Job Description

HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS AIRPORTS LIMITED

HIAL is a public body wholly owned by Scottish Ministers. The Company operates and manages 11 airports in the Highlands and Islands (Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick John O’Groats) and Dundee. These airports are vital to the social and economic welfare of the areas they serve and enable the communities to stay connected.

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROLES

On this occasion, the Cabinet Secretary is looking for applicants to undertake three particular roles:

Role One

For this role, you would demonstrate lived experience of the Highlands and Islands communities served by HIAL. If successful, you would contribute that first-hand experience, and a broad understanding of island and rural communities, to the Board's discussions on the practical, social and economic realities of air connectivity. As a director of the company, you would contribute with the interests of all the communities HIAL serves in mind.

For this role, you would bring experience of safe operations in the airport, aviation, or aerospace sector, or related high-hazard industry. If you are successful you would advise the Board on decisions related to effective and safe operations, leading to responsibilities as Chair of the HIAL Board’s Safety, Security and Environment Committee.

Role Two

For this role, you would demonstrate lived experience of the Highlands and Islands communities served by HIAL. If successful, you would contribute that first-hand experience, and a broad understanding of island and rural communities, to the Board's discussions on the practical, social and economic realities of air connectivity. As a director of the company, you would contribute with the interests of all the communities HIAL serves in mind.

Role Three

For this role, you would bring experience of HR and people matters, including working with and negotiating with trade unions, helping the Board shape its approach to its workforce, leading to responsibilities as Chair of the HIAL Board’s People Committee. This is a non-executive role. Day-to-day relationships with trade unions are led by the executive team, and you would advise the Board and, where asked, the executive, drawing on your experience.

This appointment round also aims to have one of these three roles take on the responsibility of being the HIAL Board’s Gaelic Champion. An understanding of Gaelic culture and language is a desirable criterion for all three roles (see the desirable criterion below).

Full details are set out in the Application Information Pack.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The current Chair of HIAL, Chris Holliday, would be delighted to discuss any questions you may have about the roles. In the first instance, please contact HIAL’s Board Secretary, Jackie Clark on JClark@hial.co.uk who can make any arrangements for a discussion.

HIAL will also hold an online drop-in session for anyone interested in the roles at 1730 on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. To register your interest, please also contact Jackie  Clark.

You can also find out more about HIAL at www.hial.co.uk/. Applicants can also access important HIAL documents through the attached link. We would encourage you to read the relevant documents prior to applying - . About the Group – Board of Directors - Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.

REMUNERATION AND TIME COMMITMENT

Remuneration is £352.89 per day for a time commitment of two days per month. Reasonable expenses incurred will be reimbursed. The appointments are non-pensionable.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Priority Criteria

Applicants should demonstrate evidence of at least one of the following priority criteria (you can provide evidence for more than one):

1. Role 1. Breadth of experience of safe and effective operations in the airport, aviation or aerospace sector.
2. Role 2. Lived experience of the Highlands and Islands communities served by HIAL (we are looking for an individual who resides or has their primary residence in an island or rural community served by HIAL).
3. Role 3. Experience of managing human resources in support of an organisation’s strategic goals and objectives.

Essential Criteria

By the end of the process applicants will have demonstrated evidence of all of the essential criteria:

1. Communication and influencing
2. Governance
3. HIAL Operations
4. Strategic leadership

Desirable Criteria

Candidates will have the opportunity to set out relevant evidence in their application of the desirable criterion:

1. Understanding of Gaelic culture and language.

Full details are contained in the Applicant Information Pack.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

• Download and save this applicant information pack to refer to.
• Read the ‘person specification’ section in this pack noting where you need to provide evidence at the application stage.
• Complete the personal information and conflict of interest questions.
• When prompted, provide evidence in the relevant boxes for the Priority Criteria, you are interested in, the Essential Criteria, the Desirable Criteria and the tailored career history. Please note the word limits for all of the criteria and the tailored career history (detailed in the person specification in the Applicant Information Pack).
• Submit your online application by 17:00 pm on Monday, 16 November 2026.
• Please Note: you do not have the option to edit your application evidence once you click ‘submit’. You must have all your information to hand before submitting your application.
• We strongly recommend that you draft your answers in a word document and check that you are happy with them before copying and pasting your answers in the relevant sections of the online application.

Please note that any content exceeding the stated word limits will not be considered by the selection panel.

Late applications will also not be accepted by the selection panel.