Place Services

Principal Historic Environment Consultant Date Posted: 06 October 2025 Closing Date: 09 November 2025 Type: Permanent, full-time Salary: £45,749 to £53,822 per annum Job Purpose Place Services is a multi-disciplinary team within Essex County Council, at the forefront of environmental consultancy in the public sector. We act as archaeological advisors to local planning authorities across Essex and the South East, and count organisations such as Historic England and the National Trust as regular clients. We also curate the Essex Historic Environment Record and provide a long running annual syllabus of CPD courses. To see the type of work we are involved in, please view our 2024-25 Year in Review. Our success as a consultancy to the public sector is unparalleled and integral to our success are our people. This role requires a qualified, highly experienced and authoritative subject matter expert with advanced archaeological expertise, practical knowledge, understanding and experience of historic environment issues. You will be familiar with relevant legislation, policy and principles. You will have experience of business development, information and financial management with good communication and people management skills, and the ability to secure strong client relationships. You will deliver and manage a varied workload including providing development management and policy advice to local authorities at all stages of the planning process (pre-application, application and post consent); attendance at hearings, EIPs and public inquiries; evaluating and carrying out heritage assessments (DBA, HIA, EIA), of varying size, complexity and in challenging scenarios; managing large-scale and complex historic environment records and data projects; designing and undertaking a range of complex surveys, including development of new tools and techniques; and management and monitoring of complex contracts, and projects with multiple stakeholders, against approved budgets, specifications and indicators. Reporting to the Historic Environment Manager, you will have several line management reports within the Historic Environment Team. Confident team leadership and commerciality are as important as technical expertise. You will lead on the team's development management outputs and have responsibility for delivery within budgets, and for generating new business for Place Services. You will be based in our offices in Chelmsford, with attendance in the Chelmsford office, and our operational area, expected to be at least 2 days per week and depending on business need. Place Services fully supports individuals' professional development with a generous CPD budget and funded membership of CIfA. There are also opportunities to be involved with our own CPD course syllabus. Skills, Knowledge and Experience The job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means. Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent in a relevant subject, with significant post-qualification experience and good evidence of relevant continuous professional development. Advanced knowledge of legislation, planning policy and good practice relating to the historic environment, including office and site-based practices and procedures. Experience of commercial practices and business development. Extensive technical experience to a high standard, particularly in archaeological development management. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including report writing, publication and presentation, allied with confident and professional interpersonal and negotiation skills. Excellent people skills with experience managing a team, including staff development and performance management, coaching, mentoring and delivery of training. Strong project management skills, including ability to prioritise work whilst maintaining focus on key projects or activities, within defined timescales. Strong understanding of wellbeing and H&S, and experienced in producing and implementing standard and complex risk assessments with appropriate controls. Advanced use of common and bespoke software packages including all Microsoft applications, databases, HBSMR, GIS and other information management systems. For an informal discussion, please contact the Historic Environment Manager Tim Murphy via / .