Conservation Officer in Beverley

The job itself

The East Riding of Yorkshire is an exciting and varied place to work, covering a large area that spans from the Vale of York in the west to the North Sea in the east, encompassing everything from thriving market towns to picturesque villages and hamlets. The local authority has a friendly and supportive Historic Environment Team, and we seek a skilled, thoughtful, and enthusiastic individual to help us conserve the area's diverse heritage.

We are one of the largest local authorities in the country, with over a hundred conservation areas and nearly 2,500 listed buildings. These range from handsome stately homes set in sweeping designed landscapes, to well preserved medieval towns and villages, striking farm complexes, and innovative twentieth century architecture. This means that you will be the custodian of an area with a rich history.

As the Conservation Officer you will have an engaging and varied workload, including dealing with consultations on a wide range of planning and Listed Building Consent applications. The role will involve working with a diverse range of people, from members of the public to colleagues within the council, touching on all elements of the historic environment. You will also join the authority at a time where we have just begun a program to update all of our conservation area appraisals, and you will be involved in their re-surveying, writing and adoption.

A good understanding of the conservation of the historic environment is essential, so the successful applicant should be able to demonstrate that they have experience working with a range of heritage assets. They will also be comfortable providing advice on proposals that range from technical repairs to historic buildings, to new housing developments. A clear understanding of the role of local authority in the conservation of the historic environment is essential, which the applicant should be able to demonstrate through their knowledge or previous experience.

The job also requires exceptional communication skills and proactive thinking. Any applicant will therefore need to be able to demonstrate that they could work successfully with a wide range of stakeholders to bring about schemes that protect and enhance the significance of the historic environment. You will also have a detailed and up-to-date understanding of legislation, policy, guidance, and best practice in relation to planning and heritage protection.

The Council is based in Beverley, a beautiful market town which has a rich and varied history. Its sparkling architecture, crowned by two of the most impressive parish churches in the country, makes it an inspiring place to walk around, and the drive into the town over the expansive Westwood Common never ceases to delight. The town's outstanding schools, attractive housing, and vibrant town centre, also make it an enticing place to live, as it does its location within easy driving or commuting distance to the historic cities of York and Kingston upon Hull. For those whose interests are more found in nature and the outdoors, the East Yorkshire coastline, the rolling Yorkshire Wolds and the nature reserves at Flamborough Head and Spurn Point offer excellent opportunities for recreation.

If you feel that you meet the requirements of the role and are ready for a new and exciting challenge in a progressive and ambitious local authority, we would love to hear from you.

Please also note, in this role you are required to speak English with sufficient fluency to effectively perform your duties, as required by Section 42 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Benefits

Generous local government pension scheme, paid professional subscriptions, support for CPD and other training opportunities together with discounted leisure centre membership.

We also operate a blended working approach and flexible working hours, with a mix of office and home working to suit the needs of the business and employees. We may also be able to offer a relocation package dependent upon circumstances.