Project Archivist

Salary: £33,966 to £36,024 with progression to £44,263 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 01 April 2024
The Role
Working within the University Library service at our Team Valley Research Reserve, you will be responsible for the transfer, management, cataloguing, preservation, and immediate access to the Marine Technology Special Collection (MTSC) to recognised professional standards.
The MTSC is an internationally significant collection of historical marine technical publications, documents, plans and photographs associated with the shipbuilding and allied industries, unique and distinctive to Newcastle University. For over a decade, this collection has been curated and developed by a team led by Dr Ian Buxton, who received an MBE in 2021 in recognition of his services to the preservation of British maritime history.
Working closely with the School of Engineering, you will support existing and emerging research and teaching activities with the collection, including assisting users in person and remotely, as well as overseeing and co-ordinating engagement activities, promoting the collection to the widest possible audiences.
You should possess a recognised Postgraduate Qualification in archival management, or be working towards such a qualification. You will have a working knowledge of relevant international standards and Copyright, Data Protection and Freedom of Information Act restrictions and exemptions. An understanding of digitisation and metadata is essential, as is developing and maintaining relationships with donors, partners and academic colleagues.
You should have excellent IT, communication and time management skills and the ability to create ISAD(G) compliant, multi-level catalogues. Experience of working in a University environment is desirable.
The post is fixed term for 18 months.
Informal enquiries may be made to: Ian Johnson, Head of Special Collections and Archives: (tel: 0191 208 7671; email: Ian.Johnson@ncl.ac.uk ).
Key Accountabilities
Appraising, accessioning, arranging, listing and repackaging of archival collections
Creation of archival standard catalogues meeting international cataloguing standards through the Library’s AtoM collection management system
Curating exhibitions, creating blogs, and delivering talks relating to the Archives
Assisting researchers (in person and remotely) to find and produce appropriate material
Identifying areas of collections where Data Protection legislation applies and putting appropriate measures in place to administer
Selecting material for digitisation from the archives and supplying appropriate metadata in line with internal standards and legislation
Ensuring the preservation of born digital archives through the implementation and development of processes and systems
Contributing to the creation of innovative and bespoke digital interfaces, in collaboration with the Special Collections & Archives team and Digital Library Services, in order to facilitate discovery and access
Building and sustaining relationships with collection donors, regional partners, and academics through appropriate liaison and communication
Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required
The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Ability to create ISAD(G) compliant, multi-level catalogues
Excellent IT Skills, including full standard Microsoft Office packages
Ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbally, with a diverse audience
Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise workloads with minimal supervision
Experience of cataloguing large, diverse collections
Experience of working with born digital archival collections, including accessioning, preservation, and cataloguing
Experience in liaising with academic audiences to promote teaching and research
Experience in building and maintaining relationships with donors and regional partners
Understanding of digitisation concepts to enable discoverability and preservation
Ability to devise creative ways of promoting and marketing archival collections
Attributes and Behaviour
Effective at organising and managing heavy and complex workloads
Sets own priorities in conjunction with team and area objectives
Talks to all relevant stakeholders; students, academic team, suppliers, public, in order to find out what is needed
Has an eye for detail, spotting errors and ensuring accurate information
Tailors content of communication to the audience, changing the style, tone and format appropriately
Uses face to face communication regularly; team meetings, one to ones, informal discussions/chats, briefing sessions etc
Qualifications
Educated to honours degree with a recognised Postgraduate Qualification in Archival Management, or working towards such a qualification
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 26855