Orkney Islands Council

Working on the Orkney Islands

With 2,000 staff serving a population of 20,000, we're the largest employer within the islands. Our main office is in our capital, Kirkwall, where you'll find all the usual amenities you'd expect from a town, including a hospital, a secondary school and two primary schools.

These are exciting times for Orkney Islands Council. Along with NHS Orkney, we're at the forefront of a Scottish joint working programme which is exploring the potential of shared services which will help make our public sector more efficient. As a result of this innovation, it's likely that in the future, many of our vacancies will be joint funded.

Because of our unique location, working with us means that you may need to travel to the mainland in the course of your job. But thanks to some great transport links this isn't a problem – there are daily flights to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, plus several daily sailings of the ro-ro ferries to the North of Scotland (average journey time is 90 minutes).

Like every council, we offer a range of opportunities, from manual to professional roles, however, the most common opportunities we have are within social services, teaching and technical services. Plus, as one of the few local authorities with a Harbour Department, we may also have openings in this area.

So, whatever your skill set, if your ambitions match ours, Orkney could be the place for you.