Archivist (Copyright and Accessions)
| Posting date: | 16 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £32,616 to £35,000 per year, pro rata |
| Additional salary information: | Plus generous benefits |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 08 February 2026 |
| Location: | Swindon, Wiltshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Historic England |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Summary
We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.
Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as our Archivist (Copyright and Accessions).
This is a Full Time, 12 months Fixed-Term Contract based in Swindon with hybrid working.
We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive defined benefit pension scheme to which we make 28.97% employer contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.
To view our full range of benefits please follow the link here.
What you will be doing
We are the nation’s Archive of England’s historic environment. We commit to be open, relevant and reflective of all stories and places so we can better understand the historic environment and how it has shaped our rich and diverse cultural identities. We curate a dynamic collection that tells the story of the shared memories and lived histories of places in England.
As a member of the Historic England Archive team (HEA), you will contribute to the better understanding of our collections - what we hold, its copyright and condition - and you will ensure that the content and assets are shared in accessible, inspiring and engaging ways with a diverse range of audiences. Through your work, you will also support the delivery of material for the purposes of income generation and improved access.
You are the lead for the management of intellectual property rights (principally copyright) for digital and physical archives and for the accessions of new Historic England (HE) and English Heritage (EH) material into the Archive. You will work closely with the Archivist (Resources and Acquisitions), Digital Preservation Officer, Photographic Services Team Leader and Archivist (Cataloguing Lead) to ensure the overall management of material follows agreed guidelines and is appropriately documented.
Who we are looking for
Educated to degree level in a relevant subject or at least three years relevant experience, with a formal, professional qualification in Archive Administration or equivalent experience
An in-depth knowledge of British copyright law in its relation to archives and records
Experience of managing acquisition process in archive or museum sector
Understanding the issues of providing access to original archive material and ensuring its long-term preservation
Good analytical skills, with proven ability to apply these to structure documentation and business cases
Awareness and understanding of best customer-service practice in archives and/or libraries
Please note your application will be scored and assessed against the above criteria.
We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having won the Gold Award from MIND for workplace wellbeing in seven consecutive years, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.
We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.
Why work for Historic England
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.
We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.
Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at recruitmentTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries.
At Historic England we use a hiring system called Applied. Applied is a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. We do not use CV application for the majority of our hiring processes. You will answer a selection of questions that allow our hiring teams to test your skills and suitability for the role.
At Historic England, we value the expertise and individuality each candidate brings and want to hear about this in your own words. If you require the use or AI tools or other resources to support your application, we ask that all information is factually accurate, original, and reflects your own experience. To best represent yourself, we encourage you to write in your own words and use AI-generated content only as inspiration—not as direct input.
Provisional interview dates: Provisional interview date 26th February 2026 in person, in Swindon.
Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –
https://historicengland.org.uk/media/xm4lw4l1/archivist-copyright-and-accessions.odt
We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.
Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as our Archivist (Copyright and Accessions).
This is a Full Time, 12 months Fixed-Term Contract based in Swindon with hybrid working.
We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive defined benefit pension scheme to which we make 28.97% employer contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.
To view our full range of benefits please follow the link here.
What you will be doing
We are the nation’s Archive of England’s historic environment. We commit to be open, relevant and reflective of all stories and places so we can better understand the historic environment and how it has shaped our rich and diverse cultural identities. We curate a dynamic collection that tells the story of the shared memories and lived histories of places in England.
As a member of the Historic England Archive team (HEA), you will contribute to the better understanding of our collections - what we hold, its copyright and condition - and you will ensure that the content and assets are shared in accessible, inspiring and engaging ways with a diverse range of audiences. Through your work, you will also support the delivery of material for the purposes of income generation and improved access.
You are the lead for the management of intellectual property rights (principally copyright) for digital and physical archives and for the accessions of new Historic England (HE) and English Heritage (EH) material into the Archive. You will work closely with the Archivist (Resources and Acquisitions), Digital Preservation Officer, Photographic Services Team Leader and Archivist (Cataloguing Lead) to ensure the overall management of material follows agreed guidelines and is appropriately documented.
Who we are looking for
Educated to degree level in a relevant subject or at least three years relevant experience, with a formal, professional qualification in Archive Administration or equivalent experience
An in-depth knowledge of British copyright law in its relation to archives and records
Experience of managing acquisition process in archive or museum sector
Understanding the issues of providing access to original archive material and ensuring its long-term preservation
Good analytical skills, with proven ability to apply these to structure documentation and business cases
Awareness and understanding of best customer-service practice in archives and/or libraries
Please note your application will be scored and assessed against the above criteria.
We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having won the Gold Award from MIND for workplace wellbeing in seven consecutive years, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.
We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.
Why work for Historic England
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.
We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.
Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at recruitmentTeam@Historicengland.org.uk if you have any recruitment queries.
At Historic England we use a hiring system called Applied. Applied is a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. We do not use CV application for the majority of our hiring processes. You will answer a selection of questions that allow our hiring teams to test your skills and suitability for the role.
At Historic England, we value the expertise and individuality each candidate brings and want to hear about this in your own words. If you require the use or AI tools or other resources to support your application, we ask that all information is factually accurate, original, and reflects your own experience. To best represent yourself, we encourage you to write in your own words and use AI-generated content only as inspiration—not as direct input.
Provisional interview dates: Provisional interview date 26th February 2026 in person, in Swindon.
Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –
https://historicengland.org.uk/media/xm4lw4l1/archivist-copyright-and-accessions.odt
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.