Senior Heritage Consultant

We are looking for a committed, ambitious and knowledgeable senior heritage consultant to join our heritage consultancy team. If you are an experienced Senior Heritage Consultant, we are looking for an enthusiastic individual who can inspire creativity and confidence amongst clients, consultants and colleagues alike, deliver excellent advice, promote Purcell and conservation, and pursue new business opportunities.

Purcell is an award-winning employee-owned architectural and heritage consultancy practice with a commitment to quality, innovation, and diversity. We have staff of approximately 300 talented architects, designers, heritage consultants and surveyors across 14 offices, in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia. Winners of Architect Employer of the Year 2022.

Collaboration is central to our employee-ownership culture, providing opportunities to work on some of the finest buildings; from meticulous heritage and conservation schemes to bold contemporary design. We offer a rewarding and supportive environment for personal and professional development and our employee-owned ethos empowers everyone to use their voice. We believe in creating an equitable and inclusive culture, founded on our values, which celebrates knowledge sharing and our successes, to build an inspiring work environment.

It is our distinctive employee-owned working culture that has contributed to our status as a World Architecture Top 100 Practice, renowned for our excellence in architecture and heritage consultancy.

Our benefits package includes agile, flexible and hybrid working (a minimum of 3 days in office, up to 2 days WFH), annual leave increasing with long service, life assurance, study sponsorship with paid study leave, sabbaticals, employee assistance programme, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, virtual GP service, subscription fees, company day out, a volunteering scheme and enhanced learning & development opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Heritage Consultancy Regional Team Leader and covering the East of England region, as well as some project work in London. Based in our Cambridge studio.
• Act as project leader on a variety of projects, making decisions, providing heritage advice, advocacy and guidance. Outputs include conservation management plans, significance and capacity analysis, and heritage impact assessments for the full spectrum of heritage asset typology.
• Work on projects including supporting Purcell-led architectural projects and external commissions.
• Lead on business development activities, including preparing fee proposals and tenders, and undertaking client-facing work to build relationships and contribute to a pipeline of work for the team.
• Initially assist with, then over time take on management of junior team members in the region, managing resources, reviewing work and growing the team's skills.
• Full-time or part-time roles (minimum 4 days a week) would be considered.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree-level qualification (including but not limited to architectural history, archaeology, building surveying, building conservation, town planning).
• A skills base in a relevant field, such as architectural history, heritage management, buildings archaeology, heritage planning, with at least 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Excellent skills and demonstrable experience of archival and desk-based research, on-site built fabric analysis and producing well-written reports.
• Proven track record in providing advice as heritage lead.
• Expert in planning and managing your own workload and the workload of others and running multiple simultaneous projects.
• Experience of leading on the preparation of fee proposals and bids.
• Demonstrable track record in work winning.
• Working knowledge of current national and local legislation, policy and guidance.
• Experience of working with architects, engineers and statutory stakeholders including conservation officers and Historic England.
• Membership(s) of professional institutions, such as the IHBC or CIFA.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the market in the East of England region.
• Experience in mentoring and managing junior members of staff.
• A UK driving licence.
• Experience of GIS software.
• Specialism in heritage planning or environmental sustainability.

This job description is a guide to the duties the post holder will be expected to undertake. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive and will be subject to change as working requirements dictate and to meet the organisational requirements of Purcell.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s okay. Research shows that women and people from underrepresented backgrounds can be less likely to apply unless they meet every criteria listed. At Purcell, we are committed to building an inclusive, transparent, and welcoming team. If you’re enthusiastic about the role and excited to grow and learn with us, we warmly encourage you to apply.

When applying, please feel free to use your preferred name - we don’t require full or birth names at this stage. We are proud to foster a culture of kindness, respect, and authenticity, where everyone can thrive and bring their whole selves to work.

Please submit a copy of your CV by following the application workflow. Please include details of your Right to Work in the United Kingdom, as well as an available start date.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to provide individual feedback. If you have not heard from us within 6 weeks of your original application, then you have been unsuccessful. Please continue to look at our vacancies and apply where relevant. We wish you all the best in your job search.

As world leaders of heritage and conservation, Purcell is committed to embracing diversity and equal opportunity within our international teams, reflective of the society in which we work and live. We welcome people from all backgrounds and celebrate differences through our culture of employee ownership.