About the role:

This role will help LUC to build the strength, resilience and reputation of our Historic Environment Team, as well as actively support the strategy for the team and LUC as a whole.

Based in, and supported by, our existing Historic Environment Team, the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering our wide-ranging portfolio across the UK – from wind farms and grid infrastructure to complex development and regeneration schemes in sensitive historic places, policy, research and everything in between. The role will involve working with colleagues across the practice, providing expert input to work across key services.

This is also an opportunity to work for a sincere, employee-owned company with strong values and a particular focus on addressing the climate emergency.

The role focuses on responsibilities including (but not limited to):

• Impact assessment

– Contributing to the delivery and project management of cultural heritage inputs to EIA for major energy infrastructure, with an emphasis on onshore wind, solar and new/reinforcement of transmission infrastructure.

– Advocating for the historic environment as part of interdisciplinary design and assessment teams, and providing proportionate, effective and innovative design and mitigation advice to a wide range of clients.

– Assessing the impact of development proposals on the significance of heritage assets, through the heritage consents, town and country planning and EIA processes.

– Advising clients on schemes ranging from major infrastructure to small-scale changes to heritage assets.

– Peer review of Environmental Statements on behalf of local authorities and third-sector clients.

– Managing and quality assurance of sub-consultant contractors.

• Asset-focused conservation and management

– Analysis of the heritage values and significance, including the contribution of setting, of a range of heritage asset types

– including scheduled monuments, listed buildings, parks and gardens, conservation areas and world heritage sites, as well as non-designated heritage assets.

• Area-based character assessment

– Analysis of the settlement morphology and the development of historic landscapes, e.g. Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC), Historic Area Assessment (HAA) and contributions to conservation area appraisals

– Assessment of visual and spatial qualities of an area, and how they influence character and appearance

– Identification of management issues and opportunities for enhancement

• Strategic research, guidance and policy

– High-level analysis of the historic environment, including identification of themes, influences, constraints, and opportunities (e.g. to feed into heritage strategy and local plan evidence base)

– Providing and producing guidance on the assessment of significance and management of the historic environment

– Input into local historic environment policy and guidance

– Developing assessment methodologies, criteria and standards for local assessments and designations

• Natural England agri-environment research

– Undertaking desk-based analysis of funding agreements and selected options, and their interaction with the historic environment

– Field survey and assessment of options’ effects on heritage assets and historic landscape character

– Collaborative working with a large multidisciplinary team, building understanding of heritage issues in land management

– Contributing to analysis, interpretation and reporting of results

– Liaison with land managers and wider research project team, both within LUC and the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) at the University of Gloucestershire, and colleagues at Environment Systems.

Our orderbook generally contains these principal strands of work, but new opportunities and workstreams arise all the time – therefore a flexible approach and keenness to learn and develop is an advantage.

A full-time role would be based on 37.5 hours Monday to Friday. However, LUC has a strong track record in flexible working and we have been recognised for our flexible working culture, so we are happy to discuss a range of flexible working options for this role including part time hours (minimum 30 hours per week) if desired.

Salary: £32,500-£39,000 FTE Depending on experience (Plus £4,000 London allowance if applicable)

About you:

The successful candidate will complement our existing enthusiastic and dedicated Historic Environment team, and will be supported by colleagues in our GIS and landscape teams.

Experience and qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent work experience, in an appropriate historic environment-related discipline.
• A sound understanding and working knowledge of the fundamentals of British archaeology.
• A strong understanding of historic environment legislation, policy and practice across the UK, and the interface with the planning system.
• Substantive experience of contributing to cultural heritage inputs to EIA for energy infrastructure, including contributing to planning and delivering appropriate programmes of survey and investigation to support assessments and planning requirements.
• A proportionate, methodical, analytical and consistent approach to the assessment of significance and impacts upon the historic environment and heritage assets.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant subject.
• Strong understanding and practical appreciation of the EIA regulations and their application.
• Experience of archaeological / historic environment field survey in rural and particularly upland environments.
• Understanding of and training in landscape archaeology.
• Understanding of land management and agricultural practices, including environmental stewardship schemes.
• GIS skills (QGIS and/or ESRI preferred).
• Understanding of the interactions of LUC’s key areas of business with the historic environment.
• Membership of the Institute for Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) or Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), or willingness to work towards the same.
• Off-road driving certification, and comfort in driving a range of vehicle types (cars, vans, 4x4 vehicles, manual and automatic gearboxes)

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

Please apply by uploading your CV and covering letter via the above link.

LUC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. We value the differences, needs and contributions a diverse workforce represents, and we strive to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all our people related activities.