Sporting Heritage Engagement Officer in Johnstone

The postholder will be responsible for interpreting, developing and promoting archive collections related to sporting heritage in Scotland. This will include the creation of digital memory learning resources as outputs from thematic surveys and a family/educational workshop for the thematic survey related to the Commonwealth Games. Additionally, there will be an ongoing programme of engagement activities such as online content creation, case studies and audio-visual materials to promote the project and collections identified.

The post holder will work closely with a dedicated Sporting Archives Surveying Officer to support and deliver key project objectives such as outreach and engagement workshops in a timely and efficient manner, and with Sporting Heritage to link up to UK wide opportunities and thematic programming. The post holder will report to the Business Archives Surveying Officer.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the delivery of the agreed heritage engagement and learning activities, as outlined in the Supporting Scotland’s Sporting Heritage (SSSH) project timetable.
• Plan, organise, and develop public engagement events and workshops, including a conference at the project’s mid-point and events to support 4 thematic surveys.
• Liaise with partners and stakeholders to ensure the effective and creative use of selected archive content as part of wider project engagement activities.
• Promote the events and engagement programme through social media, the Surveying Officer website, and other relevant channels.
• Lead on content development for a reminiscence/memory box learning tool, identifying care homes to work with as partners and encouraging, engaging and demonstrating the use of these resources.
• Manage the creation and dissemination of audiovisual content that incorporates and interprets material from collections surveyed during the project to tell the stories of Scotland’s sporting heritage.
• Work with Sporting Heritage to assist in advocating for the value of sporting heritage and promoting the work of the SSSH project through active engagement in relevant networks, speaking at conferences, developing case studies and publishing articles.
• Based at the Ballast Trust in Johnstone, working a minimum of 1 day out of the 3 days a week there to facilitate team-working, with regular travel across Scotland to deliver events and workshops.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge and qualifications

• Essential

• A1- Either: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 8 (Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4, Higher National Diploma) or equivalent, and experience of personal development in a similar role. Or: Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills through personal development and progression in a similar role(s).
• A2 Knowledge and understanding of heritage engagement and interpretation principles, practices and standards.

• B1 A postgraduate qualification in Archives & Records Management, Museum Studies, Cultural Heritage or similar.
• B2 Current valid driving license.

Skills

• Essential

• C1 Effective workload management skills with good planning and prioritising skills; a flexible approach to changing priorities, working practices, and work environment; and the ability to work effectively across multiple activities simultaneously.
• C2 Highly effective written and oral communication skills, with a particular ability to communicate stories of a specialist nature at a level and in a format appropriate to the audience.
• C3 Ability to work effectively both independently as a motivated self-starter and as part of a wider team.
• C4 Excellent interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build effective collaborative working relationships within and across teams or partner organisations to achieve goals.
• C5 Independent research skills across heritage collections.
• C6 Excellent office IT skills, including Excel, Teams and other MS Office tools.
• C7 Ability to write content for websites and social media.

• Essential

• E1 Significant evidence of participation in and delivery of engagement activities within the heritage sector.
• E2 Experience of interpreting archive material for public audiences.
• E3 Track record of managing time effectively and meeting deadlines.
• E4 Experience of planning and progressing work activities within professional guidelines or organisational policy, applying initiative and independent judgement.
• E5 Experience of delivering training, workshops or presentations.
• E6 Experience of working independently and resolving unforeseen issues and challenges.

• F1 Experience of developing memory and reminiscence resources.
• F2 Experience of creating audio-visual digital content, e.g. videos or podcasts in a professional context.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 6, £33,951 - £37,694 per annum pro rata. This post is part time (21 hours per week) and fixed term for up to 2 years from agreed start date. Closing date: 23:45, 25th February 2026.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.