Principal Inspector; Government Historic Estates Unit - GHEU

Employment Type

Full time Permanent

Location Hybrid
· London, UK Inclusive with hybrid working where you are based between the office and home

Team Regions - London and South East

Seniority Mid-level

• Closing:11:59pm, 18th Oct 2026 BST

Work from home option

Wellness programs

Employee Assistance Programme

Additional parental leave

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Paid emergency leave

Sabbatical Opportunities

Mentoring/coaching

Payroll giving

Salary sacrifice

Team social events

Team lunches

Extracurricular clubs

Cycle to work scheme

8.01 (12212)

Summary

Historic England is the public organisation that brings new life to heritage to build a better future for every place and everyone.

Historic England has a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as our Principal Inspector (Government Historic Estates Unit - GHEU).

This is a full time, permanent position.

The location of this role is London, inclusive with hybrid working.

We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive defined benefit pension scheme to which we make 28.97% employer contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.

What you will be doing

The Development Advice teams (including GHEU) support Regions Group’s unique and respected national role, to identify, explain, protect and care for the historic environment, by offering expert advice across the country.

We do this by ensuring our advice is influential, consistent nationally and informed by the best evidence.

We help shape historic places for the public good, so that the historic environment plays its role in making vital places for people now and in the future.

As Principal Inspector (GHEU) you will be a lead specialist, with your main responsibilities within GHEU, but with reference also to the central Development Advice team.

You will have equal specialist expertise in the sustainable management of change to historic buildings and areas and in stakeholder engagement at a senior level.

Your highly developed expertise will be applied impartially in a variety of situations across the government’s historic estate and the occupied royal palaces.

As a key member of the GHEU team, you will contribute your expertise and judgement to the full range of the team’s work, ensuring that casework is escalated to the Executive Team whenever it raises issues that are novel, high-profile or sensitive.

You will lead on some of the most sensitive and complex cases, working to influence and support Government, Parliament and the Royal Household in the sustainable management of the historic sites in their care. You will have a leading role in relation to the Biennial Report on the Care of the Government Historic Estate.

For the central Development Advice team, you will support the Director of Development Advice on matters relating to the management of the government’s national estate, including leading on developing policy and strategies for government disposals, and advising on Urgent Crown Development . The role will encompass consideration of our approach to these areas of work or aspects of them, the review of processes and training.

In respect of both teams you will liaise with Ministries on behalf of Historic England, particularly those with large historic estates, building and maintaining relationships to achieve Historic England’s objectives.

You will work in a way that is integrated with teams at regional and national level, and may contribute, on occasion, to the work of other teams within and beyond Regions Group, supporting corporate activities where needed, to influence national advice and…