Project Manager - Burns Tourism Partnership

The Burns Tourism Partnership has an ambitious programme, strong partners and funding in place. What matters most now is securing an excellent person who can turn plans into practical results.

The role is designed as a full-time employed post; however, we are open to strong proposals for part-time employment or freelance/consultancy delivery. Our priority is finding the right person, with the right capacity and approach. The delivery project will last for two years.

You do not need to be a Robert Burns expert. Knowledge of Burns, tourism or Dumfries is welcome, but the essential requirement is the ability to manage projects, build productive relationships and get things done.

The opportunity

Robert Burns is one of Scotland's best-known cultural figures internationally, and Dumfries has an exceptional claim to be at the heart of his story. Burns spent the final and highly productive years of his life in and around Dumfries, and the area contains a rich concentration of places, collections, stories and businesses connected to him.

Over recent years the Burns Tourism Partnership has brought together public, private, cultural and community partners to develop that opportunity. There is now a strong platform: an engaged partnership, agreed priorities, existing Burns tourism activity and digital assets, and a growing ambition to make the visitor experience more coherent, visible and commercially valuable.

This post, made possible through funding received from Dumfries Town Board as part of the UK Government's Pride in Place Plan, provides dedicated capacity to move from plans to delivery.

What we need

Fundamentally, we need someone who can join us, understand the programme quickly and drive it forward. The successful candidate will be practical, organised, collaborative and comfortable taking responsibility for delivery. They will work within the existing SSDA management structure and alongside Burns Tourism Partnership members, drawing on the considerable Burns, tourism and local expertise already around the table. The successful candidate will:

• Turn agreed priorities into clear actions, milestones and completed outputs.
• Keep several strands of work moving at the same time and identify quickly where decisions or intervention are needed.
• Build strong working relationships with attractions, businesses, organisations, public-sector partners as well as the local community.
• Create momentum without creating unnecessary process.
• Communicate clearly, report progress succinctly and make effective use of the expertise and support available.
• Be visible and engaged in Dumfries: this is a place-based delivery role but could be hybrid upon agreement.

What success could look like

By the end of the funded programme we want to see practical evidence that the Burns visitor economy in Dumfries is demonstrably stronger. Priorities are likely to include:

• A clear and compelling Burns visitor journey including a sense of arrival, making it easier for visitors to discover, plan and experience Burns-related places and activities.
• More high-quality, bookable and trade-ready experiences, itineraries and packages which encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
• Stronger connections between Burns attractions, hospitality businesses, the community, events and the wider town centre.
• Improved use and development of the existing Footsteps of Burns brand, website and social channels.
• Visible improvements on the ground, potentially including coordinated interpretation, signage and visitor information.
• Evidence of visitor demand, business and community engagement, outputs and impact to support future funding applications.
• A stronger funding and delivery platform capable of sustaining and growing the programme beyond the current funding period.

A tangible opportunity: In the Footsteps of Burns

A particularly exciting potential strand is the next phase of In the Footsteps of Burns which aims to transform Dumfries into a premier literary tourism hub, using a physical, Hollywood Boulevard-style trail of brass footprints to create an immersive Burns experience that boosts the local economy and celebrates the poet's legacy.

Subject to funding and final approvals, this project would create a much more visible and connected visitor experience across Dumfries and the surrounding area.

The successful candidate could play a central role in taking this from concept to delivery: developing the proposition with partners; coordinating design, procurement and permissions; connecting physical and digital interpretation; engaging businesses and communities; and ensuring that the finished experience encourages visitors to explore more of Dumfries and Burns Country.

This is illustrative of the role we are seeking to fill: not simply administering a partnership, but helping partners turn good ideas into tangible visitor-facing outcomes.

Key areas of responsibility

• Programme delivery – maintain a clear delivery plan, agree priorities with the Partnership and ensure actions progress to completion.
• Visitor experience development – work with partners and businesses to improve the Burns visitor journey and develop practical new experiences and itineraries.
• Footsteps of Burns – manage and develop existing assets and, subject to funding, help lead delivery of the next phase.
• Business and partner engagement – build effective relationships across tourism, hospitality, culture, heritage and the wider community.
• Travel trade – support the development of coherent, bookable propositions and itineraries suitable for domestic and international intermediaries.
• Marketing coordination – work with SSDA/Scotland Starts Here, VisitScotland and other partners so that product development and destination marketing reinforce one another.
• Funding and sustainability – identify and help secure resources that can extend delivery beyond the present funded period.
• Monitoring and reporting – maintain proportionate milestones and measures, providing concise progress reporting and escalating issues where partner decisions are required.

