Science Advisor - South West

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

Science advisors work to improve the application and quality of scientific methods used for investigation and management of the historic environment, in the context of Historic England’s Corporate Plan. Based in the Historic England regional offices, they act as a local source of information and advice, maintaining close communication with heritage science specialists in other parts of Historic England, and beyond, seeking their guidance and input when needed

As the South WestScience Advisor, (covering the South West, excluding Gloucestershire; Gloucester City; South Gloucestershire and Bristol), you will provide case specific advice to Regional Development Advice colleagues in the Historic England regional office in Bristol, with respect to planning applications and other casework. You will also provide advice to Local Authority archaeological staff in response to developer-funded archaeology and to bodies/agencies such as The Environment Agency and Natural England. You will also be involved with sector development and support, including promoting best practice through reference to national standards and guidance; involvement in guidance preparation; Research Framework development and sector training.

What you will be doing:

• To use specialist scientific expertise to provide advice and assistance to the Historic England South West Regional team (i.e. Development Advice and Partnerships) on their casework and statutory advice.
• To maintain regular contacts with Local Authority archaeology curators and staff within the South West, and with others concerned with managing historic environment resources.
• The post-holder will advise on the scientific content of briefs and specifications, seeking to ensure that evaluations, excavations and analyses are supported by an appropriate level of science, with sites visits and advice on the quality of work both in the field and as presented in reports.
• To establish and maintain contact with, and advise where appropriate, archaeological contractors working in the South West.
• To establish and maintain contacts with relevant regional representatives of national agencies (e.g. Natural England; Environment Agency, coastal groups).
• To contribute to sector development activities, for example training (e.g. of archaeological curators and contractors), and to the preparation of guidelines and advice notes.
• To play an integral part in a coordinated Science Advice Team (and wider Investigative Science Team), sharing your knowledge and experience to support and develop the skills and expertise of others.
• To promote and enable cross-Departmental and Group working to facilitate the effective delivery of the Historic England Corporate Plan.
• To investigate the strengths and weaknesses of science within the South West and determine the opportunities and threats to the promotion of good archaeological science.
• To contribute to the delivery of the Historic England Science Strategy in conjunction with other Science Advisors and colleagues from other departments.
• To establish and maintain contact with universities, museums and other appropriate institutions, especially within the South West, and to promote the presentation of archaeological science through appropriate fora.
• To maintain professional research activity within your own area of particular expertise, within the context of, and contributing to the delivery of the Corporate Plan.
• 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 and may require visiting archaeological sites which may comprise uneven ground.
• In order to meet regularly with regional colleagues there is an expectation that the post holder will generally spend at one day a week in the Bristol office.

The role may also require occasional overnight stays to attend specific team meetings and training events.

What we are looking for:

• Relevant academic qualifications in archaeological/heritage science or equivalent experience
• Relevant archaeological experience as practitioner (archaeology or heritage related field)
• Understanding of the work of Science Advisors in relation to Historic England Regions Group and Local Authority Planning Archaeologists
• Good communication 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 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 driven to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to aid 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 [email protected] if you have any recruitment queries. If you would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact Don O'Meara by email [email protected]

Provisional interview date - 18th January 2024

To view the full Job Description, please visit https://historicengland.org.uk/content/job-descriptions-hr/science-advisor-jd/