Summary

We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them .

Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to become our Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments, covering Surrey, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

National salary range: £30,155 per annum

Greater London + salary range: £33,356 - £34,500 per annum

Inner London salary range: £34,969 - £35,200 per annum

The Development Advice Teams provide Historic England’s statutory and non-statutory advice to our customers, engaging where we add most value to decision-making through our distinctive contribution as national experts. The Development Advice Teams will also work closely with other teams to support communities in looking after historic places and in the advancement of Historic England’s objectives.  

As part of the London and South East Development Advice Teams, the Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments will take delegated responsibility for the delivery of Historic England’s advice on proposals for change in the historic environment that fall within their area of competence.  Applying the ethos of ‘constructive conservation’ and making effective use of Conservation Principles in all their advisory work, they will provide advice to owners, local authorities and others, to proactively work towards the sustainable management of the historic environment. They will also contribute, as required, to specific projects where their expertise would add value, for example, as part of the Historic England Places strategy or in support of Heritage at Risk work.

What you will be doing

• 1. To support, and take delegated responsibility from, the Inspector of Ancient Monuments (Inspector) for providing Historic England’s formal planning, scheduled monument control and management advice in relation to ancient monuments, registered battlefields and archaeological landscapes.  This will include the assessment of proposals, obtaining further information where required, the proposing and, in consultation with the Inspector, delivering of Historic England’s advice to agreed timescales and to excellent customer service standards. This will involve working collaboratively with colleagues across teams and where necessary drawing on advice from regional and national specialists.

• To represent Historic England in the operation of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, the National Heritage Act 1983 or other relevant legislation, including support for the Inspector in the investigation of, and delivery of prosecutions for, heritage crimes.  This will include inspecting sites, meeting with relevant individuals, preparing reports, evaluating intervention options and securing consequential reparation actions in discussion with the Inspector and in coordination with other public agencies.

•  To undertake pre-application discussion with potential applicants, including Extended Pre‑application advice where appropriate, applying the ethos of ‘constructive conservation’ to negotiate creative solutions to problems so that proposed changes are sustainable.

• To be a proactive and collaborative member of the London and South East Team and to assist with the development and implementation of team plans and wider corporate objectives.

• To be an effective advocate for the benefit for local places and communities of conserving heritage assets.

• To support the delivery of Corporate Plan, Historic England Places Strategy, Public Value Framework, and other national and local strategies as agreed with line management, including working on specific projects.

• To assist local planning authorities and others with the interpretation of the law and national planning policy framework with regard to ancient monuments, registered battlefields and archaeological landscapes.

• To undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the grade and competencies required of the post requested by line management.

Please note that the role:

· Requires regular travel to sites not serviced by public transport for which reason a full driving licence is required.

· Requires visiting/inspecting sites which is likely to require climbing scaffolding and negotiating confined spaces (e.g. church roofs).

· May require occasional attendance at community or planning meetings which are usually held at evenings or weekends.

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted and will be subject to change. Job descriptions are updated in consultation with the post-holder on a regular basis to ensure they continue to reflect the needs of the role.

What we are looking for

1.     Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject or significant experience in a relevant field

2.     Experience of managing change to sites of archaeological interest through the planning system

3.     Expertise in the management of urban and rural archaeology

4.     A  good understanding of relevant Government policy, guidance and statutory procedures for planning and the historic environment

5.     Good oral and written communication skills

6.     Good negotiating and influencing skills

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all. We will consider making reasonable adjustments for disabled people where necessary, to ensure this.

We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having just won the Gold Award from MIND, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.

We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.

Why work for Historic England

We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive pension scheme starting at 26% contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.

We are dedicated to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.

Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at ResourcingTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries. 

Provisional virtual interview dates: weeks commencing 18th December 2023

For a full copy of the JD, please click on the following link;

https://historicengland.org.uk/content/job-descriptions-hr/aiam/

To ensure a fair and inclusive recruitment process for everyone the use of AI or automated tools is not permitted.