As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history.
We’ve set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring.
That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you.
Salary: £30,209 per annum
Contract type: permanent
Band: D(EO) to E(HEO) progression role
Closing date: Thursday 15th October at midnight
Join Our Dynamic Archive Management Team!
Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in our Archive Management team? We are seeking a passionate and driven manager to oversee large-scale document moves and lead a team of up to eight talented individuals. If you have the potential to manage and develop teams, even if you haven't yet had the chance to demonstrate it, we want to hear from you!
Progression Opportunity: This is not just a job; it's a career progression opportunity! After successfully completing a 12-24 month development plan, you will be promoted to the senior position of Archival Storage Manager. The development plan includes comprehensive training and hands-on experience. During this development period, you will build a good understanding of our data, learn to manipulate it in Excel, and present it via Power BI, all while honing your people management skills.
What We’re Looking For: As a custodian of over 1000 years of iconic national documents, we need someone who is highly motivated, can stay calm under pressure, and has a proven track record of meeting deadlines. You should be a team player with excellent interpersonal skills and a methodical approach.
Collaborative Environment: You will work collaboratively with other managers and both internal and external stakeholders in a bustling environment. Your mission will be to deliver data-driven storage solutions that support both day-to-day operations and large-scale document accessions to The National Archives.
Why Join Us? Join us in beautiful Kew, just a 10-minute walk from the Overground and Underground stations. Enjoy a range of benefits including a Civil Service Pension, discounts at local businesses, wellbeing resources, and access to our on-site gym, restaurant, and staff bar.
Work Schedule: This is an onsite role with a standard working pattern of Monday to Friday, plus overtime every third Saturday. Every six weeks, you will be on a late rota, working from 10:50 am to 7 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, you will visit our offsite storage facility twice a year, which may require an overnight stay.
If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you, apply now and become a part of our dedicated team at The National Archives!
Application Process:
Selection for interview will be based on the ‘essential’ requirements in the job description below so please ensure that your application demonstrates in detail how you meet these requirements. The job description for the higher band (E) post, the Archival Storage Manager, is included for reference. Please note, you should write your personal statement responding to the essential criteria listed in the lower band (D) job description.
If we receive a large number of applications candidates will initially be assessed on the following criteria:
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please visit the civil service careers website where you can find further information on the use of AI in the application guidance section.
SC clearance/willingness to obtain SC clearance will be required for this role. This requires candidates to have been resident in the UK for at least the past five years. Please do not apply if you have been resident in the UK for less than five years as your application will be rejected.
We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Job Purpose
The Document Services Department (DSD) is responsible for the storage and production of The National Archives (TNA) collection and is the first point of contact for users and visitors to the archives. The collection currently exceeds 17 million documents and expands each year.
The Archive Management Team is a key strategic contributor to the expansion of The National Archives’ collection; all documents which are accessioned and all those which are moved from Kew to our offsite storage facility in Cheshire go through the team.
In addition to large-scale accessions, such as the Ministry of Defence service personnel records, the Archive Management Team is also closely involved in business-as-usual accessions from government departments (c1.5-2.0km per annum) and document relocations between the repositories at Kew and our offsite storage facility throughout the year.
The post holder would work closely with other managers, flexing resource to ensure that all of the work of the business area is adequately covered and remaining fully up to date on the work of other teams so that they can cover and provide direction as appropriate. The post holder should also be eager to improve and develop the team and processes; with the role offering the chance to work with colleagues across The National Archives, external stakeholders and contractors.
Additionally, the post holder would lead on communicating document moves to internal and external stakeholders and strategically engaging with public and staff user groups, moving the team to a proactive engagement model.
Role and Responsibilities
Working Conditions
Person Specification
Essential criteria:
Desirable criteria:
Other Requirements
Job Purpose
The Document Services Department (DSD) is responsible for the storage and production of The National Archives (TNA) collection and is the first point of contact for users and visitors to the archives. The collection currently exceeds 17 million documents and expands each year.
The Archive Management Team is a key strategic contributor to the expansion of The National Archives’ collection; all documents which are accessioned and all those which are moved from Kew to our offsite storage facility in Cheshire go through the team.
In addition to large-scale accessions, such as the Ministry of Defence service personnel records, the Archive Management Team is also closely involved in business-as-usual accessions from government departments (c1.5-2.0km per annum) and document relocations between the repositories at Kew and our offsite storage facility throughout the year.
The post holder would work closely with other managers, flexing resource to ensure that all of the work of the business area is adequately covered and remaining fully up to date on the work of other teams so that they can cover and provide direction as appropriate. The post holder will be required to take an active role in improving and develop the team and processes; with the role offering the chance to work with colleagues across The National Archives, external stakeholders and contractors.
Additionally, the post holder would lead on communicating document moves to internal and external stakeholders and strategically engaging with public and staff user groups, moving the team to a proactive engagement model.
Role and Responsibilities
Working Conditions
Person Specification
Essential criteria:
Desirable criteria:
Other Requirements
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is
found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service
Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development. Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum.
Any move to The National Archives from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ (opens in new window)
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:
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks (opens in new window)
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in new window)
The Civil Service Code (opens in 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 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.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. (opens in new window)
Contact point for applicants:
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/ (opens in new window)
The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government for England and Wales and the sector leader for archives in England.
We are the government's knowledge and information champions, pioneers in the field of managing information. Our role is to make sure that key government information is sustainable - that it remains accessible and useable for as long as it is needed.
We are well known for our unique collection of over 11 million historical government and public records - one of the largest in the world. From Domesday Book to modern government papers and digital files, our collection includes paper and parchment, electronic records and websites, photographs, posters, maps, drawings and paintings. Our repositories are filled with priceless treasures: our nation's story can be read through the documents and artefacts we hold.
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