Learning and Outreach Officer, St Edmund’s Church, Warkton
Reporting to: Operations Director/Projects Adviser, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust
Contract: Part-time (equivalent of 2.5 days per week) fixed term for 2 years
Job Purpose: To coordinate the delivery of the Activity Plan for the HLF Montagu Monuments Conservation and Outreach project in St Edmund’s Church, Warkton, Northamptonshire.
About The Prince’s Regeneration Trust (PRT)
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust (PRT) is a registered charity which supports and strengthens communities by rescuing and reusing important buildings in the UK at risk of being lost through demolition or decay. Our priority is to work in areas of deprivation: places which will benefit most from the regeneration and economic growth we deliver.
About the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust (BLHT)
The Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust (BLHT) was founded in 2011 by The Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. It is charged with the conservation, access, educational work and administration associated with The Buccleuch Historic Houses, The Buccleuch Collections and Archives. It is responsible for the sites of Boughton House in Northamptonshire, Bowhill in The Scottish Borders, Dalkeith Palace in Lothian and Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway. Collectively the Trust welcomes in excess of 100,000 visitors to its properties each year.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) project: Conservation and Opening up access to the Montagu Monuments
The Montagu Monuments are four outstanding marble sculptures produced between 1750 and 1830 set in a beautiful 18th century chancel purpose-built as an extension to the medieval Parish church of St Edmund’s Church, Warkton. Dedicated to John, 2nd Duke of Montagu, his wife, daughter and grand-daughter, the monuments are particularly significant because they were produced by eminent sculptors of their day: the first two by Louis Francois Roubiliac, the second by Robert Adam and Peter Mathias van Gelder and the final one by Thomas Campbell. A combination of structural deterioration of the Roubiliac monuments, surface erosion of the Campbell monument and the cumulative effects of centuries of dirt, grime and accidental damage to all the monuments means that they are now in urgent need of conservation. The BLHT, working with the Parochial Church Council (PCC), has fundraised to undertake a £490,000 conservation and outreach programme which will conserve and safeguard the future of these monuments and deliver an ambitious programme of activities to raise awareness of this valuable heritage, improve access and interpretation arrangements, create a new learning and outreach programme, and engage the local community in helping to take care of and educate more people about the monuments. The conservation work will take place between February and November 2014. The HLF-funded project spans three years from the start of 2014 through to the end of 2016. The Learning and Outreach Officer will be in post for two years from April 2014 through to end of March 2016, when responsibilities for continuing the learning and outreach programme will be fully handed over to the BLHT and the PCC.
Description of role – in conjunction with the BLHT, the PCC and other project partners the postholder shall ensure that the Activity Plan is delivered in full and to the agreed programme and budget. In particular to develop the learning and interpretation content of the Montagu Monuments project by working with schools and local communities to ensure that the project engages with all sectors of the local area.
Key tasks
· To develop relationships with local communities and multi-faith groups in Kettering to develop content for use in the interpretation of the Montagu Monuments;
· To use a range of media to capture content, eg. film and video, photography, oral histories, blogs;
· To recruit and work with a Teachers’ Advisory Group to develop resources and sessions for schools based on the Montagu Monuments;
· To commission a new website and its content for launch in summer 2014, and then to monitor and keep the website updated;
· To develop an outreach exhibition with local communities to tour to 3 local venues in 2014/15;
· To develop a leaflet and display panel to tell the story of the project to church visitors using content developed by the Project team;
· To provide input to the development and delivery of the Audience Development and Activity Plan to ensure that activities include relevant and accessible learning and engagement opportunities for communities;
· To manage the Activity Plan budget;
· To attend monthly Project Team meetings in Warkton, and from time to time, as required, to attend meetings in the PRT London office;
· To recruit and manage team of volunteer tour guides;
· To prepare reports to the HLF and other stakeholders;
· To oversee the opening of the church to the public on open days and events, including recruiting, training and inducting volunteers to steward the church at these times;
· Through personal example, open commitment and clear action, ensure diversity is positively valued, resulting in equal access and treatment in employment, service delivery and communications.
· Undertaking tasks on other aspects of work as commensurate with the expectations of the post.
Person specification (Essential)
· Experience of developing learning resources for schools;
· Experience of developing outreach programmes and working with communities to develop content for interpretation and exhibitions;
· Experience in management and oversight of volunteers;
· Ability to develop strong working relationships with a range of individuals and groups;
· A commitment to diversity and equality issues;
· A proven ability to work alone as well as part of a small team and to prioritise and organise your own workload;
· An ability to work to agreed targets and to monitor progress against an action plan;
· IT, communication and organisational skills;
· There is no public transport to the village of Warkton and therefore a full UK driving licence and own transport is deemed essential to deliver this role.
Person specification (Desirable)
· Understanding of, and a commitment to, conservation and heritage;
· An understanding of HLF projects and requirements;
· Knowledge of the local area, schools and community groups;
· Experience of developing and managing a website;
· Knowledge of how to make online content accessible and engaging.
Additional Information and Benefits
Location: The post will be based in the East Midlands but managed by staff based in PRT’s office in London.
Peer Support: The Learning and Outreach Officer will be directly employed by PRT and form part of the Projects Team, as such the postholder may be required to travel to London from time to time to attend team meetings.
Hours: Part-time post, with mandatory working hours equivalent of 2.5 days per week but with flexibility as to how this allocation is fulfilled, provided that deadlines and obligations are met. The postholder should be prepared to attend some evening and weekend events.
Salary and Pension: £28,000/annum pro rata (i.e. £14,000/annum). Option to join Group stakeholder pension scheme
Paid Leave: 25 days per annum pro rata (3 of which must be taken over the Christmas and New Year holiday period) in addition to public holidays (i.e. 12.5 days/ year for this post).
Other information: The postholder will be working in schools and with children. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (formerly called a CRB check) before taking up the post.
Further information about PRT can be found on our website www.princes-regeneration.org.
The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 17th March 2014. Interviews will take place on Friday 28th March, with a projected start date of 1st May, though this is flexible to the successful candidate’s requirements.
This post will be part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.