Community Archaeologist (Trainee), Digital Dig Team

Job Type:  Full time

Salary: £17094 p.a., pro-rata for six months (with potential to extend)

Closing date for applications: 3:00pm, 5th May 2014

Interviews: 13th May in London

Does working with an innovative, community-focused social enterprise to deliver a ground-breaking HLF-funded project sound like fun?  If so, we’re looking for a trainee Community Archaeologist to be a part of our core team in areas including education, social media, archaeological excavation, community events and volunteer management.

This opportunity is suitable for someone looking to further their career in archaeology with a focus on new and exciting methods of public engagement.  The main focus of the traineeship will be our Digital Dig Team community excavation, which will be delivered on site at Leiston Abbey in Suffolk from 28 June – 26 July. This will be followed by post-excavation reporting and analysis, as well as exhibition planning and community events. You’ll be with us on site while we’re in action, and carry on your learning with the team through the all-important post-ex phase. You will be fully supported by a mentor across all areas of the training, and we will do our best to match your training goals to opportunities available within our project.

Our team is small but mighty, and has experienced great success to date based on our collective belief in the power and importance of communities for archaeology: digital, local and global. We’re looking for someone who shares our values and is excited about expanding their skill set, as well as working alongside our professionals and volunteers.

Please note, this role is based in our London office, with flexibility for remote working anywhere in the UK.

Job Requirements

• Archaeology or heritage degree, qualification or equivalent sector experience
• At least six – 12 months previous experience in a similar or related role
• Some knowledge of social media platforms and/or WordPress is desirable
• Good organisational, time and self-management skills; must be comfortable setting own schedule
• Knowledge of applications, including Windows, Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Ability to work as part of a team
• A driving license and own transportation is desirable
• Do you have other proficiencies that could be relevant to this post? Please include details.

**If you are selected for interview you will be asked to provide us with proof of your eligibility to work in the UK (e.g. passport or Home Office visa).

Interested?

Send a CV and a short covering letter (300 words max) detailing why you want to be our trainee Community Archaeologist, and any relevant experience, to info@digventures.com.

About Digital Dig Team: Leiston Abbey

The project focuses on using crowdsourcing technology to create greater public access to the rich archaeological heritage at Leiston Abbey, developing a community-based excavation project supported by a responsive web platform designed to encourage more people to get involved with archaeology.

The focus of the project will be the development of an enhanced digital project archive, co-created by members of the local community and ‘hard to reach’ groups taking part in the excavation. This will result in a tangible digital asset that can be used by schools, local groups and researchers over the long term, ensuring the sustainability of the Leiston Abbey archaeological archive as a useful and unified collection. The principal outcomes will specifically comprise:

• An open-source cloud-based recording system (Archaeological Recording Kit)

• A visually stunning and dedicated micro-site with embedded digital archives, instructional videos and explanatory background narratives detailing discoveries at Leiston Abbey.
• An educational and outreach initiative based around the 2014 field season, with a training programme to help local adults learn how to reason with primary archaeological archives.
• A ‘CyberDig’ educational programme based on a children’s version of the ‘Archaeological Recording Kit’ to target local primary schools and families.

About DigVentures

DigVentures is a social business at the forefront of culture, technology and entrepreneurship, committed to raising seed capital and increasing participation for sustainable archaeology and heritage projects throughout the UK and further afield.

Our innovative model works to connect heritage sector managers and archaeologists with a worldwide crowd of interested and actively engaged participants, creating a platform for the public to financially support interesting projects as well as to join in, learn new skills and contribute to internationally important research. As an Institute for Archaeologists Registered Organisation and the first-ever IfA Accredited Field School, our work and opportunities are quality-assured at the top of the industry standard.

Over the last two years we have raised over £65K in seed funding from a globally networked crowd of supporters – money that has gone on to leverage four times that amount for our project partners in match funding. Our motto – archaeology in your hands – is what joins the dots between our many different projects.