National Marine Park seeks boss at up to £90k
PLYMOUTH is to recruit an interim chief executive on a salary of up to £90,000 to steer the creation of the city’s National Marine Park.
Partners across the city created the UK’s first National Marine Park (NMP) in 2019 and the Park in the Sea was awarded £9.5 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund Horizon Awards in 2021 to fully develop the idea. Now the search is on for an interim chief executive to set up all aspects of the park, shape a city-wide programme, support the community and stakeholder engagement and help make the park vision become a reality.
The appointment is on a two-year fixed term and the new chief executive will be based within Plymouth City Council’s Economic Development team and accountable to the newly formed National Marine Park Board, and work closely with Destination Plymouth. The salary will be between £80,000 to £90,000 a year depending on experience.
The Park in the Sea aims to:
■ Support the ongoing enhancement of the city’s world-class natural environment and heritage landscape;
■ Get the entire city and surrounding communities involved with Plymouth Sound;
■ Increase access to our heritage so everyone can enjoy the benefits;
■ Provide new employment opportunities and career pathways in sustainable future ocean jobs;
■ Position Plymouth as a UK top day-visitor destination;
■ Champion health and wellbeing with a new generation of engaged volunteers, communities and champions;
■ Support the positive transition to net-zero carbon by 2030.
During the next two years, the interim chief executive will guide the
‘We are on the cusp of something incredible, but we must ensure that the park is sustainable’
CLLR NICK KELLY
NMP into being a legal entity in its own right, to further develop relationships with more than 100 organisations involved in the Sound and establish a marine parks operating model.
Plymouth City Council leader Nick Kelly said: “Plymouth is home to the first National Marine Park. The city council has already done incredibly well to win considerable funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund Horizon Awards and I’d like to thank the lottery players who have helped us to make our dream a reality.
“We are on the cusp of something incredible, but we must ensure that the park is sustainable in the long term. We need someone at the helm able to make sure all the Sound’s users – those who work or play in it, on it and under it feel part of this journey.”
In July, the city council NMP project team outlined its ambition to create five ‘gateways’ to the park, each with a particular focus that will inspire more people to explore, connect and enjoy the sea. They include:
■ Tinside – for health and wellbeing activities;
■ National Marine Aquarium – a hub for nature and the environment;
■ Mountbatten – active recreation;
■ Mount Edgcumbe – learning about the Sound’s epic history, including over 600 wrecks that lie beneath the waves;
■ Smart Sound – harnessing the power of new digital technology.
Discussions will take place in the next two years, with an engagement programme to be developed to ensure locals can have a say in the future of the NMP.