Labourer - Urquhart Castle and Highlands

Starting salary: £27,740
Contract type: Permanent
Grade: 1
Location: Urquhart Castle
Working Hours: Full Time – 1932 hours per year (annualised hours)
Interviews: w/c 3rd August 2026

Thank you for your interest in the post of Labourer with Historic Environment Scotland, based at Urquhart Castle. This is a permanent and pensionable appointment.

As part of the Monument Conservation Unit you will have responsibility for the on-going implementation of conservation, routine maintenance and presentation tasks of Historic Environment Scotland monuments within the Area.

About us

We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment; a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We’re at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impact of climate change on its future. We investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. We have a People Strategy, which is an overarching strategy to ensure we support and develop staff within the organisation.

For more information about the post and information about the team, please access the full job description Labourer UC new JD.pdf for this post. Please note that if you don't have Office 365 installed on your device, this can be opened using your browser.

Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland

• Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution
• 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays
• Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
• Support for further education and personal development
• Study leave for work related courses
• Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
• Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
• Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties

Key Responsibilities of this role

· Mixing of both lime and cement mortars and transportation to and from working area. (Training as required)

· Operation of plant equipment (training as required)

· Upkeep & maintenance of small plant and equipment

· Providing semi-skilled assistance to enable the tradespersons to carry out their duties along with basic masonry conservation after training.

· Throughout your employment with HES you will be required to attend training courses identified to assist the work, or to comply with health and safety legislation, Including First Aid (training as required, this may require overnight stays away from home).

· Keeping the working site clean and tidy

· Key grounds maintenance works and repairs, including turf repairs, weed control, landscape management etc. (training for {PA1 & PA6 pesticides} plus any other training as required)

· Car park and transport facilitation including snow clearance.

· Basic responsive repairs as requested by visitor operation via the Property Maintenance & Compliance Manager.

· This work would at times be carried out at height and in relatively confined spaces.

· All operations will be carried out in a considerate and courteous manner.

· Delivery of an effective and appropriate service to all service users, fairly and without discrimination.

· Transporting MCU staff, plant, equipment and materials from depot to various sites within the region. (training as required)

· Ad hoc responsive maintenance requirements as directed by the Property Maintenance & Compliance Manager

Key requirements of the role:

In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to complete a cover letter which addresses:

1. Why you are interested in the post with Historic Environment Scotland

2. How you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 800 words), using examples of where you have used these skills in the past.

Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met this criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. Please read our CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing, as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.

Essential Criteria:

• Good all-round understanding and practical experience of using lime mortars.

• Good understanding of Health & Safety

• Operation of small plant and equipment such as cement mixers etc.

• Working with different types of mortar and mix proportions

• Good hand eye co-ordination

Find out more about desirable skills and experience in our full job description Labourer UC new JD.pdf

We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.

We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at recruit@hes.scot or call our Head Office at 0131 668 8600 and speak to a member of our People Team.

Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.

To submit your application online, please read our ‘How to Apply’ section followed by ‘Apply Now’ button to begin your application.

*Due to site maintenance, please note that we are currently experiencing problems with issuing notification emails through our recruitment platform. If you have not received notification that your application has been received, please email recruit@hes.scot. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this.*