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.

We are calling for an expression of interest to join us as a Senior Radiocarbon Dating Specialist as part of the Scientific Dating Team.  The team has expertise in dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, and other methods of scientific dating and provides research, support and advice to Historic England and the wider sector on the appropriate use of scientific dating techniques, and the chronological modelling of archaeological sites, buildings and sediments.

The location of this role is National where we offer hybrid working, you will be based in one of our following offices and from home - Newcastle, York, Manchester, Birmingham, Swindon, Bristol, Portsmouth and Cambridge. 

What you will be doing:

Managing the delivery of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling in support of Historic England’s mission to help people understand, value and care for England’s historic environment.

Providing advice, training and guidance on using radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling.

Developing and promoting evidence-based technical policy, standards, and best practice.

Devising, delivering and disseminating research serving our corporate priorities.

Maintaining the Radiocarbon Database for England.

To design programmes of scientific dating, undertaking Bayesian chronological modelling with project partners (where appropriate), to ensure best value is obtained for work funded by Historic England.

To set national standards in radiocarbon dating and chronological modelling, influencing international practice.

To manage the Radiocarbon Database for England, providing quality assurance for new data and depositing completed datasets for public dissemination through the Project Radiocarbon portal.

To lead and commission research to support the Historic England Corporate Plan and Research Agenda.

To disseminate research results to diverse audiences – colleagues, academic, professional and public – in traditional and innovative ways.

To provide specialised training and supervision to undergraduate/postgraduate students, doctoral candidates and heritage professionals.

Please note that the role:

• requires regular travel, including to sites not serviced by public transport and sites which may have challenging access

• also requires overnight stays for joint working, attending meetings, and training.

 We are seeking someone who has the following skills and capabilities:

• An appropriate qualification, preferably a post-graduate degree, or equivalent experience, in archaeology, historic buildings research, and/or an appropriate science.

• A substantial track-record of research and publication in the application of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling to archaeological sites, past landscapes and historic buildings.

• Significant knowledge and experience of English archaeology and/or the historic buildings sector and its working practices, including post-excavation stratigraphic analysis.

• Experience of the design, management, and manipulation of relational databases.

• Advanced practical computing skills, including expert use of chronological modelling software, experience in managing and manipulating relational databases, and programming skills (such as R or Python).

• Demonstrable ability to communicate complex information concisely and in plain English to non-experts.

 How to Apply:

 Please send a CV, publication list, and explain (in up to 300 words) why you’re suitable for this role to Jen.Heathcote@HistoricEngland.org.uk (Head of Investigative Science) by midnight, 20th May 2024. Interviews will be carried out virtually using MS Teams and conducted in the week commencing 3rd June 2024.

 If you have any queries about the role, or would like to discuss this opportunity, please contact either Alex Bayliss alex.bayliss@historicengland.org.uk or Jen.Heathcote@HistoricEngland.org.uk to arrange a time for a call.

Please note you are not required to complete the Applied online recruitment application.

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.

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

https://historicengland.org.uk/media/dosnteaz/radiocarbon-dating-specialist.odt