Job Description

Project Development Officer

'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 Officer

The Project Development Officer will play a key role in delivering the Development Phase requirement for a national census of nonconformist chapels in Wales. This will include the collection, collation, and analysis of data on the number of chapels open for religious worship and their current levels of sustainability, as well as the number of chapels which have closed and their current status. The Project Development Officer will also work alongside the Project Development Manager on the engagement of external stakeholders and the public, including promotional and social media activities.

The role 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. It will support the Project Development Manager in undertaking administrative, reporting, and monitoring tasks of the project.

Salary

: 29,657 to 33,748 per annum (plus benefits)

Hours:

37 hours per week (2 days minimum in office, 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: 29,657.00-33,748.00 per year

Benefits:

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