About the job

Job summary

About us

The Collections Expertise and Engagement (CEE) department of The National Archives provides both expert knowledge of the records of The National Archives and advice on how to access and interpret them to a diverse audience of the public, academia and wider government.

The department provides much free advice to these audiences, largely through our public enquiries service. There are limits on how much we can do for anyone when helping them access the records and we do not search within the records themselves for free. The Paid Search Team, which is a part of CEE, provides a records search service for anyone who wants us to search for information on their behalf, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI).
The team’s main duties are to respond to the dozens of requests for paid searches that we receive every week, providing advice on whether a search is viable or not. We work with customers to agree on the parameters of a potential search and, where agreement is reached, we carry out the search itself. A search could involve consultation of any open document held at The National Archives, sometimes of records hundreds of years old, but more typically in records from the last one hundred and fifty years or so.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

About the role

As the lead role in the Paid Search Team, you will oversee and manage the workload of the team and handle a more or less equal share of the day-to-day enquiries and paid searches handled by team members. You will also line manage the other members of the team.

This involves:

• Allocating work evenly to the Paid Search Team and contributors from other teams within CEE, using the case management system
• Responding to daily enquiries from potential and actual paid search customers, advising on the viability of searches, agreeing the parameters of the search, and estimating accurate quotes
• Carrying out searches for information in a wide variety of documents and handling a number of fixed, prepaid searches generated via our online request forms, in line with statutory deadlines
• Maintaining and updating stock reply templates, administrative documents and webpages in line with developments to the service
• Collating statistics for The National Archive’s FOI Centre and preparing quarterly and annual financial reports

Additionally, you will help to staff our public advice service, delivering research advice to the public through different channels such as online chat, email and in person.

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and the post holder will have the option of working from home for a maximum of one day per week.

About you

You will be a very well organised worker, able to prioritise and balance managing your own workload and deadlines as well as the team’s, to ensure paid searches are delivered to a professional standard and on time.
You will also be a good communicator with strong interpersonal skills, able to write succinct reports on the results of searches and to communicate with various stakeholders politely and professionally.

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:

• Either a degree in a discipline relevant to The National Archives records or demonstrable and relevant experience of delivering historical records advice in a public service
• Strong people management and interpersonal skills
• Excellent customer care and communication skills
• Effective team player with ability to use initiative, as appropriate
• A well organised worker with an eye for detail, the ability to work effectively under pressure and deliver to tight deadlines
• Good understanding of ICT applications and experience of working with case management systems

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,178, The National Archives contributes £6,235 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.