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Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of Programmes at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy.

RSE was established in 1783 for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge. Our contemporary mission remains very much the same: harnessing a diversity of knowledge and expertise and deploying it for the benefit of Scotland and the wider world – in the words of our strapline, ‘knowledge made useful’.

Rebekah Widdowfield

Dr Rebekah Widdowfield
Chief Executive

We deliver on that mission in a number of ways: inspiring and supporting talent through a wide-ranging programme of research grants and awards; engaging the public across Scotland on key contemporary issues through our outreach programme, RSE@ and a diverse range of public events; providing impartial advice and expertise to inform policy and practice through in-depth examination of major issues and expert comment and input; and promoting Scotland’s interests overseas through building relationships with our sister academies and facilitating research collaborations.

We’re supported in that work through an elected fellowship of some 1600 fellows with expertise from across the breadth of academia, business, public service and the creative arts who give of their time freely. We also work alongside and in partnership with many other individuals and organisations who share our values.

We believe that RSE occupies an important, and unique, space delivering benefit to Scotland but are ambitious to do more and are on a journey of change to enhance our impact and reach. Covering the breadth of RSE’s outward facing work, and working as part of the senior leadership team, the Director of Programmes plays a pivotal role in enabling us to realise that goal.

I think this is a hugely exciting opportunity and time to be joining the RSE as we embark on the next leg of our journey and develop our next strategic framework. We are looking for an experienced leader with a collaborative, entrepreneurial approach, excellent interpersonal skills and experience of managing a diverse portfolio of activity and developing high-performing teams. If this sounds like you, please do get in touch.

Dr Rebekah Widdowfield
Chief Executive