Data Collections Development Officer (Internal), Uk Data Archive

University Of Essex; Colchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Essex Colchester, UK Data Archive is seeking a Data Collections Development Officer (internal) for a six-month period to support deposit pipelines, perform file and metadata checks, and maintain electronic records of agreements.

You will lead on process improvements, translate SOPs into clear decision trees, identify bottlenecks, and work closely with your line manager to deliver priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities.
• Strong understanding of data, especially social science data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and data handling tools.
• Flexible, collaborative, and able to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Appreciation of research ethics, data privacy, and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Maintain momentum of deposit pipelines, perform file and metadata checks.
• Keep electronic records of legal agreements and ensure audit trails.
• Create and analyse routine statistics on data deposits and usage.
• Lead on process improvements and translate SOPs into clear workflows.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Data literacy

Microsoft Office

Team collaboration

Ethics & privacy awareness

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Data Collections Development Officer (internal), UK Data Archive University of Essex Colchester

**This vacancy is only available to existing University of Essex staff**

Data Collections Development Officer (internal), UK Data Archive University of Essex Colchester Offers a temporary position that offers an exceptional career development opportunity to step up into the Data Collections Development Officer role at the UK Data Archive, covering for a colleague currently on secondment.

By joining our team at the UK Data Archive, the flagship national service for social science research data, you will gain valuable, high-level operational experience within a world-renowned institution. Whether undertaken as a full-time post or a flexible 0.5 FTE arrangement, this position is designed to equip you with a strong blend of hands‑on data operations expertise and demonstrable project achievements to significantly strengthen your profile for future career progression.

You will play a vital role in keeping our day‑to‑day operations running seamlessly while contributing to continuous service enhancements. Throughout this six‑month period, your primary operational responsibilities will focus on maintaining the momentum of our deposit pipelines. This will involve carrying out essential file and metadata checks, maintaining electronic records of legal agreements and ensuring robust compliance and audit trails, and creating and handling routine statistics regarding data deposits and collection usage.

A key feature of this temporary post is the opportunity to lead on flexible process improvements and operational projects as team needs evolve over the six months. Working closely with your line manager, you will deliver key assigned priorities, such as converting complex Standard Operating Procedures into clear, user‑friendly decision trees and streamlined workflows. At the same time, we welcome a proactive approach; you will have the autonomy to identify potential bottlenecks and suggest practical improvements to existing processes.

Among the key skills required for this role are strong interpersonal and communication abilities, including the capacity to actively listen, build rapport with a range of stakeholders, and negotiate solutions when needed. The successful candidate will be flexible, collaborative, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment where priorities can shift. A solid understanding of data, especially social sciences data, remains important, as does an appreciation of research ethics, data privacy, and data integrity. Candidates should be highly computer literate, proficient in Microsoft Office, and open to learning new systems.

A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found within the job pack. Applicants are encouraged to describe how they meet each of the essential (and desirable if applicable) requirements in their application.