Join us and work with central government

We are pleased to announce four exciting new opportunities to work at The National Archives.

As part of The National Archives’ statutory responsibility, the Government Audience directorate provides advice, guidance and supervision to government departments concerning the appraisal, selection, review, and transfer of their records for permanent preservation at Kew.

This work goes hand-in-hand with our ambitions as a burgeoning and unique cultural heritage institution. Our four-year strategic plan, Archives Inspire, sets out how we are thinking and organising ourselves differently to serve our audiences – locally, nationally and globally – for the future.

Without official records, people could not prove where and when they were born, or who owns the property they live in. They could not trace their ancestry, explore their collective and individual identities, or hold government and organisations to account.

The National Archives holds over 11 million rich and diverse records spanning more than 1,000 years of history. From Shakespeare’s will, to around 160,000 undelivered letters from the 17th to 19th centuries, to tweets from Downing Street – our collection is one of the largest in the world. We want to make sure that it continues to thrive and grow.

Government departments have just passed the mid-point in transitioning to the 20-year rule. For many of them, this means their early digital records are now due to be transferred to us, alongside their paper records.

Ensuring the survival of the growing digital public record is key to our work in the Government Audience directorate. Working with us means making sure that today’s records are accessible to the next generation of citizens, historians and researchers, whether they are websites, the evidence heard by public inquiries, or algorithms that support decision-making.

There are four vital posts currently available in the Government Audience directorate: three at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade, and one at Senior Executive Office (SEO) grade. These roles encompass all areas of our work; join us, and give us the benefit of your talent and experience.

As our Transfer Manager, you will enable organisations like the Cabinet Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Her Majesty’s Treasury to transfer their records to The National Archives, in line with their responsibilities under the Public Records Act (1958).

As our Guidance Training and Events Adviser, you will co-develop and deliver comprehensive programme – of advice, guidance, training and events – to support government departments in meeting their statutory obligations under the Public Records Act and the 20-year rule.

As our Strategic Compliance Adviser, you will ensure that we have a thorough understanding of government’s compliance with its statutory obligations. You will collate and evaluate data from a range of sources, such as the Information Management Report; and co-develop a programme of targeted interventions to make sure government departments comply with the Public Records Act.

As our Cross Government Engagement Lead, you will co-develop our Information Management Assessment (IMA) programme. This unique programme assesses the effectiveness and maturity of the information management in our transferring departments. By leading and contributing to IMAs, the Cross Government Engagement Lead will have an unparalleled overview of government’s information management landscape.

You will be best placed to feed into cross-government initiatives such as the ‘Better Information for Better Government’ programme at Cabinet Office, and contribute to other engagement activities such as cross-government discussion forums and events.

All four roles we are advertising below have been newly created, meaning there is huge potential for development. The roles will provide training and opportunities to work across the department and government on different projects.

Join us here in beautiful Kew, just 10 minutes’ walk from London Underground and Overground, and be part of a modern, vibrant national archive.

In return, you can expect an excellent civil service benefits package that includes a pension, the option to work part-time or job-share, and opportunities for training and development.

We also offer access to the civil service sports and social facilities, an on site gym, fitness classes, a restaurant and bookshop.

If any of this appeals to you, please head on over to Civil Service Jobs and send us your details.

We look forward to hearing from you!