Senior Conservation Officer

Senior Conservation Officer – Historic Environment Specialist

About the Role

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Conservation Officer to take a leading role in managing a wide-ranging heritage caseload across an area known for its exceptional historic market towns, traditional rural settlements, and distinctive architectural character.

The district’s heritage environment includes extensive conservation areas, a significant number of listed buildings, timber‑framed structures, historic farmsteads, waterways, and landscapes shaped by centuries of market gardening. You will help drive high-quality outcomes across both urban and rural contexts while tackling a varied and active programme of heritage-related casework.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a substantial portfolio of conservation casework, including listed building consent applications, heritage‑impacting planning proposals, rural building conversions, and development within conservation areas.
• Provide expert, pragmatic advice on proposals affecting historic market towns, traditional village centres, riverside settings, and agricultural or vernacular buildings.
• Undertake site visits and prepare detailed assessments, ensuring that recommendations balance heritage significance with the area’s evolving community and economic needs.
• Contribute to heritage strategy work such as conservation area appraisal updates, town-centre regeneration initiatives, public realm improvements, and design guidance.
• Support development proposals along key corridors, including market towns and river valleys, ensuring local distinctiveness and character are preserved and enhanced.
• Collaborate closely with planning officers, applicants, agents, parish councils, heritage groups, and statutory consultees.
• Advocate for high standards of design and conservation across a district facing growth pressures in both rural and urban contexts.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Significant experience handling a varied heritage caseload, ideally within an authority featuring a mixture of historic town centres, rural villages, and landscape‑rich environments.
• Strong knowledge of UK heritage and planning legislation and its application to listed buildings, conservation areas, and non‑designated heritage assets.
• Demonstrable expertise in assessing changes to timber‑framed buildings, Georgian and Victorian townscapes, farmstead conversions, and development within historic settlement patterns.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain conservation principles to applicants, agents, elected members, and community stakeholders.
• Relevant qualification in conservation, architecture, planning, heritage management, or a related discipline.
• Experience giving expert evidence at Planning Inquiries or Hearings is highly advantageous.

Desirable Attributes

• Familiarity with heritage databases, GIS mapping, and digital case management systems.
• Experience with enforcement-related heritage work, appeals, or complex negotiations involving sensitive historic sites.

Why Join?

You will be working in an area with a particularly rich and diverse historic environment—ranging from vibrant market towns to traditional Worcestershire villages and rural landscapes with deep cultural roots. This is a fantastic opportunity to influence high-profile and meaningful heritage outcomes, contributing to the long-term protection, resilience, and enhancement of the local historic character. You’ll be supported by a collaborative team and exposed to a wide spectrum of rewarding and often technically stimulating projects.

If you’d like to be considered for current or upcoming roles, please send us your CV. Prefer an informal chat first? Feel free to email George.lake@oysterpartnership.com or call 07441 472416

My LinkedIn can also be reached here: George Lake | LinkedIn