Starting salary: £27,519 + £1448
Contract type: Permanent
Grade: 2
Location: Orkney Depot
Working Hours: Full time, annualised hours
Interviews: Thursday 16th October 2025
Thank you for your interest in the post of Stonemason with Historic Environment Scotland, based at the Orkney MCU Depot, Kirkwall. This is a permanent and pensionable appointment.
The stonemason as part of the Monument Conservation Unit will have responsibility for the on-going implementation of conservation, routine maintenance and presentation tasks of Historic Environment Scotland monuments within the Orkney District Area.
Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland
* Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution
* 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years public holidays
* Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
* Support for further education and personal development
* Study leave for work related courses
* Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
* Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
* Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties
Key Responsibilities of this role
• To carry out conservation and routine maintenance works to HES monuments in the Orkney Depot Area. This involves all forms of traditional building maintenance for the Orkney Depot sites and monuments in other depot areas as and when required.
• Stone cutting and hewing of various architectural mouldings / stones for Orkney depot and monuments in other depots as required.
• Traditional building / repairs / indenting of stonework.
• Raking out and pointing defective joints and beds.
• Promote traditional methods of conservation techniques to carry out challenging and diverse conservation projects / works.
• Operate electrical and petrol-powered hand tools and machinery to facilitate the work including disc saws, mortar mixers, compressors, hoists etc. The winter season may consist of work out with the normal duties associated with stonemasonry consisting of fence repairs, grounds works and painting.
• Provide training and mentoring for apprentice stonemasons in traditional conservation skills, which you are trained in.
• Comply with and promote HES Health and Safety Policy.
• Throughout your employment with HES you will be required to attend training courses identified to assist the work, or to comply with health and safety legislation (this may require overnight stays away from home).
Key requirements of the role:
In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1,200 words), using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met this criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience.
Essential:
• You must be a time served stonemason with relevant building trade qualification to SVQ 4.
• You should have a proven knowledge of traditional building crafts. In particular an understanding and knowledge of current conservation practices and techniques relating to historic buildings and monuments.
• Good understanding and practical experience of the conservation, presentation, and repair of historic monuments and/or listed buildings.
• Good all-round understanding and practical experience of using lime mortars.
• Good knowledge of Health & Safety at Work (Responsibilities & Practise).
• Full current driving licence.
We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.
We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at or call our Head Office at and speak to a member of our People Team.
Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.