How the role works

The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) contracts and manages the role. The Dumfries & Galloway Council Arts and Museums Service will provide office space for in-person days, working closely with the wider Burns Tourism Partnership. The successful candidate will have scope to organise their work and take initiative, within agreed priorities, budgets, governance and reporting arrangements.

This is deliberately a collaborative delivery role. The postholder will not be expected to arrive with all the answers or to work in isolation; they will be expected to use the knowledge, contacts and expertise of the Partnership effectively and to turn this into tangible outputs which demonstrably strengthen the visitor economy.

Location and presence in Dumfries

The programme is rooted in Dumfries and requires meaningful, regular presence in the town and surrounding area. Building relationships with attractions, businesses, partners and communities is an important part of the job, and many meetings and delivery activity will need to take place in person.

We are open to sensible hybrid and flexible working arrangements, but this is not a remote role. Applicants proposing part-time or freelance arrangements should explain how they would maintain sufficient visibility, accessibility and presence in Dumfries.

Who we are looking for

We are deliberately keeping the background requirements broad. The strongest candidate might come from tourism, culture, heritage, events, regeneration, economic development, the third sector, project delivery or another field.

Essential

• Strong evidence of personally delivering projects or programmes to a high standard
• Excellent organisation and project-management skills
• Ability to take initiative, solve problems and maintain momentum
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of partners and stakeholders
• Clear written and verbal communication
• A practical focus on outcomes, deadlines and measurable progress
• Ability to work constructively within agreed management and governance arrangements

Helpful, but not essential

• Tourism or visitor-economy experience
• Culture, heritage, place or regeneration experience
• Experience developing visitor experiences, products or itineraries
• Travel trade experience
• Digital content, website or social-channel experience
• Funding or partnership-development experience
• Knowledge of Dumfries and/or Robert Burns

Working arrangement: we are open to proposals

The role is envisaged as a full-time, fixed-term employed position at £30,000 per annum. We are open to appointing on that basis. However, following our initial recruitment exercise, we are also willing to consider alternative arrangements if they enable an exceptional candidate to deliver the programme effectively.

We therefore welcome applications proposing:

• full-time employment at £30,000 p.a.;
• part-time employment, pro-rata salary or other; or
• freelance/consultancy delivery, with the applicant setting out the time commitment, rate or fee basis and how they would deliver the required outcomes.

We will assess proposals on the overall combination of capability, capacity, value for money, presence in Dumfries and confidence in the individual’s ability to deliver.

For employed appointments, annual leave is 28 days plus 8 public holidays, pro rata, and the appointment is subject to successful completion of a probation period.

Freelance arrangements would be contracted on an agreed scope, outputs and fee basis and would not carry employee benefits.

Term and future potential

Current funding supports the role/programme for two years from the commencement of the role. However, a key objective is to demonstrate impact and secure a sustainable future for Burns tourism delivery. If the programme is successful and further funding is secured, there is every opportunity for the work – and potentially the role or delivery arrangement – to continue or evolve beyond the present term. No extension can be guaranteed.

About the Burns Tourism Partnership

The Partnership brings together organisations involved in Burns tourism, culture, place and economic development, including:

• Dumfries & Galloway Council Arts and Museums Service
• Dumfries Town Board
• Dynamically Different Dumfries (DPAG)
• Dumfries & Galloway Chamber
• South of Scotland Enterprise
• VisitScotland
• University of Glasgow
• The Globe Inn and Burns Quarter
• Robert Burns Ellisland Museum & Farm
• Wigtown Festival Company
• Big Burns Supper
• Theatre Royal Dumfries
• Cairndale Hotel & Spa
• The Crichton Trust
• St Michael's Church
• Midsteeple Quarter
• Sanquhar Enterprise Company
• South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)