based on the Isle of Arran, COAST is a multi-award-winning marine conservation group restoring the health and diversity of Arran’s inshore waters. Embedded in and driven by our island community we established Scotland’s first and only community-led No Take Zone in 2008 and the South Arran Marine Protected Area in 2016. This is a wonderful opportunity to align your skills and lifestyle assisting with leading an internationally acclaimed conservation group. We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and effective person, able to manage and provide leadership to assist the organisation meet its wider ambitions. You will be supporting a friendly and well-qualified small staff team, working across diverse stakeholder groups including volunteers and our local community constituency. A background in marine conservation is not essential, although a passion for the marine environment is.

The job

The Operations Manager will work closely with the Executive Director, staff, volunteers and external partners to deliver our ambitious programme. Managing COAST’s daily operations, while overseeing our finances, staff team and the development of COAST’s Discovery Centre & Community Hub, you will have the overall aim of conserving and recovering Arran’s unique marine environment.

The person

The successful candidate will have extensive managerial experience and preferably demonstrated experience of daily operations of an organisation. You will have a varied skill set and be able to manage daily issues that arise. You will be a motivated and proactive person that has the ability to think on their feet whilst being highly organised. The candidate is expected to show excellent management and people skills and have a desire to become part of our island community.

How to Apply

To apply, a full CV with a covering letter detailing how you meet our requirements should be sent by email to Aine Purcell Milton at recruitment@arrancoast.com by the 23rd February 2026. Online interviews are likely to be held the week commencing the 9th & 10th March. If you would like to discuss this position with us informally, please email us at the same address.

Please mention ConservationJobs.co.uk when applying for this job!