Heritage Engagement Officer
Job Title: Heritage Engagement Officer
Responsible to: Project Lead – Community & Communications
Salary: £25,000 p.a.
Contract: Full-time 37.5 hours a week. (We are open a job share). Fixed term 3 year contract
Deadline for applications: Monday 29th July 2024
Summary
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Stebbing has recently been awarded a delivery phase grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our ‘Way Forward’ project. This is a £1.8 million project that will see major repairs and upgrades to the historic church building to remove it from the Heritage At Risk register, alongside an exciting three year heritage activity programme.
We are looking for a creative and energetic individual, with experience within the heritage sector to help us deliver the activity element of the project. This person will work with us to develop, organise, and run a wide range of heritage activities within the church and wider community. They will help us to use our rich heritage to engage with new audiences, increase activity, generate new income, and ensure our long-term sustainability of this Grade I listed medieval church.
Our capital programme will see urgent repairs to the Grade 1 listed building, levelling of the flooring to improve accessibility, removal of the pews to allow for greater use and flexibility, installation of a new heating system to enable the church to be better used in the winter months and more comfortable for people, and to address the damp issues affecting the structure of the building which will enable the church to be removed from the Heritage At Risk register.
We are planning for most of the capital work to take place in time for the building to be reopened in 2025. Our activity programme centres around the celebration of the restoration as well other aspects of our heritage.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead on the planning and delivery of the NLHF activity programme, as described in the Activity Plan and Action Plan documents submitted with our second-round application, ensuring that it achieves the NLHF outcomes and approved purposes
2. Work closely with other project staff and consultants such as the Volunteer and Training Manager to deliver project activities
3. Develop partnerships with groups and stakeholders identified in the Activity Plan
4. Work with the Volunteer and Training Manager to recruit and manage new volunteers and oversee the programme of volunteer training
5. Monitor the activity programme project budget, ensuring that activities are delivered within budget
6. Keep accurate records of project activities including numbers of people attending activities, types of people, numbers of activities delivered etc.
7. Market and promote project and maintain a strong media profile, working with other project team members 2
8. Provide regular reports on project progress to necessary parties, including the Project Team, PCC, and the NLHF
9. Work with the Wellbeing Consultant and Evaluation Consultant to feed into the evaluation of project activities and final evaluation report to the NLHF
10. Attend project meetings as required
11. Be an advocate for St Mary’s and represent the church in the community
12. Undertake additional duties as may reasonably be required Additional Information
Additional Information
The post holder will work from St Mary’s Church and/or from home as required and appropriate.
Primary hours of work will be Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 5.30pm. Specific days and hours will be agreed on appointment. There will be occasions where the post holder is required to work evenings and weekends and in this case time off in lieu will be given.
This post is not one that requires the holder to be a practicing Christian and is open to applicants of any faith or none. However, the role is one which requires an understanding of the Christian focus and ethos of the parish of St Mary the Virgin and its missional context and demonstrate a willingness to work within and alongside the parish sympathetically with that focus, ethos, and context in mind. Appointment will be subject to a successful DBS check.