Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer

As a historic buildings inspector or conservation officer, you'll help to preserve, repair and enhance historic places, from listed buildings and monuments to conservation areas. You'll give expert advice to owners, architects, developers and local authorities on how to look after heritage assets and will play an important part in balancing development needs with conservation priorities.

Your work often combines site inspections, planning advice, report writing and community engagement, and may also link to wider regeneration or sustainability projects that bring social, economic and environmental benefits.

Responsibilities

As a historic buildings inspector or conservation officer, you'll need to:

• inspect and assess historic buildings, areas and sites to understand their condition and significance
• advise on repair, restoration and adaptation projects, ensuring work is in keeping with a building's character
• recommend buildings or areas for listing or conservation status and prepare reports, appraisals and work schedules
• represent conservation issues to planning and development policymakers at local and national level
• assess planning and listed-building consent applications, advising on alterations and new developments
• collaborate with local councils, architects, surveyors and heritage organisations to develop conservation policies
• engage with communities and interest groups, responding to public enquiries and promoting heritage awareness
• estimate conservation costs and identify craftspeople and suppliers with the right traditional skills and materials
• apply for or advise on grant funding to support restoration projects
• make sure all work meets conservation principles, legal standards and health and safety regulations
• support enforcement action to protect at-risk buildings or heritage sites.

Salary

• Starting salaries for historic buildings inspectors usually range between £24,000 and £28,000.
• With experience and/or postgraduate qualifications you can earn £30,000 to £42,000.
• Senior or managerial roles, such as head of conservation pay in the region of £45,000 and £60,000.

Salaries vary according to location, with highest pay generally being in London and the South East. Many public sector employers offer pension schemes and flexible working.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Public sector roles are usually full time, around 35 to 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, though may occasionally require site visits and meetings outside these hours. Private-sector and consultancy work can involve longer or more irregular hours, especially when deadlines approach.

Flexible working, part-time posts and career breaks are possible in some organisations.

What to expect

• You'll divide your time between an office base and site visits, which may involve working outdoors in all weather conditions. Travel is common, and you may occasionally need to stay away from home overnight.
• Self-employment and consultancy work are becoming more common, particularly as some local authorities outsource conservation services.
• You'll need to wear protective clothing such as hard hats and safety boots when inspecting buildings or construction sites.

Qualifications

Although graduates enter this career from a range of disciplines, a degree or HND in one of the following subjects will be most relevant:

• architecture or architectural history
• building conservation or building surveying
• civil or structural engineering
• heritage management or archaeology
• history
• planning, urban design or landscape architecture.

Entry without a degree or HND is possible, starting in a planning technician or heritage assistant role. Taking this route, you would gain practical experience before moving into an inspector or officer position.

Although not essential, a postgraduate qualification can be highly advantageous in what is a quite specialist and competitive field. The IHBC recommends choosing an accredited postgraduate course in conservation - see the IHBC list of Recognised Courses.

The large number of volunteers in this sector means that the search for a paid position is even more intense. Completing further study will not guarantee a job but it will improve your chances.

A heritage apprenticeship is another route into this career, such as those promoted by Historic England.

Membership of the IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation) is usually expected by employers. You can also attend training events run by specialist bodies such as the IHBC, and SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings)- which offers annual scholarships for early-career building professionals.

Skills

You'll need to show evidence of the following:

• a strong interest in historic buildings and traditional construction techniques
• knowledge of heritage legislation, planning policy and building regulations
• confidence with budgets, measurements and project documentation
• clear written and verbal communication skills
• the ability to analyse detailed plans and technical drawings
• good organisation and attention to detail
• teamworking, negotiation and project-management skills
• creativity and design awareness
• good IT skills
• a full driving licence, as many sites are in rural or hard-to-reach areas.

Work experience

Relevant experience is highly valued, especially if your degree isn't heritage-related. You can build experience through:

• volunteering with heritage organisations or local conservation projects
• internships or summer placements with local councils or building-conservation teams
• student membership of IHBC or SPAB to access events and networking opportunities.

Volunteers are welcomed by organisations and national amenity societies such as the:

• Historic Buildings & Places
• National Trust
• National Trust for Scotland
• SAVE Britain's Heritage
• SPAB
• The Twentieth Century Society
• The Victorian Society

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Building conservation is a relatively small and competitive field, but there are job opportunities in the public and private sectors, throughout the UK, with charities and heritage organisations such as:

• Cadw - the Welsh government's historic environment service
• Department for Communities - Historic Environment, in Northern Ireland
• English Heritage - the government's statutory advisor on the historic environment
• Historic Environment Scotland
• National Trust - also runs graduate training schemes
• National Trust for Scotland
• The Victorian Society and other amenity societies may offer volunteering positions.

You can also find opportunities with:

• education institutions
• local authorities - most employ at least one historic buildings inspector or conservation officer
• private consultancies
• private sector employers - for a list see the Historic Environment Service Provider Recognition (HESPR)
• specialist historic building contractors in the construction industry.

Jobs may be advertised with the title of conservator, or historic environment or building conservation professional/specialist.

Look for job vacancies at:

• English Heritage Jobs
• Environment Jobs
• IHBC
• Local Government Jobs
• Planning Resource Jobs

Professional development

Most training is given on the job, supported by continuous professional development (CPD) through IHBC. This includes completing a minimum of 50 hours' professional development over a rolling two-year period.

There are specialised courses and further qualifications you can take if you want to further develop your knowledge. See Historic England - Training Courses for a range of relevant training options.

Professional bodies with built environment interests, such as the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), have dedicated groups or pathways for conservation specialists. Membership of these gives you professional recognition and credibility, access to knowledge and guidance, networking opportunities and development through training and mentoring.

For information on gaining accreditation with relevant bodies see Understanding Conservation. IHBC is also closely involved in developing National Occupational Standards for conservation professionals with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Career prospects

You’ll usually start as a trainee or assistant conservation officer, progressing to more senior roles such as senior inspector, team leader or conservation manager with experience.

It's common to move between the public, private and voluntary sectors to broaden your experience and progress. Senior professionals often manage cross-disciplinary teams or specialise in particular building types or policy areas.

Career progression may require relocation due to the specialist nature of the field. Becoming a full IHBC member or gaining additional conservation qualifications can support advancement into senior or consultancy positions.