Project Officer: Offshore Wind Skills Hub in Inverness

UHI is the United Kingdom’s leading integrated university encompassing both further and higher education. We are more than a college and more than a traditional university: a diverse, flexible partnership, rooted in our communities and driven by their needs. Our network of colleges, specialist teaching centres and internationally recognised research institutes delivers supported, flexible learning from access level to PhD.

To support our work we are recruiting to the following role:

Project Officer: Offshore Wind Skills Hub (Internal Applications)

Please note this role is currently only available to internal applicants.

• Salary range: £36,215 - £38,421 pa pro-rata
• Duration: 12 months FTC
• Working hours: 35 hours/week
• Location: Hybrid / Inverness or other UHI partnership location as agreed
• Closing Date: 27 September 2026

The Economic Development and Advancement Directorate is a core enabling function for the UHI partnership, responsible for mobilising UHI’s assets externally to deliver regional impact, support students and generate sustainable income for the University. We actively engage with industry partners, communities, government, and public sector organisations and seek to identify new opportunities and create innovative strategic partnerships to secure income that makes a difference to the long‑term success of the UHI partnership, our students, staff, and alumni.

Supported by £1.17m from the Scottish Government’s Offshore Wind Skills Programme Fund, UHI is establishing the first phase of the UHI Offshore Wind Skills Hub. The Hub will create a regional, industry‑led approach to developing the workforce needed to support Scotland's rapidly expanding offshore wind sector by increasing training capacity, strengthening collaboration between education and industry, and providing targeted support for employers and learners across the Highlands and Islands.

We are seeking to appoint a Project Officer who will work with the EDA team to support the successful delivery of the Hub by coordinating key project activities, managing defined work packages, supporting stakeholder engagement, and ensuring effective monitoring, reporting and communication throughout the project lifecycle. Working closely with the Hub Project Manager, the postholder will contribute to project planning and implementation, maintain project governance arrangements, monitor progress against milestones, support financial monitoring and reporting requirements, and develop effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders including Academic Partners, industry representatives, funders and community partners. The role will also support the delivery of employer and learner support initiatives, including apprentice recruitment incentives and bursary/scholarship activity, alongside supporting communications, engagement activities and future development proposals for the Hub.

A detailed job description and person specification for the post are attached. Applicants with informal questions are encouraged to contact Ellen Packham, Commercial Partnerships Manager, by email to ellen.packham@uhi.ac.uk.

This role is linked to grade 6 on the UHI payscale. The starting salary for this position will normally be in the range £36,215 to £38,421 per annum. For exceptional candidates a higher salary up to the top of the grade (currently £41,986 per annum) may be available. The role is currently being offered for a 12-month period in the first instance, with potential to extend, subject to further funding. We welcome applications from colleagues across the UHI partnership who are interested in undertaking the role on a secondment basis, subject to the approval of their current manager.

This post is full time and will involve working 35 hours per week on a working pattern as agreed with your line manager. The workplace pension scheme we provide to workers at grade six and above is the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). This is a qualifying pension scheme, which means it meets or exceeds the government’s standards. Full information on the scheme can be found at http://www.uss.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx.

Full-time posts carry a total of 42 days leave per annum (pro rata for part‑time posts). It is practice that, with the exception of a Christmas and New Year closure, leave may be taken at any time of year, subject to the requirements of the post and department and with the permission of your line manager.

When completing the application form please ensure that you clearly evidence how you meet the selection criteria identified on the relevant person specification. The deadline for submitting your application is Sunday 27th September 2026 at 11.59pm. Shortlisting will take place the week commencing 28th September 2026. If you have any queries regarding our recruitment and selection process, or if you would like to request any reasonable adjustments to either the recruitment process or the prospective job, please contact the HR team as soon as possible. Applications for this post are currently restricted to existing executive office and academic partner employees only. Interviews will be held 13th and 14th October 2026.

UHI Employee Benefits:

• 42 days’ annual leave (pro rata)
• Attractive pension scheme and options for additional contributions
• Flexible working and family‑friendly policies
• Occupational sick pay and an Employee Assistance Programme (incl. spousal support)
• High‑street and online retail discounts
• 10% off Highlife Highland memberships
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Contribution towards DSE prescription glasses
• Free parking and EV charging (where available)
• LinkedIn Learning access for ongoing professional development
• Long‑service awards and active social events

If you have any queries about the application process please contact the HR Office at HR@uhi.ac.uk.