*Updated on 21/04/2023*
NOW RECRUITING: Information and Engagement Manager
Reports to: Trust Director
Works with: Director, Chairman, Trustees, staff and volunteers at all levels
Location: 44 Watlington Street, Reading, RG1 4RJ – office based, with some local travel
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours
Salary: £30,000 pa
Contract: Fixed term, July 2023 – July 2025
Benefits: Pension scheme; a beautiful working environment in an historic building in a central location; opportunity to gain a wide range of experience working with different stakeholders.
*This role is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players*
Application deadline: Monday 29th May at midday. We will interview as and when we receive applications and may close the application window sooner, so we recommend that you apply early.
About the role
Central to the successful delivery of a new funded project, Reading emPOWERed, the Information & Engagement Manager (IEM) will manage and deliver planned project activities. They will engage and build relationships with diverse local communities, expand learning and understanding of the history of milling and renewable energy sources, and enhance the Trust’s local and national reputation.
The IEM will engage local communities with selected collections for them to discover and value their wind and waterpower heritage. They will engage wider ranges of people with different backgrounds and experiences to examine historical and local material that needs organising and interpreting in ways they feel are relevant to contemporary society. By making discovery enjoyable, the IEM will help us increase local involvement and support, making our heritage charity more sustainable.
The heritage of wind or watermills generating electricity is threatened by the loss of widely dispersed records, documenting 175 years of British engineering inventions, and the lack of safekeeping for easily deleted digital archives of modern, rapidly changing enterprises. The IEM will widen use of our facilities and gain national publicity for the need to address heritage threats, attracting more collections and opening new avenues for sustainable funding.
As IEM, you will establish the place of milling history within wider contexts, using milling as a lens through which to understand and engage with the past, and advocate for the contemporary relevance of the past for current and future generations. You will address the “So what?” question for the preservation of milling history as well as the existence of the Trust and express these answers clearly and convincingly for a variety of existing and potential beneficiary and supporter groups.
Your work will enrich local communities, underlining stories of past and present individuals and organisations. Building on the experience and embracing cultural and contemporary insights, you will develop and deliver plans to strengthen the appreciation of renewable energy sources in the fight against global warming and enhance our role as a vibrant, innovative and inclusive gateway to the enjoyment and understanding of all aspects of milling.
The resulting experience will enable us to spread more widely the importance of milling heritage to current and future generations, developing approaches for future projects elsewhere in the UK. New education programmes on wind and waterpower with local and cultural context, will offer pathways to understand how the heritage relates to Reading’s past and present.
To view the full job description and person specification, click here.
How to apply: Please email your CV and a covering letter to the Director, Elizabeth Bartram
Other opportunities
We run paid internships from time to time, as well as offer a range of volunteering opportunities. Opportunities may include cataloguing, digitisation, repackaging, library support and fundraising and development assistance. To find out whether we have any opportunities like this, we encourage you to get in touch via our contact form.
We can also give advice on the sort of work experience that may be beneficial when considering a future career in archives.