Events and Academic Engagement Officer (Part-time)

Royal Historical Society

Length of contract
12 month

Salary
£21,860 - £36,433 per year

About the Organisation

Society is the UK’s foremost learned society and membership organisation for the support and promotion of historians and historical research and teaching in higher education and related sectors. As a registered charity, founded in 1868 and now with more than 6,500 Fellows and Members, the Society champions the discipline of history within higher education and well beyond. Our remit is to support historians of all kinds to undertake and encourage historical research and understanding; to advocate for history and its practitioners; to represent history as a discipline and historians as a group; and to promote greater equality and representation within historical practice.

The Society is governed by its Council, led by the RHS President, with day-to-day operations undertaken by a small professional Office staff, based at University College London. Other members of the RHS Office staff include: the Director; Membership and Programmes Manager (line manager for this role); Governance and Finance Officer; and an Events and Academic Engagement Officer.

About the role

The Events and Academic Engagement Officer will lead the RHS Office on the planning, organisation, and successful running of all events (lectures, workshops, training, departmental visits, and other formats) run by the Society, both in-person and online, working with other members of the Office and the Society’s governing Council.

The postholder will be the principal contact with partner organisations (including the German Historical Institute, London, and Gresham College) with which the Society co-organises annual events. Partnership work includes lead responsibility for the Society for planning, managing, and running the annual day conference, ‘History and Archives in Practice’, held in association with The National Archives and Institute of Historical Research.

The role will also lead the development and management of new events and event formats to emerge from the Society’s current strategy review, to take effect from 2026. The postholder is also expected to play a prominent part in enhancing networking opportunities for the Society’s membership, as confirmed by the current strategic review.

As Academic Engagement Officer, the postholder will be the first point of contact for selected holders of RHS research funding: overseeing and developing communication of project work for the benefit of the wider historical community. Academic engagement also involves a principal role in the communication and promotion of the Society’s work, and that of the wider historical profession, via the RHS blog and social media channels as well as the development of new forms of scholarly networking and communications in line with the Society’s strategic priorities.

Responsibilities

Event Planning and Partnerships:

• Lead responsibility for preparing and running in full the operational aspects of all RHS events, including lectures, panels, and workshops, both in person, online, and hybrid.
• Working with the President and Director, to lead on the Society’s annual ‘History and
• Archives in Practice day conference, organised in partnership with The National Archives. (TNA) and the Institute of Historical Research (IHR).
• Working with the President and Director, to be the principal contact with partner organisations with whom annual events are held: in addition to TNA and IHR, these currently include Gresham College (public history lecture) and the German Historical Institute, London (global history lecture).
• Lead responsibility (including budgeting and financial management) for planning annual RHS Visits by Council members to universities in the UK.
• Creation, monitoring, and reporting of event-specific budgets, in liaison with the Director.

Event Management and Promotion:

• Principal contact for the RHS Office with all event speakers, participants, partners, and venue hosts.
• Audience management and point of contact for all attending an event.
• Creation and monitoring of event booking sites, including initial responses to all incoming queries related to RHS events.
• Management of event recordings and post-event distribution of recorded content, as required.
• Principal contact for external videographers, technicians, and other contractors commissioned by the Society for its events.
• Responsibility for hospitality for speaker(s) before and after events, including travel and accommodation.
• To manage Zoom (or similar system) facilities for online and hybrid event broadcasts.
• To manage all venue-related considerations, including technicians, venue management, and external contractors commissioned by the Society.

