Job Description

Project Development Manager

'Capeli Cymru: Preserving the Nonconformist Heritage of Wales'

15 month Fixed term contract

Exciting new fixed term posts within the Survey and Investigation Department

The Royal Commission was established in 1908 and is sponsored by the Welsh Government. As the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales, it has a lead role in ensuring that Wales's archaeological, built, and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally. The Commission holds the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW) which is the national information resource on the archaeology, architecture, and industrial and maritime history of Wales.

The project

'Capeli Cymru: Preserving the Nonconformist Heritage of Wales' is a project to quantify, understand, and address the loss of heritage associated with Welsh nonconformity. Funding has been obtained from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a Development Phase of 15 months to carry out data gathering and stakeholder engagement work to inform an application for a subsequent Delivery Phase project of three years. This project is designed to run alongside the in-house Royal Commission Chapels Recording and Research Project.

The Development Phase project will carry out a census of nonconformist chapels across Wales to gain an accurate and detailed statistical understanding of the state of the building stock. Stakeholder engagement across nonconformist denominations, the heritage sector, the built environment sector, funding bodies, and community organisations, will provide detailed information around the issues, requirements, and opportunities for each sector in dealing with the tangible and intangible heritage assets of Nonconformity in Wales.

The outcome of this work will be used to inform the Delivery Phase application, during which work will focus on the creation and promotion of robust national strategies and guidance for support of those chapels in use for religious worship, procedures for the preservation of heritage during chapel closures, and for best practice reuse and conversion of chapel buildings. In addition to strategies, toolkits and guidance, outputs will include a project website, newsletters and blogs, talks, and an exhibition.

Project Development Manager

The Project Development Manager, in conjunction with Royal Commission staff, will play a key role in defining the Delivery Phase application in addition to delivering the outputs of the Development Phase project including the administrative, governance, reporting and evaluation tasks required. It will involve working with stakeholders from varying sectors and backgrounds, as well as with Royal Commission staff working on the existing in-house Chapels Project. The Project Development Manager will be assisted by, and responsible for, the Project Development Officer. The Project Development Manager will report regularly to the Head of Public Services who will review progress.

Salary

: 35,787 to 43,758 (plus benefits)

Hours:

37 hours per week (2 days minimum in officer, flexible working arrangements will be considered)

For an informal discussion about this post please contact:

Susan Fielding susan.fielding@rcahmw.gov.uk or 01970 621219 or 07849 908806

Further details and application forms can be found on our current vacancies page:

https://rcahmw.gov.uk/about-us/working-for-the-commission/current-vacancies

The closing date for applications is 17:00 on 21 September 2025

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 15 months

Pay: 35,787.00-43,758.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Flexitime Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Aberystwyth, SY23 3BU