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 join us as our Archive Engagement and Volunteering Assistant.

We are the nation’s Archive of England’s historic environment.  We will be open, relevant and reflective of all stories and places so we can better understand the historic environment and how it has shaped our rich and diverse cultural identities.  We curate a dynamic collection that tells the story of the memories and lived histories of places in England.

As a member of the Historic England Archive team (HEA), you will ensure that content and assets are available in accessible, inspiring and engaging ways with a diverse range of audiences. 

You will assist the Archive Engagement & Volunteering Officer to plan and deliver a range of volunteering activities in accordance with the HE Archive Volunteer Policy and to assist a programme of engagement events.  Assistance provided will include supervising volunteers, delivering events, gathering feedback from events and ensuring that the impact of the projects is recognised and shared.

You will be required to 2 days per week, one of these days will be Monday each week in the office, the other day TBC.

Who we are looking for

In conjunction with other Archive staff, to supervise projects carried out by archive volunteers (onsite and online), including training volunteers and contributing to the design and set-up of projects.

To ensure that the space used for volunteer projects is welcoming, that the correct equipment is available, resources are prepared, and that volunteers are supported.

To assist the Engagement and Volunteering Officer in monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the impact of volunteering projects.

To identify volunteer achievements and stories and share these by drafting content for newsletters, reports and social media so that the impact of volunteering is recognised and delivered.

To provide administrative assistance for the volunteering programme, including assistance with recruitment, communicating information to volunteers, keeping volunteer details up-to-date, processing expenses and providing assistance for meetings including notetaking.

To assist the engagement programme, including carrying out research, preparing resources, contributing to project design and set up, attending and taking part in events, collating feedback and providing assistance for meetings, including notetaking.

Cross-group working

Participate in national and cross-Group projects which aid corporate priorities and ensure that opportunities for Archive collections to be used for engagement and volunteering are identified and taken forward.

To ensure the Archive is an integrated part of the Communications and Public Engagement team.

Learning

Develop knowledge of all the areas of work undertaken by the Historic England Archive and the Communications and Public Engagement team. 

Develop and foster innovative ways of making material available and accessible.

Please note, the role requires some evening and weekend working, as well as some travel.

Who we are looking for

• Experience of working with volunteers or members of the public in a museum, education or archive context

• Knowledge of the different barriers to cultural and heritage participation

• Team working skills

• Excellent written communication skills

• Ability to communicate effectively and build good relationships

• Excellent IT and digital skills

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 28% 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 committed 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 recruitmentTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries. 

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

Interview dates: Week commencing 20th May 2024 - Swindon

Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –

https://historicengland.org.uk/media/14xeebz1/archive-engagement-and-volunteering-assistant.odt