Job Purpose
This post is employed by The Hunslet Club, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to lead and coordinate The Hunslet Club: Past, Present, Future, a 12-month project to collect, record and share over 80 years of the Club’s youth and community heritage in South Leeds.
We are looking for a successful Heritage Project Lead with a proven track record in heritage research, or an individual with outstanding transferable skills and experience of working within research roles. The individual must thrive on building trusted relationships and be confident in hosting community events to broaden their research.
The Heritage Project Lead will be responsible for planning, managing, and delivering the project to ensure it achieves all agreed outcomes and investment principles.
This will include:
- Recording oral histories with former and current members, staff, volunteers and local residents
- Identifying, digitising and cataloguing photographs, documents and memorabilia
- Developing a searchable digital archive and working with local archive services
- Coordinating design and installation of heritage corridor displays and a co-created public mural
- Supporting and supervising Youth Arts Workers, volunteers and young “Heritage Champions”
- Building partnerships with archives, universities, schools and community groups
- Sharing the Club’s story through events, open days, online content and social media
- Managing project budgets, risk, evaluation and reporting
Duties and Responsibilities
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
- Project delivery and planning
- Implement and deliver
- The Hunslet Club: Past, Present, Future
- in line with the approved National Lottery Heritage Fund application, ensuring all agreed outputs, outcomes and investment principles are met.
- Detailed project plan
Develop and maintain a detailed project plan and timeline, building on the Heritage Fund application and project enquiry, to guide delivery, scheduling, staffing and procurement. In collaboration with the Teaching, Mentoring & Creative Arts Manager, as well as support from the CEO.
Manage and regularly review the project risk register, identifying emerging risks and taking appropriate action to mitigate them.Undertake research (desktop, archives and community-based) to identify materials relating to the Hunslet Club’s history from 1940 to the present day.Design, coordinate and deliver an oral history programme: recruiting interviewees, scheduling and conducting interviews (or supporting staff/volunteers to do so), and ensuring good practice in consent, safeguarding and ethics.Engage with people who hold memorabilia or key documents about the Club; coordinate the digitisation and basic cataloguing of those materials, ensuring they are handled safely and respectfully.Develop, oversee and maintain a project-specific digital archive that stores recordings, images and documents securely, is sufficiently backed up, and complies with GDPR and other relevant legislation.Work with local archive services and heritage partners to agree appropriate long-term arrangements for preservation and access to selected materials.Recruit, support and supervise volunteers and young “Heritage Champions” to help deliver the project, ensuring they gain skills and positive experiences in heritage, digital media and community engagement.Provide day-to-day leadership and coordination for project-delivery staff (e.g. Youth Arts Workers), ensuring clear objectives, regular communication and effective teamwork.Assist in the appointing and managing of consultants and contractors as required (e.g. mural artist, evaluator, oral history specialist, web/digital support), following procurement guidance and best practice.Assist in the co-ordination of the public mural and corridor displays: facilitating co-design sessions with young people and community members, working with the artist and suppliers, and ensuring high-quality, accessible and durable outputs.Plan and deliver engagement activities responding to consultation findings, including community drop-ins, outreach with partner organisations, translated communications and work with community ambassadors to reach under-represented communities.Organise and deliver a project launch event and regular heritage open days, including practical logistics, promotion, programme content and evaluation.Work with colleagues to promote the project through social media, website content, email newsletters, printed materials, local media, networking and face-to-face conversations, acting as a visible advocate for the project.Lead project monitoring and data collection (quantitative and qualitative), work with an external evaluator, and ensure learning is captured and shared across the organisation and with funders/partners.Support the Teaching, Mentoring & Creative Arts Manager in managing the Heritage Fund budget allocated to the project: record expenditure, authorise spend within delegated limits, support grant claims, and provide accurate financial and narrative reports as required.Report regularly to the Teaching, Mentoring & Creative Arts Manager and/or CEO, lead trustee and project steering group on progress against targets, risks, engagement data, learning and next steps.Undertake relevant training and CPD to remain up to date with heritage practice (oral history, archiving, digital requirements), safeguarding, inclusion and evaluation.General Duties and Responsibilities
- Heritage research and collection
- Oral history programme
- Digitisation and cataloguing
- Digital archive and data management
- Partnership with archives and heritage organisations
- Youth and volunteer development
- Matrix Line management and coordination
- Commissioning and contractor management
- Mural and interpretation delivery
- Engagement and inclusion activities
- Events and open days
- Promotion and communications
- Monitoring, evaluation and learning
- Budget management and reporting
- Governance and reporting
- Continuous professional development (CPD)
- The Hunslet Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to complete an Enhanced DBS check and safeguarding training.
- To undertake all duties and responsibilities in line with current Hunslet Club policies and procedures, including (but not limited to) those relating to:
- Safeguarding and child protection
- Health and safety
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Data protection and GDPR
- Financial policies and procedures
- To work flexibly, including some evenings and weekends, to meet project and community needs.
- To always represent the Hunslet Club positively and professionally.
- To undertake any other duties commensurate with the post holder’s skills and experience that may reasonably be required by the line manager in support of the project and the wider organisation.
Person Specification – Heritage Project Lead
Area
Requirement
Assessment Method
Experience
Proven experience of developing and delivering heritage, community history or oral history projects (ideally including those funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund or similar).
A / I
Experience
Experience of coordinating multi-strand projects involving community engagement, events and creative outputs.
A / I
Experience
Experience of working with, supporting and supervising volunteers and/or young people in a community or heritage setting.
A / I
Experience
Experience of building and sustaining local partnership initiatives with a range of organisations (e.g. schools, community groups, archives, universities, cultural organisations).
A / I
Experience
Experience of collecting, managing or interpreting heritage materials (oral histories, photographs, documents, memorabilia) and understanding of basic archiving/digitisation principles.
A / I
Experience
Experience of presenting information to a range of audiences (for example, community groups, trustees, funders, partners).
I / P
Experience
Experience of monitoring budgets and contributing to funding reports or grant claims.
I
Skills
Ability and commitment to work flexibly, including some evenings and weekends, to meet the needs of participants and partners.
A
Skills
Good IT skills (e.g. MS Word, Excel, Outlook) and confidence using digital tools for communication, record-keeping and content creation.
A / P
Skills
Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to plan, prioritise and meet deadlines across multiple workstreams.
A / I
Skills
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to build rapport and trust with a wide range of people (young people, older adults, parents, professionals).
I / P
Skills
Ability to present written reports clearly, concisely and accessibly to different audiences (internal and external).
A / I
Skills
Confidence and sensitivity in engaging people in sharing personal stories, including managing confidentiality, consent and potential distress.
I
Skills
Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team, problem-solving and adapting to challenges as they arise.
I / P
Skills
Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with the ability to work effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
A / I
Qualifications
Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) in a relevant subject (e.g. history, heritage, arts, community development, education, social sciences) or substantial relevant professional experience.
A
Desirable
Training or qualifications in oral history, archiving, museum/heritage studies, youth work or community arts.
A
Desirable
Evidence of ongoing CPD relevant to heritage, community engagement or project management.
A
Other
Willingness and ability to travel locally within Leeds/South Leeds as required for interviews, outreach and partnership work.
I
Other
An understanding of, and commitment to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
A / I
Other
Willingness and ability to travel locally within Leeds/South Leeds as required for interviews, outreach and partnership work.
I
Key:
A = Application, I = Interview, P = Presentation
Pay: £15,480.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Free fitness classes
- Free parking
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
