26 Full time, Driving jobs in Kirkliston, City Of Edinburgh

Cinema Driver/Operator/Community Hero

c. £34,000 plus benefits and allowances

Based remotely - touring a mobile cinema around the Highlands & Islands of Scotland.

This is a job like no other and for the right person it could be the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Screen Machine mobile cinema has toured to communities in the north of Scotland for more than 26 years, bringing a first class big-screen experience to people who are many miles away from the nearest ‘bricks and mortar’ cinema. This is an important time in the service’s development and we have an exciting opportunity for an individual with an exceptional range of skills to join the team.

Become Screen Machine’s new Cinema Driver/Operator and take on a job like no other. It won’t suit everyone but for the right person, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. You’ll need to be skillful, resilient, confident and welcoming. And you will need to be comfortable working two-weeks on and off shifts, staying in local B&Bs, hotels and guest houses. You’ll blend your existing skills with new skills that we will help you to learn.

Your existing skills:

Driving a very large truck in some tight locations

You will need excellent experience of HGV C+E driving, preferably across the Highlands and Islands, on and off ferries. Screen Machine is a large valuable articulated vehicle, and you are representing the organisation when you drive it.

Fixing and maintaining machinery

You’ll have plenty experience of operating and maintaining electronic and mechanical equipment. Sometimes the equipment plays up or breaks down - keeping a cool head knowing that a sold out screening is a few hours away is crucial.

New skills we’ll help you to learn include:

Screening a film

We run a cinema, so film projection is central to what we do. And operating the sound and lighting systems. There are technical practicalities to learn, but it’s also quite an art. We’ll help you learn from the team who have been doing this for years.

Meeting and greeting

Everyone is welcome to the Screen Machine: locals who have enjoyed the service for years to passing tourists, who may want to ask you about how the cinema works. When you roll into town, it can seem that everyone wants to have a chat. So you’ll have great people skills and be eager to help all customers: couples, school groups, dementia-friendly screenings and many more.

Taking payments

Most tickets are sold online, but you’ll sell them too – taking card and cash payments. We need to keep accurate records of tickets sold, so you’ll use our box office system, bank takings and work closely with our network of Ushers. So some retail or cash handling experience would be great.

We’ll help you learn from the team who have been doing this for years, both other operators and the office/home based team who are there to manage and support you. What’s certain is that this is a job which will bring you satisfaction and an opportunity to keep learning for the entirety of your career with us.

About Regional Screen Scotland and Screen Machine

Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) is the company which owns and operates the Screen Machine. Since 1998, it has been touring the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, screening new and recent releases in over 40 different locations ranging from small villages to larger towns, islands and mainland, from the Western Isles to Orkney, and from Brodick to Bettyhill. RSS has an office base in Edinburgh, but its small team are based throughout Scotland. We employ a much larger network of ushers – a pool of locally based champions of the service who you will work with at each screening.

Screen Machine is a cinema like no other. From the exterior it may look like a regular artic truck, but once parked a special system of hydraulics enable it to expand into an 80 seat state-of-the-art modern cinema with small foyer, projection room and auditorium. The cinema that we are currently using is leased until April 2026. But we are fundraising to begin the build of a brand new cinema.

Purpose of the Post

Our Senior Cinema Operator and Cinema Operator keep the show on the road. The work pattern in recent years has been for each to work on a ‘two weeks on/two weeks off’ basis: with six days per week as screening days and one for maintenance. The cinema is in continuous operation, except for a break over the Festive period. Whilst this pattern has served us well, we are open to exploring different ways of working which are family friendly without compromising our service.

The Operator:

·     Drives the cinema between locations.

·     Sets the cinema up, which takes approx 1.5 hours.

·     Prepares all films for projection.

·     Checks bookings.

·     Sells tickets on the door.

·     Projects the film.

·     Closes the cinema, another 1.5 hours.

·     Undertakes regular maintenance.

·     Keeps the vehicle clean.

·     Carries out occasional repairs.

·     Works with other suppliers and experts, around the UK and beyond.

·     Books their own accommodation, which RSS pays for.

Qualifications and skills

·     This is an active job – you'll need to be physically fit.

·     A cool, calm collected disposition will help you with the demands and challenges that arise.

·     A current clean HGV C+E licence, and two years of experience of safely driving the Highlands & Islands single track roads, on and off ferries of all sizes, are crucial.

·     Good IT experience will help you learn and use the kit with confidence.

·     You’ll be a strong problem solver, including of mechanical and electrical diagnostics, so that you can take breakdowns in your stride.

·     You’ll be confident, diplomatic and polite – representing RSS in a friendly yet professional manner.

And if you have these skills plus a love of cinema, and experience of life in a small and remote community, then we’d love to hear from you.

Terms and conditions

·     Salary c £34,000.

·     Subsistence allowance per day.

·     33 days annual leave.

·     RSS contributes 8% of salary to a pension scheme.

How to apply

Please tell us why you should be our next Cinema Driver/Operator. Do this by letter and also send a CV.

Email your letter and CV to us no later than 23.59 on Sunday 11 May 2025.

We will have initial interviews on Teams/Zoom and invite long-listed candidates for in-person interviews in a location tbc. We anticipate asking shortlisted candidates to spend a few days out on tour on the Screen Machine. This will help us all be confident that we have found the right fit. We anticipate that the successful candidate will join the team by August 2025.