Senior Archivist (Digital Development and Data Curation)

Closing date 23^rd April 2024 at midnight

Maternity cover for 6 months with possibility of extension 

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.

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.