Archaeological Officer
Team: PND - Archaeology
Job Family: Enabling - CBG9/CBG10
Salary: £34,811 - £40,069 per annum pr rata
Hours: 37 hours a week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC Office as often as is necessary carry out your role, to undertake site visits and attend meetings as required. As travel is required across Central Bedfordshire and Luton a driving licence and unrestricted access to a car for work are essential.
Contract: Hybrid – Permanent
Closing Date: 11th June 2026
Interview Date: 22nd June 2026
About the Role
The Council’s vision and values are integral to everything we do. Our aim is to make Central Bedfordshire ‘A great place to live and work’. As an Authority we are always looking to deliver high quality developments which consider our important historic and natural environments. As a member of a small team of specialists, you’ll find your greatness by acting as a champion of our area’s unique archaeological legacy.
The Council has an ambitious growth agenda; over the next 20 years we plan to build 39,000 homes and create 24,000 jobs. We have also recently commenced a new Local Plan for Central Bedfordshire which will likely see further growth planned in the years to come. We need an enthusiastic Archaeological Officer to help us deliver this. You will be part of our multi-disciplinary Technical Skills Team in Strategic Growth and work closely with our Forward Planning and Planning Teams to help the Council meet its visions for the area.
You will support our Archaeologist in giving advice on the impact of development and other land use changes on the area’s archaeological resource and help set the standards for archaeological research by working with archaeological consultants and contractors to ensure that fieldwork, publication, and dissemination is carried out to the highest standards. You will also contribute to the development of historic environment policies for inclusion in statutory and other strategic plans and will work with a wide range of customers and organisations giving advice on the management of archaeological sites and improving public engagement with our historic environment.
Your qualifications, skills and experience
We are looking for a passionate, highly motivated Archaeological Officer, with an honours degree (or equivalent) in Archaeology or a closely related subject, a solid understanding of British Archaeology and preferably membership of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) at Associate level or above. You will have excellent communication skills whether conveying information in writing or verbally, be highly organised and have the ability to work as an individual as well as part of a team.
You will have worked as a professional archaeologist and be able demonstrate that you have experience of working in the field. You will have knowledge of archaeological field techniques, and an understanding of the processes involved in ensuring successful post excavation analysis, publication and dissemination. You may have some experience of providing archaeological planning advice, and ideally, but not essentially, experience of contributing to the development of historic environment policies for strategic plans. You will have a good understanding of planning legislation and guidance as it applies to archaeological resource management in the UK. The role involves site visits in rural areas sometimes for lengthy periods of time, in various weather conditions and at locations which might require non-vehicular access. Additionally, the Team generally spend a minimum of one day a week in the main Council office at Chicksands, Shefford. You should take both these items into account when applying for the role.
Our Offer
We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page
Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.
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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack.
Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.
For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Hannah Firth at Hannah.Firth@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 6603 or Siobhan Vincent at Siobhan.Vincent@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 4346
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