Open Access & Repository Senior Assistant - 2 posts

University-of-Oxford; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent contributory pension scheme

38 days of annual leave

Childcare services

Family leave schemes

Discounted bus travel

Job summary

University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries’ Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) team seeks two Senior Assistant roles. You will support deposits, ensure metadata quality, and help researchers while working in a hybrid pattern with 2–3 remote days.

You will handle metadata, use bibliographic databases, and assist with open access compliance. A supportive, inclusive environment and career development opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Excellent attention to detail and accurate data entry.
• Experience providing helpdesk support and responding to user enquiries.
• Able to work independently and in a hybrid team environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide first-line helpdesk support and respond to enquiries.
• Process repository deposits to required quality standards and timescales.
• Create, check and enhance metadata records and assist researchers.

Skills

Helpdesk support

Metadata

Data entry

Communication

Office suite

Tools

Microsoft Office

Online collaboration tools

Job description

UK date and time: 01-November-2026 03:53

Open Access & Repository Senior Assistant - 2 posts

Osney One Building, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EW

About the role

You will join the Bodleian Libraries’ Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) team, helping to make Oxford’s research outputs discoverable and accessible. You will provide first-line helpdesk support, respond to enquiries and process repository deposits to agreed quality standards and timescales. This role offers an opportunity to apply and develop bibliographic skills of cataloguing and authority control in the evolving field of open research.

You will create, check and enhance metadata records; use bibliographic databases and specialist systems; assist researchers with deposits; and help ensure compliance with publisher and funder open access policies, including the Research Excellence Framework (REF). You will also contribute to service improvements and support colleagues to maintain continuity of service.

There are two full-time, open-ended posts available, working 36.5 hours per week. The roles support remote working for 2–3 days per week.

About You

You will have excellent attention to detail and accurate data-entry skills, alongside experience of providing helpdesk support and responding to user enquiries. You will be a confident written and verbal communicator, able to organise your own workload, work independently and collaborate effectively in a hybrid team.

You will be proficient in Microsoft Office and online communication tools, willing to learn specialist software, and able to handle confidential information discreetly while adapting to competing priorities and deadlines. Knowledge of open access, copyright or licensing, experience with metadata or structured records, or experience in a library or academic setting would be an advantage.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days of annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible. If you require the job description or any other materials in an alternative format, or if you would like to request any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact the recruitment team at [e-mail] .