With over 50 staff working for the Vindolanda Trust, we are one of the larger employers in the Tyne Valley. We employ full and part time staff in many roles including customer service staff, Grounds team and caretakers at both Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum. The Leadership team are supported by Archaeologists, event co-ordinators, and our admin team.
Hundreds of volunteers assist the Trust to achieve our aims and objective annually, our volunteer guides, museum volunteers, activity volunteers and excavation volunteers are part of the Vindolanda Team and help us continue to help us tell the stories of Roman Britain on the Edge of the Empire.
Our Senior Management Team
CEO
Andrew is the third generation of Birley’s to work as the Director of excavations for the Vindolanda Trust after his father Dr Robin Birley and grandfather Professor Eric Birley. He is the nephew of Professor Anthony Birley.
Andrew started excavating at the site as a teenager and then got his undergraduate degree and PhD from the University of Leicester. He has worked at the site in a full-time capacity since 1996, becoming director of Excavations in 2005 and CEO in 2015, taking over from Patricia Birley in that role.
A former Chair of the Archaeology Committee for the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies he is widely published on Vindolanda and the Roman frontier in Britain.
Deputy CEO
Colin takes great pride in leading the customer service teams at both museums and working with the leadership team to provide the best possible experience for visitors to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum. He works closely with Andrew to continue evolving the Trust and managing the budget.
Colin joined the Trust in 2010, after fifteen years working in the airline industry, the opportunity to relocate to Northumberland allows him to combine his passions for Customer Service, Heritage and the outdoors.
When he’s not working, you can find him enjoying time with his family either on the golf course, at the side of football pitch or walking their dog in the Northumberland countryside.
Curator
The Roman objects from Vindolanda are Barbara’s main focus and she takes great pride in conserving, cataloguing, interpreting and displaying them for the general public who visit both Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum. She also oversees the Trust’s Museum Volunteers.
In 1999, Barbara moved to Northumberland from her native Colorado and officially joined the Trust’s team. Prior to that she had spent two seasons as a Vindolanda excavation volunteer.
Barbara also enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering for the Scouts, reading, visiting other sites and museums and enjoying the local countryside.
Head of Visitor Experience & Communications
Raised just yards from the ancient stones of Hadrian's Wall, Sonya’s connection to the North East runs deep. After spending 15 years north of the Wall in Aberdeenshire building a successful career in Town Planning, she returned home to Northumberland in 2010.
Today, as Communications Manager for the Trust and Head of the Visitor Experience Team, Sonya is one of the driving forces behind sharing the Trust’s story with the wider world. From managing media relations and arranging filming access to crafting press releases and overseeing social media, she helps bring the Trust’s work and heritage to life for audiences far and wide.
Deputy Director of Excavations
Marta joined the Trust in 2015 to assist in the supervision of the excavations as well as the delivery of the rich research program that the Trust pursues. Her day to day tasks range from teaching field excavation, recording and surveying techniques to volunteers to processing the data collected and working on publications.
Her specialist subjects are textile implements on the frontier and their relationship to female identity, as well as volunteer participation in archaeology on Hadrian’s Wall.
When she is not digging, studying or writing she can be found reading a fiction book or cooking a delicious Italian meal.
Visitor Experience Coordinator
Penny first came to Vindolanda as an excavation volunteer while completing her archaeology degrees, developing a strong connection with the site, before joining the staff team in 2017. Now, as Visitor Experience Coordinator, she leads on the development and delivery of engaging visitor experiences across Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum.