Step

Placement | Full time | Swindon

If you are passionate about environmental work, sustainability or history we have an exciting new placement opportunity!
 
Historic England are the public body that looks after England's historic environment helping people understand, value and care for it. They currently have a fantastic opportunity to join through the Emerging Talent Trainee Placement as a Net Zero Project Support Assistant.
 
Purpose of the Placement 
The placement will be an opportunity to gain practical experience of implementing sustainable procurement practices within a corporate setting. The Carbon and Sustainability team is focused on supporting Historic England's journey to net zero and becoming more sustainable through reporting our emissions and advising on the actions we need to take. Our programme is set up around several workstreams focusing on travel, change management, waste, procurement and IMT work, with ongoing projects in all. While the team is based across England, you will work from The Engine House in Swindon. 
 
Currently a grade II heritage building which houses Historic England & English Heritage, The Engine House is also home to Historic England's Archive and has a Public Library and archive access.  
 
 
Behaviours we are looking for: 
Curiosity - You show an interest in new things and actively seek out new information
Connecting - You enjoy establishing relationships, seeking to support and help others
Improver - You love to look for ways that things can be improved
Persistence - You achieve success by keeping going, particularly when things are challenging
 
Emerging Talent Programme 
Historic England's Emerging Talent Programme provides paid opportunities to those underrepresented in the heritage sector
Our training placements are for young people with the following eligibility:

•  Aged 18 to 30 years old 
• Black, Asian, or ethnic minorities 
• Disabled people 
• People who are disadvantaged by their social and/or economic background or circumstances 

Please provide a cover letter stating your eligibility for the Emerging Talent Programme with your application.

The placement will also give the opportunity to explore the wider work of Historic England within the Southwest Region. 
 
What you will be doing 

• Working with live or recent examples of tenders to create case studies and demonstrations of how tenders can support our sustainability work 
• Carrying out (primarily) desk based research on sustainable supply chain policies and summarising findings for presentation 
• Supporting benchmarking exercises by comparing the organisation's Sustainable Supply Chain Charter with similar approaches used elsewhere 
• Assisting with data collection and analysis related to procurement spend, supplier sustainability information, or carbon impacts
• Attending team meetings and stakeholder discussions to gain insight into procurement operations and sustainability priorities 

 
This is a full-time 8 week paid Emerging Talent Programme placement. You will be paid a £484 per week bursary. The placement will be based in the Swindon office 5 days a week. There may be opportunity for hybrid working later on in the placement, but due to the nature of the placement it will initially be based in the Swindon office.

Events and meetings 
We will be hosting an in person Welcome Event for all successful placement applicants in July.
Weekly team meetings - Stakeholder meetings (i.e. FM, Procurement and IMT) - Team Meeting (in person, Requires travel) - Historic England to Net Zero Oversight Board meeting
 
Target Start Date: July 2026 
 
Why complete a placement with Historic England 
Our placements will enable you to gain valuable hands-on experience of working in the heritage sector, developing skills to enable you to take the next steps in your career. 
Once you have completed your Emerging Talent Placement you will be eligible to apply for a 6 month Step-Up placement. These are paid training roles, based within a team for six months full time (part time will be considered). They are specifically targeted for people who have undertaken one of our Emerging Talent Placements over the summer, either this year, or in a previous year. 
These placements are designed to give you that "step up" into a longer paid work in the heritage sector. 
They will also help you develop your essential skills, improving your employability.