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. Whether they are websites, the evidence heard by inquiries or the algorithms which support official decision-making, the survival of our digital public records is vital.

The National Archives is the archive of UK Government and the courts. We are one of the world’s leading digital archives. 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 Digital Archiving department’s role is to bring digital records into the archive, preserve them for the future and open up access for diverse audiences. We build and operate a suite of digital products and services to enable this, some of which are used by other archives and heritage organisations internationally.

The department offers a supportive, welcoming, and collegiate working environment. We work in multidisciplinary agile teams, focused on delivering innovative services that ensure the digital Public Record survives, thrives and is useful.

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; discounts with local businesses. Our excellent Civil Service benefits package includes the opportunity to join the defined-benefit Civil Service Alpha Pension Scheme, which offers an average employer contribution rate of 27% of salary.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

About the role:

The National Archives collects and secures the future of the public record, preserving it for the nation and making it as accessible and available as possible. Our collection is one of the largest in the world, containing over 11 million historical records from mediæval parchment to modern papers, digital documents, datasets, and tweets. The records we collect are increasingly created, managed, and transferred to us digitally.

The Senior Digital Archivist for Transfer will act as the focal point for all Digital Transfer activities and will take responsibility for ensuring this critical area is positively led and visible.

The role will actively engage with government departments (and other public record bodies), to provide guidance, advice and facilitate required procedures related to the transfer of the digital records sent to The National Archives.

They will ensure the records and their associated metadata are properly documented and prepared for transfer along with supporting the creation and delivery of a high quality and robust digital transfer service to government, which requires keeping abreast of the evolving challenges of transferring increasingly complex born-digital materials.

About you:

You are seeking to develop a career in a world leading institution using your skills and experience to meet the challenges presented by digital records. You are enthusiastic, organised and an excellent communicator who is keen to join the Digital Archiving team and lead on the challenges of transferring the digital public record.

You enjoy the challenge of finding solutions to complex problems and will frequently look for opportunities to do things better. You love to learn and to share knowledge with others.

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

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.

We would particularly like to encourage applicants from backgrounds currently underrepresented in archives, including those who identify as Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT+), from Black, Asian and minority ethnic cultural backgrounds, those who are neurodivergent, and those with hidden or visible disabilities.

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.

SC-level Security Clearance or willingness to obtain SC clearance is mandatory for this role and requires that you have lived in the UK for the last 3 years. The length of required residency may depend on individual circumstances.

Essential:

• Stakeholder Management - Demonstrable ability to build strong working relationships both within and outside the organisation, with a strong focus on user needs.  Strong experience of stakeholder relationship management, using sensitivity, negotiation, and tact with an ability to persuade and influence.
• Digital Archiving - Knowledge of current archival practice and the ability to apply this in the role to meet archival requirements and contribute solutions to digital transfer and preservation challenges. Qualified Digital Archivist or equivalent experience in an archival setting.
• Delivering Initiatives - Experience of leading and participating in projects and initiatives. Excellent interpersonal and team-working skills and experience of delivering to deadlines, coordinating activities, evaluating, and presenting recommendations, and building on others’ ideas, questions and input.
• Analytical Skills - Effective in applying knowledge, past practice and experience to complex problems which impact a directorate or department.
• Communication - Strong oral and written communication skills with experience of presenting work to senior stakeholders with the ability to explain complex processes and challenges to colleagues of varying levels of understanding. Engages, influences, negotiates, and persuades internally and externally to achieve appropriate outcomes.
• Guidance - Can provide advice and guidance where necessary.  Ability to act as an external representative of The National Archives through publication and/or by acting as a recognised expert within the field of Digital Archiving.

Desirable:

• Understanding of digital records management and information management systems
• Knowledge of the FOI (Freedom of Information requests) process
• Familiarity with Google Drive and SharePoint
• Experience delivering training or presenting

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,000, The National Archives contributes £10,800 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.