Recruiting for 3 short-term posts

CoDeL is delighted to have secured additional funding under its Leader-funded Smart Islands project, for feasibility work on ‘Uist Life’ to develop a technology-based platform to give greater value and visibility to the rich environmental, cultural and community assets within Uist for local islanders, community organisations and visitors, and to benefit our island communities and local economy.

This funding allows CoDeL to recruit for 3 short-term posts under the Smart Islands project.

1. Community Engagement Officer, Uist Life: 260 hours @ £19 an hour (total £4940)
2. Digital Consultant, Uist Life: £7000 for 20 days or more of consulting
3. Website and Social Media Support, Smart Islands Project: 50 hours @ £20 an hour (total £1000)

Please note that the third role, providing support for CoDeL’s website (on wordpress) and social media, applies to all of CoDeL’s work for the Smart Islands project, including links with Irish islands, not just the feasibility work for ‘Uist Life’.

The Community Engagement Officer and the Digital Consultant will work together on the ‘Uist Life’ feasibility study.  Being a Gaelic speaker with in-depth knowledge of Uist community organisations will be a significant advantage in applying for the Community Engagement Officer post.  The Officer will also need to be digitally proficient and aware in order to enable good collaboration with the Digital Consultant as they define and design digital solutions.  The Digital Consultant must have demonstrable experience in delivering high-quality digital solutions.

All posts to start 8 Dec 2020 and be completed 21 Feb 2021.  All will be remunerated as self-employed consultants.  For more info, job descriptions and application forms, please e-mail theona@codel.scot and/or thomas@codel.scot

Some background on ‘Uist Life’

This initiative originally emerged from some of the debates among young and other islanders during Open Space zoom sessions that CoDeL facilitated throughout lockdown and focused on how tourism could best operate in response to Covid.  Initially with a primary emphasis on slow tourism rooted deeply in local communities, Uist Life has evolved into a concept for enhancing understanding and opportunities within Uist communities and culture targeted as much at local people as visitors.  Hence the name Uist Life.

Ten islanders with experience in all three sectors (private, public and Third Sector) are involved in the initiative, some of whom will form a steering group for the feasibility work.  The Community Engagement Officer and the Digital Consultant will report to the Steering Group.

The overall objectives of the group are to:

• to deliver maximum social and community benefits with minimal environmental impacts
• to support local businesses, community organisations and the local economy

… through a technology based platform that can draw out many of the environmental, community and cultural assets that are often not very visible to locals or visitors.  The extent of these assets in Uist is huge but often not accessible.  The concept seeks to deliver benefits for the local economy (including promoting a more circular economy), and above all to give greater value and visibility to the rich environmental, cultural and community assets within Uist, in part to promote and sustain our island / cultural / Gaelic heritage and way of life.