Academic Engagement:

• To contribute to the development of ideas and proposals for future RHS academic-related events.
• Working with Councillors, to be the principal Office contact for recipients of RHS grant funding and fellowships:
  • To support and promote events and activities arising from these during the term of the award,
  • To ensure the Society maximizes the return to the historical community following these grant awards. to support a programme of publicity and publications (blog posts for Historical Transactions) arising from grant awards for the benefit of the historian community
  • To create and maintain an ‘alumni’ database of current and former recipients of RHS funding.
• With the Council and Office, to develop and implement the Society’s forthcoming strategy (2026-28) for membership activities and academic networking, and the Society’s standing as a UK-wide organization.
• With the Council and Office, to develop and implement events and activities for international members of the Society.
• With the Council and Office, to build partnerships with external groups of importance to the Society’s wider programme of advocacy for the profession and discipline.

Scholarly Communications:

• With the Director, and as instructed by Council, to develop and maintain a scholarly communications strategy to promote the work of the Society, its membership, and the wider historian community.
• To take a role in content generation and create for the Society’s existing channels (the blog, Historical Transactions, and social media), and to consider development of new channels and formats in line with the Society’s aims and priorities.
• With the Secretary for Education, to lead on new commissioning for the Society’s Teaching
• Portal resource in fulfilment of the Society’s responsibility for history education in universities.

Other Duties:

• To support the Director, as required, in the development of Society-related policy work and research on the historical profession and discipline.
• To support the creation and review of data relating to advocacy and campaigning.
• To attend the Society’s General Purposes Committee, which is responsible for lectures and event planning.
• To help prepare for and attend meetings of the Society’s full Council
• Any other reasonable duties as requested by line management.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Experience:

• At least one year of experience in events planning and management, preferably in the context of a learned society, equivalent organisation or format, or within higher education.
• Demonstrable experience of working successfully in a public-facing role, combining expert speakers and a range of audiences.
• Experience in successful event management and hosting with in-person, online, and hybrid formats, and an understanding of technologies and equipment required for these formats.
• Experience of successful development and use of scholarly communications (social media, blogs, podcasts, etc.) to further the ends of a project or organisation.
• Experience of working with academics, preferably in History and the humanities, and an understanding of the value of historical research and practice.
• Experience and understanding of the structure and purpose of academic institutions (universities and other academic organisations).
• Experience of partnership working, involving small groups and affiliated organisations, such as for the co-hosting of events.
• Interest in and enthusiasm for working for a membership organisation and its different communities.
• Demonstrable understanding and experience of finance-related operations required for successful events management.
• Demonstrable understanding of, and interest in, the current environment in which academic history and the humanities occur, and the advocacy role of organisations like the Society.
• Experience and understanding of the structure and purpose of academic institutions (Universities, Higher Education Institutions, and other academic organisations)

Skills and Qualifications:

• Excellent written and oral communication in English, suitable for the management of communications with members and prospective members of many backgrounds.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge and use of major event management software (including Eventbrite, YouTube) and of social media and communication channels and options.
• High standards of written communication for record keeping and the commissioning and preparation of published texts (blogs)
• Ability to manage a varied workload, working on multiple tasks and projects at the same time, to meet required timescales, budgets, and deliverables.
• A high level of care, attention, and understanding when communicating on behalf of the Society with members, prospective members, and partner organisations. 

Capabilities and Aptitude:

• Calm in the face of pressure, and adaptable to ‘on the day’ challenges;
• Confidence and ability to work to achieve stated aims while working with a wide range of event participants and audience members
• A team player who is able to work well with all within the RHS
• Office team (both in person and remotely), the Society’s
• Fellows and Members, and secure cooperation from contacts both within and external to the Society;
• Readiness to engage with a broad variety of tasks, using your own initiative
• Readiness to engage with a broad variety of tasks, using your own initiative
• An interest in History and the greater humanities, and their academic and public benefit

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Compensation & Benefits

• Employer contribution pension of 12%
• Friendly, supportive, and highly professional working environment.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Please submit your application via the RHS Jobs Portal by 23:59 GMT on Sunday, 5th October 2025
• Any queries concerning the online submission process should be directed to [email protected] and marked "Current Vacancy."

Interviews

• Interviews are expected to take place in the week commencing Monday, 27th October 2025

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