Community Heritage Officer

Job Title: Community Heritage Officer

Contractual status: Full time, Fixed term contract (12 months)

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week

Salary range: £26,088

Location: Sale Sharks Training Centre, Carrington. Regular travel across Greater Manchester & North West is required

Reporting to: Community Heritage Manager

Closing date: 10/08/2026

Interview date: TBC

About Sale Sharks Foundation Sale Sharks Foundation is the official charity of Sale Sharks Rugby Club. Our purpose is Level the Field for communities across the North West, using the power of rugby to boost health, fight inequality and foster a sense of belonging.

Established in 2010, we deliver high quality, community focused programmes across community inclusion, education and rugby development. Last year, we engaged with more than 21,000 people, supporting children, young people and adults of all ages and abilities, particularly those facing the greatest barriers to opportunity.

Our Levelling the Field Strategy focuses on tackling key challenges across the North West, including health inequalities, social isolation and access to education, employment and sport. We are especially committed to supporting women and girls, disabled people, and those living in poverty and young people at risk.

Our passionate and dedicated team delivers more than 30 programmes each year, working closely with schools, community organisations and local partners to create positive, lasting change.

By joining our team, you'll play a direct role in delivering this impact on the ground - helping to create inclusive opportunities and experiences that make a real difference in people's lives.

Job Summary Sale Sharks Foundation is recruiting a Community Heritage Officer to support the delivery of the Northern Force Project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Working closely with the Community Heritage Manager, you will help deliver a programme of heritage based activities celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sale Sharks' historic European and domestic successes. This will include oral history projects, exhibitions, community events and creative workshops, with a particular focus on delivering sessions in schools and care homes across Trafford, Salford and Stockport.

Key responsibilities include activity delivery, volunteer coordination, event planning, stakeholder engagement and project administration, helping local communities connect with Sale Sharks' rich heritage and ensuring the project creates a lasting legacy and meaningful community impact.

Involving close collaboration with stakeholders across education, health and community development sectors, you will support the successful delivery of the programme against agreed project and programme KPI's.

Roles and Responsibilities Delivery

• Design and deliver high quality inclusive classroom based heritage sessions to primary school pupils.
• Develop, facilitate and lead reminiscence sessions with older people in care homes.
• Create and run family engagement activities.
• Support Foundation delivery to school groups, care homes and the recruitment and utilisation of volunteers.
• Work with the Community Heritage Manager to complete heritage archival tasks such as oral history interviews, summarising and transcribing, and ensuring all legal paperwork requirements are met.
• Ensure sessions are safe, engaging and adapted to meet participants' needs.

Partnerships & Engagement

• Build and maintain positive relationships with schools, care homes and volunteers to support programme delivery.
• Support the development of new partnerships by reaching out to schools and organisations to introduce and promote Foundation programmes.
• Act as a key day to day contact for partner schools and care homes, ensuring good communication and a high quality experience.
• Identify opportunities to engage new participants and expand programme reach.
• Represent the Foundation professionally in all community and partner settings.

Monitoring & Evaluating

• Maintain accurate registers and session data, ensuring timely input into our digital monitoring platform Upshot and internal systems.
• Support the collection of participant feedback, case studies and impact data, including working with the Marketing & Communications Manager to capture photos and video content that showcase programme delivery.
• Support the collection of survey data for MMU evaluation.
• Contribute to reporting requirements where required.
• Work towards agreed targets and programme outcomes.
• Contribute and implement ideas to improve and develop the Northern Force programme.
• Deliver awareness events and community engagement opportunities, including on match days.
• Lead the planning and organisation of key events and festivals for family and community engagement.
• Take a proactive approach to learning and development within the role.

General

• Ensure all non delivery tasks are completed thoroughly, accurately and within deadlines.
• Support the wider team as needed across Foundation programmes.
• Uphold safeguarding, health & safety and all Foundation policies at all times.

It is expected that the role will include working evenings and weekends, including match days. This will always be agreed in advance with time off in lieu offered.

This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of duties but is intended to reflect the range of duties the postholder will perform. The job description will be reviewed regularly and may be changed in light of experience and consultation with the postholder.

Key candidate attributes:

• Promote the Sale Sharks Foundation and Sale Sharks brand and values in a professional, strong and positive manner.
• Work flexible and unsociable hours where the role requires.
• Commit to applying and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion as a Sale Sharks Foundation and comply with all Charity policies and procedures.
• Act in line with the Foundations code of conduct, always showing professionalism in all environments we work across, acting as a role model for our community.
• Continuously evaluate the success and standards of your work and that of others, through rigorous self and departmental reflection and analysis. Create a CPD plan and work towards agreed PDR objectives.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Commitment to ongoing professional development and learning.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Essential

• Experience working with children and/or young people.
• Ability to deliver engaging sessions in school and care home settings.
• Confident and proactive communicator with experience engaging schools, participants or community groups.
• Experience or willingness to liaise directly with schools/care homes to organise and schedule delivery.
• Understanding of safeguarding and working safely with young people.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage time across multiple sessions and projects.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Basic IT skills (e.g. Microsoft 365) and ability to complete session registers and data requirements.

Desirable

• Experience delivering in a classroom or care home environment.
• Background in heritage work or other community outreach.
• Undergraduate degree in history or related subject.
• Track record of working with a range of stakeholders across school and community settings.
• Ability to support monitoring, evaluation or reporting processes.
• Experience working independently in community settings.

Personal Attributes

• Passion for sport, history and making a positive difference in the community.
• Friendly, approachable and positive "can do" attitude.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships quickly.
• Clear and confident communication style, with the ability to motivate and engage others.
• Reliable, well organised and able to take initiative in coordinating delivery and solving problems.
• Willingness to be flexible and work evenings/weekends where required.
• Commitment to the values and mission of Sale Sharks Foundation.
• Desire to learn, improve and reflect on own practice.

Additional Requirements

• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (strongly desirable for delivery requirements).
• Enhanced DBS check (required).

Due to insurance purposes candidates must be over 21 and hold a full clean driver's licence. Points on a licence will be considered. Key Information

• Locations: Trafford
• Role Type: Fixed term
• Working Hours: Full Time

To Apply for This Role To apply, upload your CV, covering letter and completed Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Form (available to download on the portal or our webpage) via our online recruitment portal.

If you experience any problems with applying online, or would like to speak to someone about the role, contact .

All applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Sale Sharks Foundation is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all sections of the community . click apply for full job details