Heritage Community Engagement Officer in Portsmouth

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Portsmouth 100: Your Museum, Your Stories, Your City is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to fund a new exhibition and extensive community engagement work.

In 2026 there will be a year-long centenary celebration, marking 100 years since Portsmouth was officially granted city status. The programme will feature numerous events throughout the year, celebrating the city’s rich heritage, culture and community.

The Portsmouth 100: Your Stories, Your Museum, Your City will create two ambitious and inspiring exhibition displays across our two main ground floor gallery spaces at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, co-curated with local communities to reflect the city’s last 100 years. By uncovering lesser-known stories and amplifying diverse voices, we aim to foster a stronger sense of place and identity. The project will actively involve communities in shaping the displays, ensuring they feel represented and heard. As part of the city’s centenary celebrations, it will attract new audiences including residents and visitors and build lasting partnerships.

This is an exciting new opportunity to play a key role in celebrating Portsmouth’s 100th year as a city. Inspiring our communities with the "Your Museum, Your stories, Your City Exhibition", the Community Engagement Officer will lead inclusive, community-driven activities that bring Portsmouth’s rich heritage to life. Within this role we are looking for you to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds with the city’s history through dynamic events, storytelling, and digital content. You will work across Portsmouth Museums, Portsmouth Libraries, schools, and indoor and outdoor community spaces, helping residents explore and share the stories that make Portsmouth unique.

To help you develop engaging content and experiences that explore Portsmouth's journey over the past 100 years, you will use the museum collections and archives which will enable you to deliver heritage-themed activities in public spaces to ensure access and participation across the city. You will work with other members of the team to produce education materials for schools and families, monitoring and evaluating the impact of these activities to inform future planning.

You will have experience in community engagement, public history or heritage education along with excellent communication and facilitation skills. As well as an enthusiasm for local history and community storytelling, you will have knowledge of Portsmouth heritage and communities. You will be confident in using digital tools and social media for outreach as well as being able to work independently and collaboratively with a wider range of stakeholders. With the ability to travel and work across the City, you will need to be available to work occasional evenings and weekends to support community events and outreach activities.

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals.

We offer hybrid working with the expectation to attend the office minimum 2 days a week (pro rata for part time), this remains flexible, depending on the role and subject to business needs. You must demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills.

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