Job detail for Inspector of Ancient Monuments

Summary

We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.

Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments.

This is a full time, fixed term contract until March 2028.

The role is based in Bristol.

Please note that the role requires regular travel to sites not serviced by public transport

We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive defined benefit pension scheme to which we make 28.97% employer contributions, generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.

To view our full range of benefits please follow the link here.

What you will be doing

The Development Advice Teams provide Historic England’s statutory and non‑statutory advice to our customers, engaging where we add most value to decision‑making through our distinctive contribution as national experts.  The Development Advice Teams will also work closely with other teams to support communities in looking after historic places and in the advancement of Historic England’s objectives.

As part of the Regional Development Advice Team, the Inspector of Ancient Monuments will take delegated responsibility for the delivery of Historic England’s advice on proposals for change in the historic environment that fall within their area of competence, specifically Nationally Strategic Infrastructure Projects, major development, scheduled monuments, archaeology and historic environment planning.

You would need to apply the ethos of ‘constructive conservation’ and making effective use of conservation principles in all their advisory work.  You will provide advice to developers, owners, local authorities, the planning inspectorate and others, to proactively work towards the sustainable management of the historic environment.  This work will also contribute to specifically to infrastructure development and providing advice to the Head of Infrastructure and where their expertise would add value.

Who we are looking for

• Educated to degree level or above in archaeology

• Broad and extensive experience of managing change to ancient monuments and archaeological landscapes, including through the planning system

• A thorough knowledge of ancient monuments and archaeological landscapes in England and the techniques of their study

• A good understanding of relevant Government policy, guidance and statutory procedures for the historic environment in the planning system, including Scheduled Monument Consent

• Good oral and written communication skills

Please note your application will be scored and assessed against the above criteria.

Historic England is a Disability Confident Leader and normally offers guaranteed interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role, where it is practical and appropriate to do so. We want all candidates to shine in the recruitment process, so please tell us what we can do to help you show us your very best self. For more information, please visit our Everyone is Welcome page, or contact us at recruitmentTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries.

We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having won the Gold Award from MIND for workplace wellbeing in seven consecutive years, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.

We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.

Why work for Historic England

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are within Historic England at this level.

Historic England wants all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at recruitmentTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries.

At Historic England we use a hiring system called Applied. Applied is a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. We do not use CV application for the majority of our hiring processes. You will answer a selection of questions that allow our hiring teams to test your skills and suitability for the role.

At Historic England, we value the expertise and individuality each candidate brings and want to hear about this in your own words. If you require the use or AI tools or other resources to support your application, we ask that all information is factually accurate, original, and reflects your own experience. To best represent yourself, we encourage you to write in your own words and use AI-generated content only as inspiration—not as direct input.

Provisional virtual interview dates: Week commencing 02nd November 2026.

Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –

https://historicengland.org.uk/media/jnidwg15/zw-inspector-of-ancient-monuments-jd-sep-2026.odt