Could this be one of the worst jobs in Scotland?

The Cairngorms as seen from the north shore of Loch Morlich

Earlier this month, The Scotsman website carried a story with the headline 'Could this be one of the best jobs in Scotland?' It wasn't a gig road-testing sports cars or trying out video games or even working on quality control at an ice cream factory, but a role as 'Director of Conservation and Visitor Experience' for the Cairngorms National Park. The deadline for applications is 30 June, and at first glance it does indeed look like a wonderful way to make a living. However, before rushing to apply you may wish to read on...

The job certainly has plenty of up-sides beyond the competitive salary. The successful candidate will be based at the Cairngorms National Park Authority HQ in Grantown-on-Spey, and will work what sounds like a pretty civilised 37.5 hour week, with weekends ring-fenced for enjoying all that incredible on-the-doorstep scenery. Also on the table are a cycle-to-work scheme, childcare vouchers, a “generous annual leave allowance” and a competitive pension. All you have to do in return for this bounty is “provide strategic leadership, clear organisational vision and long term direction for the National Park Authority on Conservation and Visitor Experience”.

Easy, right? Well, maybe not. As anyone who’s spent much time in the Cairngorms will tell you, being put in charge of reconciling the conflicting requirements of the tourism industry and the conservation lobby is more-or-less the dictionary definition of being handed a poisoned chalice. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the person who ends up doing this job will find themselves operating as something akin to a human lightning rod.