Brand Historian

WHO IS HERITAGE WERKS?

Heritage Werks is the heritage agency for sports, brands and entertainment. We specialize in establishing and maintaining state-of-the-art archival programs and curating compelling content and narratives to fuel interactive experiences, new stadiums, corporate anniversaries, social/mobile content, exhibits, museums, storytelling campaigns and much more.

The Heritage Werks team combines the expertise of highly trained archivists with brand strategists and communicators who are experienced in working with the world's most respected organizations. We fuel the way organizations connect with customers and communities and how employees connect with each other.

Some of the things you can expect working at Heritage Werks...

• Contributing to a fun, energetic and entrepreneurial team within a growing company
• Training and development opportunities to support professional development and career growth
• High level of autonomy with exposure to a variety of areas and industries
• A history of proven success that drives the team forward
  
  
  

Position Summary

A Brand Historian is the go-to expert in the histories of their assigned clients, responsible for advising clients on heritage storytelling in alignment with current needs and communications strategies, conducting and supervising research, authoring content for major initiatives and reports, and serving as the face of the client's history in videos and live/virtual appearances.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate expertise in historical research and in adapting history topics for a variety of audiences including teaching, writing and museum education or curatorial experience. Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead heritage storyteller for assigned clients, working closely with archival, creative and client services colleagues to bring client history to life for clients' internal and external stakeholders
• Conduct archival and historical research (at Heritage Werks and in external resources) and oversee research conducted by others to document and understand client's histories
• Work closely with clients and the client services team to identify and create opportunities to pitch new work, including working with leadership to ideate new offerings and to communicate project progress and needs with clients
• Appear in videos and lead both live and virtual history talks including "master classes," new employee heritage onboarding, Q&A sessions, etc
• Collaborate with creative and archival clients to curate artifacts, images and content for creative projects including museums, exhibits, videos, websites, etc
• Advise clients and Heritage Werks teams on gaps in clients' archival collections that might be filled through archival collecting, oral histories or other methods, including conducting oral history interviews or working with interviewers to set interview agenda according to client needs
• Support the Managing Director of Content and the Associate Directors of Content and Research in setting up and managing execution standards, SOPs, templates, etc
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of clients to ensure subject matter, deliverables and proposals are relevant to audiences
• Manage and contribute to multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring successful execution of projects and delivering work on time and on budget
  
  
  

Requirements

• Trained historian with archival research experience and deep understanding of American and global history (MA or PhD preferred but advanced undergraduate work combined with relevant work experience may be considered)
• Minimum four (4) years' experience interpreting history topics for non-academic audiences — experience in brand or sports museum preferred, but history museum education or exhibit experience also desirable, as is business experience (particularly PR, communications or consulting) or undergraduate teaching experience
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines simultaneously, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget
• Ability to speak and write knowledgeably about business history, popular culture and/or sports history
• Entrepreneurial spirit and intellectually curious, with inclination for creative problem solving
• Strong collaborator comfortable working in a hybrid (remote/in-person), structured, matrixed environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills with superb written and verbal communication skills
• Advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office products is critical, along with working knowledge of project management principles and software
  
  
  

Benefits

This role offers a competitive compensation package and is eligible for participation in Heritage Werks' comprehensive benefits programs, including:

• Heath, dental, vision and life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability
• 401k plan with company contribution
• Paid time off (PTO) and paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities
• Employee recognition and awards programs