Cornwall Heritage Trust is a charity based in Redruth but with responsibility for historic sites and places throughout Cornwall. The Trust has experienced rapid but strategic growth over the last five years and, having just celebrated our 40th anniversary, we are about to set a strategic plan which builds on this growth while ensuring that the charity is financially sustainable and resilient for a further 40 years.
We are seeking a candidate with experience and knowledge of countryside and heritage management with the vision and enthusiasm to help us deliver our strategic objectives and make a real difference to Cornwall’s heritage places.
Job Overview
Cornwall Heritage Trust owns and/or manages 20 historic sites over
the length and breadth of Cornwall. Ranging from hillforts to standing stones, well houses to engine houses our portfolio is an eclectic mix
of types and ages and spreads across over 300 acres of Cornwall’s historic landscape. Excitingly, we are also about to take on the ownership of a Georgian Country House and have plans to acquire two further historic sites this year..
When contemplating acquisition of a “new” site we have three main considerations: firstly, does it have historic or heritage value? Secondly, is the place considered to be “at risk” in some way, whether that’s inclusion on the Heritage At Risk Register or having been identified locally as being under threat? And finally, that it has no limitations to public access i.e. is there a right of way to the property? Accessibility to the communities that surround the site is paramount, enabling them to better appreciate and understand the heritage on their doorsteps.
The places in our care are often Scheduled Monuments and sometimes Listed; some sit within the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site; some of them are part of the Cornwall National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty); and many also have special designations relating to their ecology, for example Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). What ties them all together is that they contain important aspects of Cornwall’s heritage.
Our sites are not just historic properties, they are the venues for activities, events, wellbeing sessions, walks and talks; they are central to the local communities that surround them and a fundamental part of the work that we do to preserve, strengthen and interpret Cornwall’s heritage.
We work with partner organisations in various different ways; we manage seven free to access sites for English Heritage and work with private landowners in West Penwith to help maintain the historic features on their properties, for example. Relationships with the statutory bodies such as Historic England, Natural England and Cornwall Council are also very important to the work that we do.
The sites also need to be managed. Over the last five years we have introduced and built our own in-house sites management team which currently consists of three Countryside Rangers and two apprentice Rangers who are supported by a Projects Manager and our Heritage Sites Officer. Obviously, we have also been growing the number of places that we care for which results in increasingly complicated demands on the team and so it is now time to recruit a strategic lead for everything sites related!
The Historic Sites Manager will take the strategic lead and day-to-day management responsibility for the historic sites in our care. Working with, and leading, the sites management team they will ensure that they are well managed, heeding the delicate balance between their ecological and archaeological needs and with consideration to our wider aims around access, community engagement and education.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning
- Deliver the property and sites elements of the strategic plan and ensure adequate resourcing, in the form of staffing and equipment, for successful delivery
- Produce capital works plans and future project plans to inform workflows, budgets and funding applications; liaise with the Finance Manager to create and manage a realistic annual budget and projections for the historic sites in our care
- Actively seek external funding to help resource plans for the various historic sites and planned projects
- Research and identify potential future acquisitions, mindful of our focus on heritage at risk and free public access.
- Seek opportunities to build on the way in which we manage the land in our care, for example, through agri-environment schemes
Management of historic sites
- Ensure that our historic landscapes and sites are protected and enhanced by creating management plans for each of the sites in the Trust’s care, ensuring that their heritage and archaeological needs are a key focus balanced alongside each site’s unique habitats and biodiversity
- Ensure compliance with the requirements of all management, stewardship and funding agreements
- Ensure all legal obligations are met with regard to public footpaths, rights of way etc
- Manage resources and ensure that team capacity is sufficient for the planned tasks, that they are adequately equipped and that all kit is serviced and fully functional
- Oversee projects and contractors
- Identify and manage risks and ensure that mitigations are inplace to protect the Trust’s staff and members of the public. Ensure that all activity complies with relevant legislation and internal policies
Staffing
- Management of the team with a view to ensuring that everyone works to their strengths
- Oversight and development of the on-site volunteering programmes
- Ensure sufficient staffing capacity to meet the aims of the strategies and plans
Liaison with external partners and agencies
- Identify, nurture and grow relationships with external partners to promote collaborative projects and initiatives
- Liaison with funders and those with whom we have management agreements, e.g. Higher-Level Stewardship and English Heritage. Identification of ways in which we can expand these relationships
- Build links to statutory bodies, such as Natural England and Historic England, to raise awareness of the charity’s work and ensure conformance with statutory requirements
- Work closely with partners such as the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site’s team and Cornwall National Landscapes to identify potential collaborations and shared best practice
- Liaison with custodians, graziers, tenants and licence holders to ensure a shared ethos and a good understanding of our strategic, as well as management, aims
Outreach
- Work with the wider team to facilitate community engagement activities and outreach events at the sites and remotely
- Ensure high quality interpretation of the historic properties, both on and off site
- Oversee projects to improve accessibility to the sites and identify innovative solutions to encourage visitors
- Liaison with the Practical Tasks group and local landowners to develop the scheme
General
- Lead reporting to trustees via the quarterly Property Sub Committee meetings and by attendance at the quarterly Council of Management meetings
- Provide support to the wider team as required
**For a full job description and role specification please refer to the Cornwall Heritage Trust website - www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/vacancies**
Recruitment Process
How to apply
An application form can be downloaded from our website and should be completed with reference to the role specifications detailed in this document. The completed form should be emailed to Cathy Woolcock on [email protected] by midday on Monday 15th June. Please ensure that your email is entitled “Application for Historic Sites Manager vacancy”.
**You may enclose a CV and covering letter if you wish, however, applications without a fully completed application form will be disregarded.**
Process
Shortlisting will take place shortly after the deadline date and selected candidates will be invited to an interview, which will take place on Thursday 25th June.
Interviews will take place at our offices in Redruth.
All applications will be acknowledged and the outcome advised in due course.
Contact
If you would like to find out more about the vacancy, please feel free to get in touch for an informal chat by emailing Cathy Woolcock in the first instance.
Email [email protected]
Phone 01209 707008
Website www.cornwallheritagetrust.org
Pay: £36,621.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
