The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is pleased to announce vacancies for the role of Trainee Representative on three of its Surgical Specialty Boards (SSBs).

The following SSBs are recruiting a trainee representative to take office from November 2026:

• SSB in General Surgery

• SSB in Ophthalmology

• SSB in Plastic Surgery

The Surgical Specialty Boards (SSBs) are constituted within the internal governance structure of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and exist primarily to support, advise and assist the College and its Council across the breadth of core College activities as they relate to specialty matters and developments. In addition, the SSBs play a critical role in facilitating reciprocal engagement and communication between the College and the surgical specialties across the UK. In fulfilling this purpose, the SSBs also undertake activity and duties, as agreed with and on behalf of the College, in Education, Examinations, Professional and Clinical Standards, Public Policy and External Engagement.

We wish to appoint an enthusiastic trainee representative to the SSBs General Surgery, Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery who will facilitate communications between trainees in their specialty and the SSB. This includes participating in discussions at regular virtual or face-to-face meetings. The trainee representative will present and provide insight into issues relevant to surgical training from a trainee perspective and contribute to educational and training portfolios.

Applicants should be working at trainee level, with an NTN, and must be a Surgical Member of the RCSEd in good standing.

The position is for an initial two-year term and thereafter the appointee is eligible for reappointment for a further one year. However, the period of office will cease should the appointee be successful in gaining a consultant position.

The role includes attending twice-yearly SSB meetings either in person at RCSEd in Edinburgh, Birmingham or via remote digital means. This role is unremunerated but reasonable expenses for travel and subsistence will be reimbursed on production of receipts and appropriate claim forms. As with all travel on College business, SSB members will be expected to travel in accordance with the College Travel Policy.

The average time commitment for this role is approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour per week.

If you would like to be considered for the role of trainee representative on the SSB in either General Surgery, Ophthalmology or Plastic Surgery, please submit a covering letter outlining what relevant experience/expertise you would bring to the role, and a brief CV. Applicants must also provide two completed Referee Declaration Forms in support of their application (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD).

Applications should be sent to Lindsey Lawson, at: committeeadministrator@rcsed.ac.uk.

Please also specify clearly which SSB you are applying for.

Any informal enquiries regarding the role should be directed to: committeeadministrator@rcsed.ac.uk in the first instance.

The deadline for applications is: 17:00 on Friday 23 October 2026.