Summary

 We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for our heritage.

Historic England have an exciting opportunity for you to join us as our Assistant Records & Information Manager on a full time basis (36hrs per week). You will be a key part of the the Information and Records Management Team.

This is a fixed term 18 month contract based in our Swindon office - we offer hybrid working where you can be based in the office and from home.

What you will be doing:

The main purpose of your role is to ensure that Historic England, as a public body, meet their ongoing legal requirement to comply with Public Records legislation, ensuring our obligations for the appraisal, disposal or preservation of physical and digital files are met, in adherence to the 20 year rule.

Under the direction of the Departmental Records Officer (Head of Information and Records) and the Records & Information Manager you will have responsibility for the supervision and operational management of the Registry and oversight of the external records storage service, controlling the number of records stored, and identifying which should be preserved for historical and research purposes, and which should be destroyed.

The role will include input into the development and maintenance of the corporate Retention Schedule, and the design and implementation of processes to ensure retention policy is embedded in operational practice.

This is an engaging role where you will work on your own initiative to provide an excellent service to the wider business as part of this team, to lead on research and liaison with relevant heritage professionals to understand the context in which records of Historic England and predecessor organisations were, and are, created. 

You will be involved and oversee the operational management of the paper-based files including best practice records management methodology and processes; includes oversight of filing systems and file series, deposit of new records, retrievals, deliveries and disposal.

We need you to be responsible for the Development of a framework for Public Records compliance; this will include development of relevant policies, procedures and planning/design of projects to ensure they are implemented.

You will be involved in the planning and implementation of projects, including budgeting, resource estimates, for discovery of our current backlog of records ready for transfer to a permanent place of deposit; determining solutions and timeframes for dealing with the backlog, undertaking sensitivity reviews (in consultation with relevant colleagues), physical preparation, cataloguing and transfer of records to the appropriate permanent repository.

Who we are looking for

A qualification or appropriate experience in Archives and / or Records Management.

 Working with, influencing and communicating effectively with stakeholders both written and verbal including the ability to explain specialist issues simply to non-specialist staff at various levels, and to persuade colleagues to follow agreed records storage guidelines.

Practical knowledge of the issues surrounding the management and preservation of records with an understanding of records management principles and familiarity with information systems and archives.

 Knowledge of the public records legislation, records appraisal methodologies and up to date knowledge of information and records legislation including Freedom of Information and Data Protection.

Good organisational skills with the ability to supervise a project of work and a proactive approach to task planning.

Knowledge or experience of developing a corporate retention schedule and implementation of disposal processes.

Ability to lift and move archive boxes up to 15kg.

Why work for Historic England

We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive pension scheme starting at 26% contributions, a generous 28 days holiday (holiday increases to 30 days after two years and then 33 days after five), corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level. We want to make sure that our people better reflect the demographics of the communities in which we work, enabling us to benefit from a diverse range of perspectives and recruit from the widest pool of talent.

We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.

We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.