The starting salary for this position is £29,697 - £31,848 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.
This is a 24-month fixed term contract / secondment opportunity.
Surrey County Council's Historic Environment Planning team has begun an ambitious digitisation programme, and we are delighted to be hiring a new Historic Environment Record (HER) Assistant to support this project and assist with delivering our routine HER services. The team is based at Quadrant Court, Woking, but the digitisation programme will accommodate hybrid working which means you won't be required to be in the office five days a week. It is our intention to move our Woking office within the local area to Victoria Gate in Central Woking later this year.
Rewards and Benefits
- 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
- An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Payment of membership fees for relevant professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA)
- 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
- Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave.
About the Team
The Historic Environment Planning service provides planning-related archaeological and historic buildings advice. We aim to deliver the best possible outcome for the protection, enhancement, understanding, and sustainability of Surrey's heritage assets to allow residents to experience the benefits of their historic environment. The HER team plays a major role in this by maintaining high-quality information about Surrey's heritage and providing this to colleagues, residents, commercial archaeologists, and researchers.
About the Role
As a HER Assistant assigned to the HER digitisation programme, you will support the project to transfer our paper documents into digital media and create new and enhanced records and data-management systems. Keys parts of this role will include cataloguing paper documents ready for scanning; preparing boxes of files to be sent to the digitisation company; and reviewing metadata for the new digital files and linking these to the HER database.
After settling into the digitisation project, you will also be required to undertake searches of the HER database and counterpart Geographical Information System (GIS) to collate and provide data for customers. This involves acting as a first point of contact for members of the public, professional archaeologists, and commercial clients by responding to emailed enquiries. There may also be opportunities to add new textual and GIS records to the HER based on published and unpublished research outputs, enhance existing database entries, and contribute to our public outreach activities.
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:
- Good knowledge of British archaeology plus awareness of public sector archaeology.
- Excellent IT skills, including experience using data management systems and GIS software, and confidence in using Microsoft Office applications.
- Educated to degree level in a relevant subject, or equivalent by experience or further study.
- Ability to work independently, under supervision, and as part of a team, prioritising across a range of activities to deliver outcomes with a methodical approach and good attention to detail.
- Good written communication skills to provide fantastic customer service.
As part of your application you will be asked to submit a CV and answer the following questions:
- What are your motivations for applying?
- Tell us about, and provide an example of, your experience using a Geographical Information System (GIS).
- What do you consider to be the key benefits of having Historic Environment Record data digitised rather than in hardcopy format?
- Describe a challenge you have faced whilst engaging with multiple concurrent projects and explain how you overcame this.
- Tell us about a British archaeological site, exhibition, or discovery that you have engaged with recently and why it was of interest to you.
This is a fantastic opportunity to use your passion for archaeology to make a significant impact that benefits residents and the future of our historic environment in Surrey, whilst furthering your career in heritage and data management.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 21/07/2024 with interviews planned for the week beginning 05/08/2024.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
- The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
- The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.