Heritage Engagement Officer

Spire View Housing Association (SVHA) is a small community based and tenant controlled social landlord with a wider commitment to the regeneration of Royston, in north-east Glasgow, one of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Scotland. SVHA has operated in the Royston area for over 25 years with the core function of providing good quality, affordable housing which targets households and families in greatest need. We employ 20.45 FTE staff and over the last 25 years have delivered a number of community projects and initiatives in Royston in partnership with other local organisations which address poverty and inequality in order to improve the lives of local people.

In 2016 we secured funding to buy and develop the old rainbow hall which is now the Roystonhill Community Hub – a vibrant community centre in the heart Royston which opened in 2019. The Hub is the centre of community activity which includes a community café, the Pantry (a membership-based shop that provides good food at a subsidised rate), volunteer opportunities, and is host to a range of community events and activities; health, fitness and social groups, and specialised family and individual support services.

We are part of the Royston Strategy Group (RSG) and as such we collaborate to ensure a joined-up approach to regeneration and partnership working which addresses the many issues our community faces, ensuring that local people have a voice in shaping the things they want to see happen in their community and are directly involved in the design and delivery of services which affect them the most.

Role

Do you have relevant experience of working with volunteers and community groups around the topic of local heritage?

What was there before the tenements?

Our Management Board would like to develop a digital heritage platform to host (What was there before the Tenements?) with the aim to explore Royston's history and heritage through archived photography and document collections available at local and national archives and how it relates to the local and national story of industry, transport, and housing.

Through community and partnership collaboration we aim to celebrate and share our history and culture in new and exciting ways. The heritage activities we have planned are incredibly valuable to our community and will help people have a greater sense of identity, place, and increased community spirit, pulling people together and encouraging learning.

A heritage engagement officer will be recruited whose role will be to coordinate and administrate the project whilst providing additional support to learner /volunteers’ personal development. A community engagement/volunteering mentoring programme will be established to recruit and build capacity through volunteers whose role will be to research, promote and share our heritage findings by increasing the use of digital technology, digital participation whilst creating an online digital heritage platform.

We want to see the benefits of our past heritage delivered to people to feel a greater connection with their heritage and that of others by :

Researching the archived Garngad/Royston collection held at the Mitchell Library including accessing the digitised Special Collection of photographs and research documents providing alternative means of access via our online digital platform. Participants and volunteers will have the opportunity to visit the Mitchell Library and browse the collection in person whilst receiving onsite training increasing volunteer's skills.
Our community reminiscence sessions guided by trained experts, will provide opportunities for gathering our rich heritage sources and allow people to recall their experiences of living, working, and socialising in the local area.
Providing public access by creating a local and national online digital presence. sharing and celebrating our local history/heritage resources making them more available to visitors and increasing access to virtual visitors via our online website.
Volunteers will become familiar with the range of skills needed for the meaningful documentation of our heritage and cultural assets, and the ability to present them effectively for the use by varied user groups and audiences engaged in areas such as cultural heritage tourism both locally and nationally
People have shared stories that they felt would be lost due to an ageing community if not captured now, stories regarding the regeneration and development of the area with regards to housing, industry, and social relationships.

Knowledge, skills, experience required for the role

Experience of working in a heritage setting or delivering a heritage related activity
Experience of supporting groups and individuals with Digital Technology and accessing online resources
Experience of engaging and developing relationships with volunteers and partner organisations
Good organisational skills with the ability to work with a proactive, flexible approach to meet project outcomes.
Good digital skills would be advantageous but not essential as training can be given.
Experience of monitoring on the finance and activity outcomes and reporting this information back to funders and Board of Trustees.
The ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

What we are looking for....

You will facilitate project delivery and support the development of Community Engagement using Heritage as an engagement tool to increase participation in our new, What was there before the tenements? project.

You will liaise with organisations, community groups and individuals to create volunteering opportunities.

The Heritage Engagement Officer will recruit, engage volunteers in training programme and provide guidance and support to volunteers.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers.

Application notes

If you are interested in applying for our Heritage Officer role, please submit your CV and a detailed covering letter or e-mail that clearly outlines why you are applying for the role and how your skills and experience match the person specification. *Please note that we will not review any applications that do not provide this detailed information.

If you would like an informal chat about the post, please ask for either Stephen or Kay.

Interview date: Thursday 13th June 2024