Trainee Agricultural Consultant in Edinburgh, Scotland

About the team: SAC Consulting is one of the leading agricultural consultancies in the UK, uniquely placed to support the sustainable growth and prosperity of agriculture and land-based businesses; working across food supply chains as they rise to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security. We believe in the power of local support, which is why our 200-strong team of consultants, technicians and specialist support staff are based in 25 offices across Scotland, providing local knowledge and farming expertise to 8,500 farmers and crofters. We provide an unrivalled level of consultancy service to farmers, crofters, and the wider rural sector throughout Scotland.

About the opportunity: The main purpose of this role is to promote, sell, and deliver our services to farmers and clients. SAC Consultants deliver knowledge generated within SAC and SRUC to the agricultural industry. The role is primarily about the delivery of knowledge related services to the agricultural sector and to bring back requirements from industry to SRUC, but also requires the skills and capability to collaborate with all parties acting within the agriculture and food production ecosystem. Through knowledge transfer, advisory services, tools, and collaboration, SAC Consultants assist and support their clients to meet their individual business objectives, as well as helping industry stakeholders, government agencies, and private sector businesses to achieve greater success or to deliver on their organisation objectives. In addition, SAC Consultants work collaboratively with their academic peers to strengthen the links between industry and academic interests to support the relevance of SRUC as a whole.

Consultancy Services: Technical (crop and livestock), business and financial consultancy services are provided to farmers, land managers, and other rural businesses. Delivery of Government contracts where appropriate:

• Manage farming clients (or equivalent financial earnings), covering all service
• Use own judgement, initiative and expertise to cover a wide range of queries from clients
• Mentor and develop peers
• Deliver meetings; have local oversight and coordination of programmes annually
• Responsible for projects in line with financial earnings
• Articles written for press, technical publications and thought leadership
• Create and write technical notes and booklets
• Confident speaker/facilitator

Financial management: Support the delivery of the office and regional budget through consultancy work:

• Keep timesheets and project management systems accurate and up to date
• Good track record in terms of timesheets, T & S completion etc
• Use pricing matrix to set appropriate level of fees for client work, oversee others completing fee proposals and set bespoke levels of fees when appropriate
• Able to manage projects to sophisticated level, with full understanding of profitability, costs and surplus, with minimal support

Business development: Identify business opportunities for SRUC services in the rural community and promote, provide, and sell such services appropriately:

• Provide and maintain a high quality service by ensuring correct priority of work throughout the year (e.g. peak periods such as IACS, meeting deadlines and/or targets)
• Develop appropriate new products and services for clients and propose route to market
• Through client and wider industry network actively promote and sell SAC products and services as well as SRUC services, with an awareness and appreciation of wider SAC strategic aims and objectives
• Excellent brand awareness, able to succinctly articulate the value of SAC services in a compelling manner.
• High awareness of the need to sell the value of our services to clients and able to steer conversations toward billable work
• Confidently lead on and hold meetings throughout the year, in association with 3rd parties where required
• Develop new business leads, contribute, lead and submit for tendered work and bids for project funding income streams that sit across departments, teams or SAC / SRUC

Stakeholder relationship management: Maintain effective liaison with staff at an appropriate equivalent level of other organisations with rural interests, including banks, commercial companies, Local Enterprise companies, NatureScot, NFUS:

• Develop a network of contacts through work and also other routes whereby a “cohort” of interested professionals know what SAC and SRUC can offer
• Actively attend networking events and seek senior positions or opportunities to showcase
• Facilitate meetings with interested parties

Partnerships: Transfer knowledge from the Academic division (crop and soils, livestock) out to the wider audience including the farming community and related corporate clients:

• Work with a range of specialists to fulfil complex tasks and queries from clients
• Have a well-established and competent delivery programme locally, have involvement regionally with delivery. Personal delivery critical and to be to a highly professional standard
• Support the delivery of Education and Research work as required. Be available to deliver to students as required.

Minimum qualifications and experience: The successful candidate will be educated to SCQF Level 8 (HND or above) in Agriculture or will bring an equivalent qualification or relevant experience in a rural, environmental, or science-based discipline. For full details of the qualifications and experience require for this role, please download the Job Particulars document which you must read prior to applying.

Eligibility for Sponsorship: This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. If you are a migrant worker, you will need to ensure you have an appropriate visa to evidence the necessary right to work in the UK.

Salary and benefits: Generous annual leave, enhanced pension contributions to contributory pension scheme, cycle to work scheme, discounted RAC Membership, generous family leave. We encourage Continuing Professional Development with a tailored investment in an individuals' learning and development.

How to Apply: Please complete an online application form by pressing “apply” or visiting.

SRUC Leading the way in Agricultural and Rural Research, Education & Consultancy. SRUC is committed to valuing Diversity, advancing Equality and respecting Human Rights throughout the organisation and encouraging applications from disabled people using the “Disability Confident Employer” symbol. SRUC is a member of the Athena SWAN charter. SRUC. A Charitable company limited by guarantee, SC003712. Registered in Scotland No SC103046.