Blacksmith

Historic Environment Scotland; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

An organization dedicated to preserving historical sites is seeking a skilled Blacksmith in Edinburgh to lead repair projects and manage a team. The role involves a wide range of responsibilities, including supervising craftspeople, overseeing health and safety compliance, and ensuring quality control. Applicants must have significant experience in traditional building crafts and relevant qualifications. This full-time position offers a starting salary of £32,255 and various employee benefits. Join us in preserving Scotland's heritage.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Reimbursement for professional subscriptions

Support for further education

Flexible working hours

Free entry to properties

Qualifications

• You must be a time served Blacksmith with relevant building trade qualification.
• Experience of leading site-based craftspeople.
• Knowledge of current building conservation practices and techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise craftspeople in delivering repair works.
• Manage materials, budgets, and staff resources.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety policies.

Skills

Blacksmithing experience

Knowledge of traditional building crafts

Health & safety practices

IT skills (MS Office)

Budget awareness

Education

Advanced Craft Level SVQ level 4 or SCQF level 6

Job description

Starting salary: £32,255
Contract type: Permanent
Grade: 3
Location: St Ann’s Maltings Depot, Edinburgh
Working Hours: Monday - Friday, annualised hours
Interviews: To be held in person at St Ann’s Maltings Depot, Edinburgh on Week Commencing 12 January 2026

Your role involves planning, organising, and delivering ironwork repairs at Holyrood Palace and other HES sites in the Edinburgh region. From repairing barriers and fencing to working on conservation projects to restore decorative gates, there's a wide range of tasks that you’ll be doing. Join us and be a part of preserving these historic sites.

For more information about the post and information about the team, please access the full job description for this post. Please note that if you don’t have Office 365 installed on your device, this can be opened using your browser.

Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland

• Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution
• 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays
• Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
• Support for further education and personal development
• Study leave for work related courses
• Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
• Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
• Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties

Key responsibilities of this role

• Lead and supervise MCU craftspeople and trade staff while role‑modeling a proactive, collaborative, and supportive approach to deliver the programme of works.
• The lead craftspeople are expected to work alongside their teams outdoors in variable weather conditions and must be comfortable working at height, including from scaffolding or Mobile Elevated Work Platforms.
• Partner with other Managers to ensure effective cover in the event of absence ensuring business continuity.
• The role holder will be required to plan and manage demands on their own time and resources as well as those of their direct reports.
• Carry out quality control checks on work output, recruitment, coordination of training requirements, staff development, attendance management, disciplinary procedures, and other staff‑related HR issues.
• Purchase materials and supplies for work activities, ensuring value for money by checking budget availability, obtaining competitive quotations, placing orders through the Fusion system, and arranging delivery or collection.
• Collation and reporting of information related to your area of responsibility in the form of progress reports, programme updates, delays and blockers.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety policies and procedures, including producing job folders, delivering toolbox talks, compiling risk assessments and method statements, and reviewing contractors’ risk assessments and method statements.
• Work in tandem with the site Property Maintenance & Compliance Manager to ensure all activity is carried out in a safe and coordinated manner and that health and safety presence is maintained on site so far as reasonably practicable.
• Support the wider team in fulfilling conservation and site‑based activities for assigned projects, ensuring consistent national technical standards are applied.
• Support colleagues across HES, and external stakeholders when required, with specialist advice and insight relating to the role, including to support the development of visitor and community engagement activity relating to conservation and work.
• Ensure project and monument activities are aligned with district, regional and directorate goals retaining line of sight from team to organisational goals.
• Compile necessary weekly and monthly paperwork and work alongside the PM&CM to submit progress reports to Regional Office.
• Under CDM Regulations liaise and monitor project‑based contractors in terms of safe system of work procedures.
• Conserving and repairing traditional ironwork and metal items from around our sites.
• Producing ironwork condition reports with historical context and carrying out pewter casting.
• Promote traditional methods of conservation techniques to carry out challenging and diverse conservation projects / works.
• Provide training and mentoring for apprentices in traditional conservation skills, which you are trained in.
• Maintain required skills and qualifications, including health and safety and craft skills, and attend training courses as needed to support work or comply with legislation (e.g., First Aid), which may involve overnight stays.

Key requirements of the role

In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1,200 words), using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met these criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. Read our CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing, as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.

Essential

• You must be a time served Blacksmith with relevant building trade qualification to Advanced Craft Level SVQ level 4 or SCQF level 6.
• Experience of leading and managing site-based craftspeople in a construction site environment.
• Proven knowledge of traditional building crafts and an understanding and knowledge of current building conservation practises and techniques.
• Experience and knowledge of health & safety practices including CDM Regulations, Production of Risk Assessment and Method Statements.
• Awareness of financial planning and budgeting.
• Ability to support the organisation of multiple project programmes, including staff resources, budget, contractors and materials.
• Ability to use IT equipment and standard MS office suite programmes, Word, Excel, MS Forms to a reasonable standard.
• Willingness to work out with normal working hours on occasion.
• Full current Driving Licence.

Find out more about desirable skills and experience in our full job description.

We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.

We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at [e-mail] or call our Head Office at 0131 668 8600 and speak to a member of our People Team.

Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.

To submit your application online, please read our ‘How to Apply’ followed by ‘Apply Now’ button to begin your application.