Scottish Screen is advertising for a new chief executive this week, with the emphasis on good management and communication skills rather than detailed knowledge of the film industry.

The advertisement calls for candidates who are able to "think creatively, communicate clearly and advocate strongly." After the organisation has been dogged by allegations of cronyism, the board is likely to place a premium on these qualities rather than any film connections.

Current Chief Executive John Archer is leaving following a split with the board.

Archer’s wife, filmmaker Clara Glyn, applied for, and won, a grant of £24,000 from the agency to develop a film.

Meanwhile, rumblings of discontent continue to reverbrate through Scotland’s screen industries, particularly at entry level into the industry where the need for funding to sustain creative effort is most acute.

BBC Scotland’s Arts and Media Correspondent Pauline MacLean reported on the controversy for Newsnight on BBC2.

Northern Exposure readers, some of them well known filmmakers, have contacted Netribution about personal experiences that show clearly, Scottish Screen was not working for them.

One film producer, the day before John Archer’s departure was announced, contacted the agency about bringing a feature shoot to Scotland. The Locations Department was more than helpful, but the producer’s call to the Production Department had to go on the ansaphone. A reply to the call is still awaited.There are continuous complaints that the agency is failing to make or return calls to filmmakers.

Some filmmakers are concerned that the Scottish executive may still want to scrap the agency. They are planning to write to ministers stressing that a one-stop film agency is still needed to nurture Scotland’s screen industry, but urging more financial help at the bottom end of the film business. Not only are film production schemes for new entrants over-subscribed, but access centres supporting these new talents with equipment and advice never appear to have enough funding.

Scottish Screen chairman James Lee has urged prospective candidates not to be put off by recent events and the many resignations of staff that have taken place since the agency was set up in 1996. He says: "Despite everything that has happened in the last three to four months this is actually quite an interesting and exciting job."

The detailed wording of the advertisement pitches the job as challenging at a time of rapid change in the industry, building on five years of progress, and making it clear that candidates of top calibre are sought: "The Board of Scottish Screen are seeking for outstanding candidates for the role of CEO. Scottish Screen has existed for nearly five years. Much has been achieved but a great deal more remains to be done. The Board believes the emerging film industry in Scotland is entering a new and challenging period against a background of early success, but in a rapidly changing digital world.

Speculation centres around likely candidates who may be in the frame for the post. These include John McVay, chief exec of the Producers Association Film & Television, not a filmmaker himself, but he used to promote film and television training when he worked in Scotland previously.

Steve McIntyre, currently heading the production department at Scottish Screen, is thought of as a good internal candidate and Dan MacRae, now with the Film Council, who last held that post, may also be interested in the chief exec job.

Others being spoken about include Jim Faulds who built the Faulds advertising agency into one of Scotland’s most successful. He currently chairs Scottish Screen’s lottery panel. Adman Rob Morrice is another possibility. He is a partner in the recently formed Smuji Films.

Another exile who might be tempted back from the south is Iain Smith, who served a Scottish film apprenticeship with Bill Forsyth on Local Hero but has gone on to be one of Scotland’s must successful producers, with films like The Fifth Element and Entrapment to his credit.

Andrea Calderwood, a previous BBC Scotland head of drama, who produced Ratcatcher and Mrs Brown would clearly be a strong candidate, but her production company, State Films, has just embarked on a slate of projects.