Project Archivist (British Organ Archive) - Academic Services - 106828 - Grade 6

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent educational institution is seeking a Project Archivist responsible for cataloguing the British Organ Archive. The successful candidate will have a strong background in archiving, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with teams. This full-time, fixed-term position provides generous benefits, a supportive work environment, and opportunities for professional development. The role involves enhancing the archive's accessibility, developing outreach programs, and supporting equality and diversity initiatives.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Paid volunteering day

Occupational sick pay

Qualifications

• Educated to Degree level or possess significant practical experience.
• Proven experience in cataloguing complex archival collections.
• Excellent ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Catalogue and make accessible the British Organ Archive.
• Assist in directing student interns and volunteers.
• Develop outreach activities and manage publicity.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Team collaboration

Cataloguing archival collections

IT skills

Data analysis

Education

Degree level education or equivalent qualifications

Tools

Microsoft Office

Archival databases

Job description

Position Details

Academic Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Grade: 6

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to April 2027

Closing date: 18th January 2026

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide‑range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

Special Collections is a division of Library Services at the University of Birmingham and is responsible for the Cadbury Research Library, the University’s Modern Records (Records Management) Service, the Shakespeare Institute Library, and the Barber Fine Art Library. The department serves the teaching and research needs of members of the University of Birmingham, providing a valuable resource for undergraduate and research students. The libraries have an international reputation and are also used by academics and scholars from around the world as well as members of the wider public.

The Project Archivist post is primarily based at the Cadbury Research Library. The post sits within the University of Birmingham’s Special Collections Department team structure.

Role Summary

The post holder will be responsible for cataloguing, and making available through the online archive catalogue, the British Organ Archive held by the University of Birmingham. The post holder will report to the Head of Collections Management and will work closely with other archivists to make accessible the archive collections of the University. They may also assist in directing the work of student interns and volunteers.

The Project Archivist will survey the British Organ Archive, catalogue materials and screen items for Data Protection issues. They will keep the British Organ Archive Steering Group appraised of progress. They will undertake activities to promote the archive including the design and delivery of teaching sessions, curation of exhibitions, and the presentation of conference papers when appropriate.

Main Duties

Collection management:

• Make the British Organ Archive accessible by undertaking cataloguing in compliance with relevant cataloguing standards and liaising with the Head of Collections Management to resolve issues regarding cataloguing and classification of materials.
• Enhance the value of the British Organ Archive by appraising all materials and disposing of those identified as being not appropriate for permanent retention; to include devising a proposed course of action for items so identified in line with the current British Organ Archive Collections Policy and the terms of any Agreements applying to the records in question (where available) and ensuring action to dispose securely of records is agreed in advance (with the Head of Collections Management and the BIOS Steering Group) and properly documented.
• Devise workable cataloguing structures and catalogue all materials within the British Organ Archive.
• Screen all materials for issues surrounding Data Protection and corporate sensitivities, ensuring a consistent approach is adopted across the collection with closure decisions properly documented.
• Co‑ordinate the labelling, re‑boxing and re‑packaging of the collection where necessary, including liaising with the Conservation team on conservation measures.
• Make the final catalogue available through the Special Collections archive catalogue on the University web pages.
• Allocate, facilitate and direct the work of support staff, volunteers and interns in relation to collection management activities.
• Attend relevant Collection Management meetings.
• Prepare a six‑monthly progress report for the British Organ Archive Steering Group.

Outreach, learning and teaching, and promotional lead:

Under the supervision of the Head of Collections Management and the Head of Conservation and Programming, to contribute to the management and development of outreach activities, publicity, and the learning and teaching programme:

• Participate in Special Collections’ programme of outreach activities, which may include talks, visits, events and exhibitions.
• Promote the use of the British Organ Archive by academics, students and independent researchers.
• Seek opportunities to develop outreach activities with an equality, diversity and inclusion focus.

Equality:

• Promote equality and the value of diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications). Where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data.
• Excellent communication skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and effectively within a team environment.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to ensure actively in day‑to‑day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
• Proven experience in cataloguing complex archival collections.
• Experience of directing the work of others.
• Excellent IT skills, with working knowledge of standard Microsoft Office software and using custom systems and databases; and a commitment to optimising its benefits in a library service environment.
• Proven experience of delivering and coordinating outreach work.
• A thorough understanding of the link between teaching and research and the importance of manuscripts, archives and books in the educational process.
• Strong ability to prioritise and to schedule workloads in the face of conflicting demands.
• Thorough understanding of the application of relevant legislation to library collections, including Freedom of Information, Data Protection, and Copyright Legislation.
• Experience of communicating with internal and external stakeholders with diverse professional and academic backgrounds.

Informal enquiries to Mark Eccleston, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:

We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.