Senior Consultant (Built Heritage)
Location: Brighton or Manchester / Full-time office or hybrid
Salary: £32,000 – £40,000 depending on experience
We’re looking for an experienced Built Heritage Consultant to join our growing team. This is an opportunity to work on a wide range of development projects across the UK, providing practical heritage advice to developers, planning consultants, architects and project teams.
As one of the UK’s leading independent specialist archaeology and built heritage consultancies, we combine technical expertise with a commercial understanding of the planning process. We have offices in Brighton and Manchester, reflecting our national reach and diverse client base.
Who We Are
Orion Heritage is a team of skilled and passionate specialists working across archaeology, built heritage and the wider historic environment. We’re known for clear, honest, commercially aware advice that helps clients move projects forward while respecting the historic environment, and we’ve worked on some remarkable buildings and sites along the way.
The Role
As a Senior Built Heritage Consultant, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality consultancy services across a diverse range of development projects, reporting to our Technical Director.
You will work directly with developers, planning consultants, architects and project teams, helping them understand heritage constraints, manage planning risk and identify practical solutions that support successful development outcomes.
This is an opportunity to combine technical expertise with strategic thinking and client-focused advice. You will have responsibility, direct client contact and the chance to influence projects from an early stage.
Your work will include:
- Preparing Heritage Statements, Heritage Impact Assessments, Historic Environment Desk-Based Assessments and related reports
- Assessing the significance of designated and non-designated heritage assets
- Evaluating the impact of development proposals on heritage significance and setting
- Advising developers, architects, planning consultants and project teams on heritage matters
- Undertaking site visits, research and archival investigations
- Supporting planning applications, appeals and site promotion projects
- Managing projects and contributing to client relationship development
- Assisting with business development and identifying opportunities for future work
- Working closely with colleagues across both the built heritage and archaeology teams
This is a role where your ideas, judgment, and expertise will be valued. You will have the opportunity to take ownership of projects, develop client relationships and contribute to the continued success of the business, with support to grow toward more senior responsibility over time, and in due course, the chance to mentor others coming up behind you.
We’re happy to consider candidates who can commute to either office full-time or on a hybrid basis.
About You
Essential:
- Strong understanding of UK heritage planning policy, legislation and guidance
- Experience in preparing built heritage assessments, heritage statements and advisory reports
- A degree in archaeology, heritage, history, architectural history or a closely related discipline
- Membership of IHBC or a similar professional body, or a willingness to work towards accreditation
- A full UK driving licence
Desirable:
- Commercial awareness and experience in managing multiple projects and deadlines
- Confident working independently as well as within a team
- Most importantly, you will care about delivering good advice, good outcomes and excellent service for clients, and about heritage itself.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary plus performance-related bonus
- Full-time office or hybrid working with a full IT kit for flexible productivity
- Pension contribution and death-in-service benefit
- 25 days annual leave plus paid Christmas shutdown
- Ongoing professional development and support towards accreditation
- Summer and winter whole-company meet-ups
- A supportive team who values your wellbeing, development and contribution
Why Join Orion?
We’re a supportive, down-to-earth team that shares knowledge openly and trusts people to work with autonomy. Heritage is a field people tend to end up in because they care about it, and that shared passion shapes how we work and why people choose to stay.
How to Apply
Please send your CV, along with a covering email (or optional cover letter if you’d like to tell us more about yourself), to careers@orionheritage.co.uk
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview as the next step.
We’re committed to being an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments or accommodations you may need at any stage of the application or interview process.
