Conservation Officer

Conservation Officer

National Trust of Australia (NSW)

• Location Sydney, NSW
• Job Type Full-time
• Category Administration
• Sectors : Arts, Culture, Heritage
• Reports to: Advocacy Manager
• Salary Package: $70k inclusive of super and leave loading

Do you want to make a difference in the conservation of heritage in NSW?

A rare opportunity has opened up in our small and dynamic Conservation team to get an extensive range of experience in the heritage field, surrounded by a wide range of experts amongst our staff and volunteers. There are very few roles like this where you can learn from such a wide variety of people.

The Conservation Officer supports the National Trust as a highly respected and recognised advocacy, conservation and educational body by:

• Building and maintaining relationships across government and the corporate sector whilst remaining true to the independence of the Trust
• Keeping informed and up to date with the latest government policies on heritage and with advocacy campaigns state-wide
• Working with a diverse stakeholder group to deliver the Trust’s priorities
• Maintaining high levels of personal enthusiasm, commitment to and involvement in the work of the Trust. This may sometimes include engagement in weekend and evening activities.

About the Role

We are looking for a highly motivated self-starter with a passion for heritage, and the ability to help us grow our heritage services which support our members, the broader community, and the custodians of heritage places. This position would ideally suit an applicant who is a recent graduate in a related field.

The role will involve working with all members of the Conservation Department, but will primarily be responsible to the Advocacy Manager.  You will be researching and preparing listing nominations to the National Trust Register, and will assist with the preparation of advocacy submissions, conservation policies and position papers.  The role is also responsible for co-ordinating the administration of the Trust’s technical advisory committees and responding to public heritage enquiries, and is likely to gain exposure to our Trust properties and their conservation management.

About you

As a person known for your passion and commitment to heritage/conservation, you must be able to demonstrate:

• Formal qualifications in a relevant field, such as cultural heritage, archaeology, history, planning, or architecture.
• A minimum of 1 years’ experience (paid or volunteer), ideally within the heritage sector or in an office environment.
• Good administrative skills, with a proven ability to develop and implement new processes
• An ability to succeed under pressure and manage competing priorities while meeting challenging deadlines, as well as strong attention to detail
• Strong verbal communication skills, ideally some customer service experience and a friendly, positive, and professional manner
• Strong written communications skills and the ability to communicate to different audiences for a range of purposes (eg promotional text; technical reports, blogs etc)
• A high level of initiative and an ability to work successfully within a team, as well as independently
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office365 and an aptitude for learning new software programs.
• Familiarity with social media applications including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

It would also be highly desirable for you to have:

• Experience with photography, content creation or graphics and proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign.
• Experience with WordPress and database management
• A Class C driver’s license and a willingness to travel when required.

This role offers an ideal launch-pad to someone who is interested in a career in heritage – you will never know what is going to come through the door, and the ability to balance competing priorities is essential.  There is however a guarantee that the work will involve a wide variety of subject matter and the chance to learn from experts in many fields of heritage and conservation

This is a unique opportunity not to be missed if you are looking for a career in this field.