Why join us?
Bringing together leading minds and practitioners in the sector, Wessex Archaeology is a trusted archaeology and heritage service provider and educational charity. From our network of international offices, we work in partnership with our clients to deliver sustainable solutions to manage the historic environment - above ground, below ground and underwater. We are committed to our social impact. This means using the knowledge and connections we make through our commercial activities as a catalyst to engage the communities in which we work.
Join us and you’ll be part of a collaborative team committed to shaping a better future for our staff, the sector, and the world. As well as having knowledgeable and dedicated colleagues, you’ll have an opportunity to access a variety of fascinating and high-profile projects and develop your skills and knowledge along the way.
You will be joining our Finds Team to process finds from a wide variety of projects and chronological periods. You will be predominantly office-based, though there may be some travel and transportation of finds and archives between our sites and offices and to external specialists, museums, laboratories across the UK so you will have to be flexible enough to accommodate this.
You will have an interest in archaeological finds and ideally some experience of finds processing and basic identification, although training and development in this is part of the job. You will need to be organised and methodical, with excellent attention to detail and communication skills, often collaborating with multiple departments. You should be happy working both within a team and on your own initiative.
It's anticipated that during quiet times you’ll be on hand to assist other departments as needed, for example the archives team. Training will be provided, and you will be supported when undertaking new and unfamiliar tasks.
We would be particularly interested to hear from people that might have the flexibility to cover additional hours when the workload requires it, although this is not essential.
Main responsibilities will include:
- Carrying out finds processing duties (washing by hand, in water), marking (by hand), basic identification (of material and artefact type), quantification (by count and weight) and cataloguing on databases, bagging and boxing, including the preparation of box indices.
- Moving finds boxes around the processing facility, and to/from other storage locations, museums, external specialists etc. Some manual handling will be required.
- Helping stock take finds processing and packaging equipment (e.g. bags, boxes, etc)
- Assisting with preparing archives for deposition.
- Ensuring that all finds processing follows Wessex Archaeology guidelines and those of the recipient museum as appropriate.
- Maintaining awareness of individual museum requirements for finds recording and packaging.
- Working collaboratively with other departments and offices.
- Assist in providing and keeping track of finds boxes for the site teams.
Essential skills, knowledge and behaviours:
- Working knowledge of basic finds skills (processing, recording and recognition)
- Confidence in using Microsoft packages
- Able to work independently and as part of a team
- Professional approach to work, colleagues, other professionals, clients and the public
- Good communication skills
- Understanding and knowledge of safe working practices, legislation, regulations and their practical implementation
- Full clean driving licence and willingness to drive company vehicles
Desirable skills
- Knowledge of archaeological periods across the UK
- Knowledge of archaeological investigations (fieldwork), recording systems and research
- Qualification in Archaeology or related discipline
Membership of professional body e.g. CIfA
What can you look forward to?
Our focus is on creating a collaborative culture where people can thrive, develop and where safety and wellbeing come first. From anonymising candidate data in our recruitment process to continuous improvements in our benefits, we’re committed to creating a safe, fair, and inclusive working environment.
We offer:
Full details of our benefits package are available on our website.
How to apply
Interested in working with us? For all the details about how to apply visit Vacancies | Wessex Archaeology
Email your completed application form and equal opportunities monitoring form by 31 May 2025 wa.applications@wessexarch.co.uk All applications will be acknowledged within 2 weeks of the closing date. Interviews will be held in June. If you have questions about the role, then please contact Erica Macey Bracken (Finds Officer) at e.macey-bracken@wessexarch.co.uk or Jasmine Porter (Sheffield Finds Supervisor) at jasmine.porter@wessexarch.co.uk
We welcome applications from people with disabilities and aim to be supportive in our recruitment and employment practices. Please let us know if you need any special arrangements or adjustments in the application or interview process.
Successful candidates must have proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK by the start of their employment.