Assistant Archaeology and Heritage Consultant

Location/s: Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, and Reading
Recruiter contact: Emma Cantley
Hiring manager contact: Maurice Hopper

Mott MacDonald

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy. 
Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. 

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs. 

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence. 

Job Description

Mott MacDonald are a global engineering, management and development consultancy focused on guiding our clients through many of the planet’s most intricate challenges. At times, these challenges need to consider the historic environment. Archaeology and heritage are the foundation of a society’s culture; developments that may affect them must be planned to minimise harm and look to improve outcomes as well as impacts on cost and programme. Our Heritage Team is one of the largest heritage consultancy teams in the country and working with our diverse client base from both the private and public sectors, we help manage these challenges whilst also making the most of the opportunities the historic environment offers.

Would you like to join a talented multidisciplinary team who are as passionate as you about our heritage?

We’re looking for a motivated recent heritage/archaeology graduate or within the first couple years of your career, to join our team based in either our Birmingham, Reading, Cambridge, Manchester, Cambridge or Leeds offices. If you have a passion for the past, combined with relevant qualifications and experience, then we want to speak with you!

Working with the Mott MacDonald Heritage Team, you will work primarily on everything from supporting on heritage inputs as part of large national infrastructure schemes, to assessing heritage impacts of smaller development sites. Our range of work will give you the opportunity to get involved in many aspects of the historic environment, including historic buildings, archaeological sites and historic landscapes, allowing you to apply and expand your existing knowledge, develop new skills and identify your own interest and specialism in the historic environment.

You will also work within wider multidisciplinary project teams, which will aid your development through understanding the different challenges that each technical area faces and working collaboratively to generate the best outcomes.

Depending on your skills and our project requirements your work is likely to cover:

• Producing heritage assessment reports, such as Heritage Statements and Historic Environment Desk Based Assessments
• Using GIS to map heritage assets
• Undertaking site-walkover surveys, archive and library visits
• Liaising with clients and stakeholders to help deliver great schemes and identify opportunities to enhance historic environment
• Working with other professionals, including designers, engineers and environmental specialists, to realise the best schemes that benefit our clients and the environment
• Helping manage heritage surveys such as historic building recording and archaeological fieldwork
• Being part of a team who support each other with project work and professional development

Candidate specification
In your application you should be able to demonstrate your interest in the opportunity to work with Mott MacDonald, as well as your suitability to the role through demonstrating relevant experience. This might be through study of specific relevant undergraduate/post graduate modules, and/or previous/current work experience. The below details the essential and desirable candidate specifications, as well as the characteristics we’re looking for.

Essential

• To be considered for the role you must have:
• A degree in archaeology or built heritage (or in a related subject)
• Basic knowledge of the historic environment in the UK and archaeology/built heritage surveys
• Excellent report writing and communication skills
• Flexible attitude to work, including a willingness and ability to undertake site visits that require overnight stays away from home

Desirable

• Experience of working in the heritage sector or in archaeological fieldwork through under-graduate placements, post-graduate work experience, or recent work experience
• Experience of working in consultancy through under-graduate placements or post-graduate work experience
• Knowledge and experience of GIS
• Understanding of the role of the UK planning system in regard to the historic environment
• Experience in contributing to academic archaeological fieldwork
• Emerging understanding of how to provide advice to clients and contribute to client and project meetings
• Basic commercial awareness and understanding of how a private consultancy operates and the role of tenders and bidding
• First Aider
• CSCS card holder
• Willingness to travel

Characteristics

• We are looking for graduates with the following characteristics:
• Methodical approach to problem solving
• Ability to use your initiative to undertake tasks efficiently and independently
• Excellent verbal communication skills, which allow you to confidently liaise with clients, colleagues and team members alike
• Excellent written communication skills and report writing
• Attention to detail and ability to analyse technical information and drawings

Advert will close on 23rd March 2025

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working 

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

 Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.