About the job

Job summary

The National Archives is looking for an experienced Head of Research Impact, Culture and Engagement, to lead the translation of our research to our public, academic, student and archive sector audiences.

The Research Impact, Culture and Engagement team (of four people) is responsible for our research:

1. Impact: capturing, understanding and communicating the contribution that our research makes to society.

2. Culture: our postgraduate students and academic training programmes; and our research practice and standards.

3. Engagement: our internal and external research communications and events, for our public, academic and archive sector audiences.

Leading this dedicated team and working with colleagues across the organisation, the postholder will play a critical role in delivering our new Research Vision, directing and expanding our research engagement programmes of events, communications, training and impact/evaluation.

We have made a substantial investment in our Research, Grants and Academic Engagement department, which is charged with conducting, enabling, resourcing and promoting world-class research. We lead and inspire pioneering research through fostering community, collaborative engagement and inclusive practice, often working in partnership with academic and heritage organisations.

As a senior leader within the department, you will lead the continued growth of our profile, as we widen our relationship with our research audiences to deliver our new Research Vision.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

About Us:

The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government and for England and Wales, making available to the public a vast collection of historical records dating back over 1,000 years. As an Independent Research Organisation (IRO), multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research into all aspects of our collections and activities is at the heart of what we do.

Within the beautiful surroundings of Kew, a 10-minute walk from the Underground and Overground stations, The National Archives boasts a collegial working environment and an excellent Civil Service benefits package. This includes flexible working, an on-site gym, and an opportunity to join the Civil Service Alpha Pension Scheme. Putting you at the forefront of our organisation, we are committed to supporting professional development and training for all of our colleagues.

This is a full-time, permanent post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job shares will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of The National Archives. A combination of onsite and home working is available; applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

How to apply:

If you are an internal applicant: please do not use the link on this page. Please apply via your employee Workday account.

If you are an external applicant: to submit your application please click the 'Apply at advertiser's site' button on this page.

You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.

Essential Criteria:

• Graduate-level education or equivalent experience.

• Significant experience in research impact, communications and/or engagement.

• Familiarity with academic training and/or experience of supporting students in higher education, at an undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral level.

• Excellent co-ordination, liaison and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective collaborative relationships, including at an executive level.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a high level of attention to detail.

• Ability to prioritise and work independently and without supervision, exercising judgment on when to consult colleagues and work well as part of an agile and busy team.

• Experience of team leadership and line management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,108, The National Archives contributes £12,989 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Reasonable adjustments:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.