Archaeological Support Officer

Why join us? 

Bringing together leading minds and practitioners in the sector, Wessex Archaeology is a trusted archaeology and heritage service provider and educational charity. From our network of international offices, we work in partnership with our clients to deliver sustainable solutions to manage the historic environment - above ground, below ground and underwater. We are committed to our social impact. This means using the knowledge and connections we make through our commercial activities as a catalyst to engage the communities in which we work.

Join us and you’ll be part of a collaborative team committed to shaping a better future for our staff, the sector, and the world. As well as having knowledgeable and dedicated colleagues, you’ll have an opportunity to access a variety of fascinating and high-profile projects and develop your skills and knowledge along the way.

The role – what’s involved?

You will be taking an active role in be providing comprehensive one-to-one support to an early career autistic field archaeologist working within our fieldwork team.

You will need to be proactive and be able to build positive relationships, enjoy a varied workload and have excellent attention to detail. A key element in this role is your ability to communicate and ideally be familiar with the challenges that the neurodivergent community face. This is a chance to be part of a series of archaeological projects, but crucially your role will be helping others to experience archaeological fieldwork in roles that have traditionally been challenging to access, this includes working on away projects. In this role the relationship between you and the individual you are providing support for is a key element of its success and ongoing reviews will take place to ensure it works and evolves healthily.

Main responsibilities will include:

• Providing emotional support and ensuring the work environment is well-structured, with clearly set daily expectations to provide the required support and structure.

• Providing clear and concise instructions in undertaking work.

• Providing sensitive but direct feedback on progress when undertaking regular reviews of performance and development.

• To advocate for and help other staff become more aware of how to support neurodiversity in the workplace.

• Providing reassurance, develop and implement support strategies in stressful situations.

• Encourage progress for a career in archaeology without or with a reduced need for one-to-one support.

Essential:

• A good understanding of British archaeology and experience of archaeological fieldwork

• Excellent communication skills and an ability to build strong working relationships.

• Awareness of and interest in Diversity & Inclusion, including disability and mental health;

• A full clean Driving Licence.

Desirable:

• Previous experience of working in a support role.
• Personal experience of engaging with individuals on the autistic spectrum, whether through family, friends or colleagues.
• Awareness of disabilities and assistive technologies and experience working within a project oriented environment.

Whilst Wessex Archaeology offers a flexible approach to working, the successful applicant (and recipient) will primarily fulfil a fieldwork role and will therefore be site-based. This will be a full-time appointment, working 7.4 hours each day. A DBS check will be carried out as part of this role.

What can you look forward to?

Our focus is on creating a collaborative culture where people can thrive, develop and where safety and wellbeing come first. From anonymising candidate data in our recruitment process to continuous improvements in our benefits, we’re committed to creating a safe, fair and inclusive working environment. 

We offer:

Full details of our benefits package are available on our website.

How to apply

Interested in working with us? For all the details about how to apply visit Vacancies | Wessex Archaeology  

Email your completed application form and equal opportunities monitoring form by close of business on 10 January 2025 to wa.applications@wessexarch.co.uk. All applications will be acknowledged within 2 weeks of the closing date.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and aim to be supportive in our recruitment and employment practices. Please let us know if you need any special arrangements or adjustments in the application or interview process.  

Successful candidates must have proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK by the start of their employment.