Archives Supervisor or Officer

Headland Archaeology is offering an excellent opportunity for a conscientious, capable and enthusiastic person to help shape our Archives Team

Why should you apply?

We are a privately owned archaeological business, part of the RSK Group, a leader in integrated environmental, engineering, and technical services. We provide heritage services to the development and construction sectors in UK and across the world. With four offices in England and one in Scotland, we offer our employees:

• Unique knowledge and expertise. For more than 25 years, Headland has provided not only business-focused archaeology but also people-focused business. We are highly respected within our industry for our achievements in innovation, tailor-made development coaching and training, and our expertise in commercial archaeology.
• Strong pioneering spirit. Our corporate culture is characterised by a healthy appetite for originality and development.
• Stable company with excellent growth. Over the years, we have demonstrated steady, positive economic development and formed successful partnerships.
• Good work environment. You will be surrounded by colleagues who are pleasant, professional, and enthusiastic about their work.
• Opportunity to influence. You get to work in an open climate, close to decision makers and with the possibility of making a difference.
• Part of RSK group. You will have further opportunities to become involved in nationally and internationally prominent projects with exciting prospects for career development. The group has c.12000 employees and c.200 environmentally lead companies.

In Headland we are proud of our people. We will support you to your meet your goals and train you in specific relevant skills to feel confident and succeed in your role.

The Role

Due to an expanding workload and the commencement of a large post-excavation project, Headland Archaeology is now seeking a self-motivated, enthusiastic archaeological Archives Officer or Archives Supervisor to join our Post-Excavation team. The role is a full-time position, usually 37.5 hours per week, but may be up to 40 h/week on specific projects with remuneration on a pro-rata basis – we are open to discussion on flexible working although the expectation is that the successful candidate(s) will be working from our new Archives Store every working day for at least the first six months of the contract.

The job will involve curating project archives, undertaking archiving work, preparing paper, physical and digital archives to internal standards and the requirements of the relevant receiving bodies, liaising with the receiving bodies and depositing archives, maintaining Headland’s internal archives in a well-ordered state, and the training and supervision of others.

The successful candidate should have an undergraduate degree in archaeology or related discipline and/or relevant fieldwork experience. They should have demonstrable specialist knowledge of archaeological archives and the archiving process relating to commercial archaeology in the UK.

They should have a track record in preparing and depositing archaeological archives and, for the officer role, they should have the ability to co-ordinate work, and manage teams and budgets. Memberships of CIfA (at least at Practitioner level) and of any relevant specialist bodies would also be advantageous. They will be expected to develop their own knowledge and skills and keep abreast of developments and innovations in the field, but encouragement and support will also begiven to aid their development and broaden their skill and knowledge.

Headland works on an internal grading system for each role which reflects the experience and responsibilities of each staff member. The Archives Team is led by the Archives Manager, supported by the Senior Archivist, Archives Officers, Archives Supervisors and Archives Assistants (listed from most experience to least).

The following lists detail the key responsibilities of the roles and required essential skills. It is expected that applicants for the Archives Officer role would have much more demonstrable experience in these areas than the Archives Supervisor, and responsibilities would be assigned in accordance with the relevant role.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

• Undertaking, supervising, and providing advice on preparation and deposition of physical, paper and digital archives. The Archives Officer would also be expected to assist in the coordination of such work.
• Liaising with relevant external bodies (such as specialists and curators) with respect, and following deposition procedures to ensure an efficient archiving process.
• Liaising with landowners to obtain transfer of title for recovered materials where required
• Working with other team members to ensure archives are left tidy and archive-ready and to ensure smooth workflow
• Maintaining clear documentation of different work stages, including working with others to create retention and disposal strategies.
• Developing your own knowledge of archive procedures and keep abreast of developments within external bodies
• Training/supervision of others (including fieldwork teams). Archives Supervisors would be expected to train and supervise a small team, whilst Archives Officers would be expected to train and supervise a larger team or multiple smaller teams simultaneously.
• Managing your own time and resources to achieve goals within allocated budgets. For the Archives Officer this will also include helping to coordinate the time of others and resources for whole projects or teams.
• The Archives Officer may be expected to provide quotes and estimates for archiving work and expenses (relevant training would be provided where necessary)
• The Archives Officer would be line managed by either the Archives Manager or Senior Archivist, and may ultimately be responsible for line managing Archives Supervisors, Archives Assistants or Archives Trainees depending on experience.
• The Archives Supervisor would be line managed by either the Senior Archivist or the Archives Officer.

Essential skills:

• Good general working knowledge of archaeological procedures, recording and artefacts
• Knowledge of legislation, regulation and guidance relevant to archives and archaeology including Health and Safety
• Adherence to safe working practices, in particular to hazards associated with artefactual work
• Good knowledge of issues surrounding finds first aid, conservation, packaging and long-term storage
• Detailed understanding of archiving legislation, procedures and standards in England
• Good communication skills that can be applied to negotiations surrounding assemblages
• Familiarity with relevant receiving bodies for paper, physical and digital archives
• Good IT skills, including file management, databases and MS Office
• Attention to detail and ability to accurately label and package
• Strong organisational skills and ability to schedule, co-ordinate and monitor tasks and other team members
• Ability to manage teams and budgets (Archives Officer only)
• Good interpersonal and coaching skills
• Be passionate, motivated and excited about what you do!

Desired skills:

Full clean driving licence (and a willingness to drive company vehicles)

Membership of the CIfA at Associate level

Membership of relevant archives groups and bodies (e.g., CIfA Archaeological Archives Group, ARA)

Benefits we offer you:

• Competitive paid subsistence when applicable
• Paid accommodation when applicable
• Use of cutting edge technology on site, e.g. paperless systems, iPads etc.
• Ongoing regular training in various areas e.g. Health & Safety, Technical areas and Transferable skills
• Time off in lieu for time worked above standard hours or overtime paid
• Annual profit discretionary bonus & performance-related bonus schemes
• Monthly clothing allowance
• 28 days annual leave, rising based on service length
• Extra annual leave purchase scheme
• 5%-6% employer contribution to pension scheme
• Income Protection Policy, after a year with Headland
• Life Assurance Policy, insuring you 4 times your annual salary, after a year with Headland
• Regular performance, wellbeing & professional development check-ins
• Referral scheme with generous fee
• A support group of 30+ Mental Health First Aiders
• Regular offers through RSK Group (e.g. Tastecard, Gym membership discount, Holidays and Entertainment)
• Health support scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme (advice on finance, mental health etc)
• Paid CIfA membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Being part of RSK Group

Headland is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

How to apply

You must have the right to work in the UK without restrictions. Proof of eligibility will be required prior to your commencement.

Send covering letter and CV to Charlotte Self at ‘jobs@headlandarchaeology.com’ quoting reference ARCO25 for the Archives Officer position, or ARCS25 for the Archives Supervisor position. Informal inquiries concerning the role can be made to Charlotte Self, charlotte.self@headlandarchaeology.com  

Postal applications will not be accepted. Details of references should include their name, relationship to the applicant, postal address, email address and phone number.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we may fill existing vacancies before the closing date, so you are advised to submit your application as early as possible.