About the job

Job summary

About us

Archives matter. Without records, we could not hold government to account, carry out pioneering research or learn from the past. The National Archives is the archive of UK Government and the courts. Our business strategy, Archives for Everyone, describes our vision to become an inclusive, entrepreneurial, and disruptive archive that harnesses emerging technology to reaffirm and transform our historic mission for the digital age.

The Cataloguing, Taxonomy and Data department’s role is to deliver the control, quality, currency and ongoing development of our catalogue records and the systems in which they reside. We specialise in manipulating and enhancing at scale the metadata which lies at the heart of activities across the organisation.

We are based in the beautiful surroundings of Kew, easily accessible by public transport, car and bike. Staff benefits include admission to a range of exhibitions at national museums and galleries; access to nearby Kew Gardens; on-site gym, therapists and wellbeing resources; restaurant, shop and staff bar. Our excellent Civil Service benefits package includes the opportunity to join the defined-benefit Civil Service Alpha Pension Scheme.


About the role

We are looking for a Senior Archivist to cover a period of maternity leave and make a strong contribution to our cataloguing activities. In particular, you will lead our State of the Catalogue programme to address legacies of our transition from paper finding aids to digital catalogues.

In the coming years, the infrastructure and methods for managing and presenting the content of our catalogue will change significantly as we update our technology and handle ever-increasing amounts of data about our physical and digital collections. You will contribute significantly to this ongoing work and collaborate with colleagues across The National Archives.

This is a fixed-term post, initially for 6 months with the possibility of extension.

Job description

Full job description attached - see below.

Person specification

About you

You are a qualified or experienced archivist with a strong appreciation of technology. You are enthusiastic, organised and have an eye for detail. As an expert cataloguer, you enjoy working with data and thinking creatively to solve problems. You are also a skilled communicator, able to discuss technical or complex issues with colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds.

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. You should expect to spend at least 60% of your time working at our Kew site.

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

• Professional qualification in archives and records management (or a related subject) or equivalent experience, with a passion and enthusiasm for archival practice, metadata and the application of digital technologies to archival resources.
• Demonstrable experience of managing or leading cataloguing projects and of cataloguing a variety of types of records from different time periods.
• Excellent understanding of descriptive standards and presentational requirements for both digital and analogue archives.
• Experience of analysing and manipulating substantial datasets, including expertise in using Microsoft Excel and familiarity with Encoded Archival Description (EAD) or another XML schema.
• Strong problem-solving skills coupled with the ability to work to a high degree of accuracy, demonstrating a proactive and solutions-focused approach.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills with the ability to explain and communicate complex or technical issues and archival concepts to non-specialists and external stakeholders.
• Ability to take tasks and projects to completion and manage competing priorities, together with strong professional motivation and a commitment to personal development.

Desirable

• Palaeography skills and the ability to read Latin or a modern foreign language.
• Awareness of Agile methodologies or experience of working in multidisciplinary project teams.

Awareness of or interest in Python or another programming language.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,515, The National Archives contributes £9,859 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.