Principal Archaeologist
Permanent, Full Time
Up to £55,706 per annum + benefits
Location: Essex
Working Style: Anywhere worker*
Closing Date: 9th June 2026
*Whilst contractually based at our Chelmsford office, with attendance expected one day per week, there is flexibility for home-working alongside site visits across our operational area as required.
Overview
Fantastic opportunity to take your archaeology career to the next level and combine technical expertise with leadership.
Responsibilities
* Deliver and commercialise Place Service’s historic environment services, ensuring they are efficient, high‑quality and financially sustainable.
* Provide expert archaeological advice across the full planning lifecycle, managing the most complex and sensitive cases, representing the service at hearings, public examinations, inquiries, and delivering high‑quality heritage assessments.
* Oversee major historic environment data, records and survey work, including the development of new tools and approaches.
* Manage complex projects and contracts involving multiple stakeholders, ensuring delivery against agreed budgets, specifications and performance measures.
* Drive new business activity by identifying opportunities, securing new clients, and leading bids and tenders for high‑value work.
* Lead a team of five line‑reports, providing archaeological advice to local planning authorities across Essex, St Albans, Sussex and the South Downs National Park.
* Serve as discipline lead and subject‑matter expert, providing authoritative advice to council members, senior officers and clients, and supporting effective teamwork, line‑managing consultants, and contributing to skills development through training and professional learning.
* Build strong client and partner relationships and support planning authorities in meeting statutory duties relating to heritage assets and the wider historic environment.
Qualifications & Experience
* Ability to travel throughout the operational area and possession of a valid driving licence; or alternative arrangements meeting mobility requirements.
* Strong experience in complex archaeological project delivery, stakeholder engagement and commercial management within the historic environment sector.
Benefits
* Holiday entitlement of 27 days per annum plus bank holidays, with the opportunity to buy additional annual leave.
* Local Government Pension Scheme: essexpensionfund.co.uk.
* Employee Wellbeing and counselling provision.
* Volunteering leave.
* Eye care vouchers.
* Travel discounts and season ticket loans.
* Retail and restaurant discounts and cashback on purchases.
* Comprehensive CPD: Traditional Building Skills, Conservation courses and lectures (https://www.placeservices.co.uk/conservation-courses/conservation-courses/).
Equal Opportunities
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to interview all disabled applicants under the Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job, and provide reasonable adjustments during the process. We also interview veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements for the role. Furthermore, we support unpaid carers and offer flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
All employees are required to embrace the code of conduct and the Nolan principles, ensuring ethical behaviour throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace.
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