Archives Assistant Wootton, East of England, England
Job description
About the roleThe Archives and Heritage Service is managed by West Northamptonshire Council on behalf of West and North Northants Councils. It is based at Wotton Hall Park in Northampton. The service and its staff are responsible for looking after the archival history and heritage of the county of Northamptonshire and making it accessible to the public for education, learning and enjoyment.
The Archives Assistants are the frontline staff for the Archives Service. They are the first people that researchers meet if they visit the service to do family, local, house history or other studies. The Assistants also deal with many of the email and other written enquiries. They therefore need to be skilled in being able to communicate effectively with people of all ages and backgrounds, both in writing and in person. The other key duties involve working directly with archives, including document retrieval and packaging and reboxing tasks.
The role is part-time, 31 hours per week, with the postholder working Tuesday to Friday c.8.30 am to 5 pm, and the first Saturday morning in each month c.8.45 am to 1 pm.
What will you be doing?The post holder is responsible for helping users when they visit the Archives Service in person, showing them the systems, guiding them with their research; they also answer enquiries received via email, digital copying orders, and support the work to make collections accessible through data inputting and listing of collections. Regular lifting of sometimes heavy boxes is a core element of the role. You will be one of a team of four, able to communicate and work well as part of this team but also able to work on your own initiative.
About youWe are looking for a motivated individual who can join a small but close-knit team of people who are committed to archives and heritage. We need applications from those who are able to work on their own initiative and as well as part of a team, who are able to communicate well, and who meet the criteria in our person specification. Ideally you should have some experience of working in a customer service role as well as having some knowledge and understanding of history or archives.
About usWe’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.
Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.
Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Our benefitsWe offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days annual leave per year, 28 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
- Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
- Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Car Lease scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
- Ongoing training and development opportunities.
- A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
- Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
- Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.
The council is in the process of implementing a new pay structure and terms and conditions which will be applicable to this role. The outcome could result in a future variation to the advertised salary, and this will be discussed at interview.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Salary: £18,600.00 per year
