Join Our Team: Archivist Opportunity Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive. The Canal & River Trust’s Waterways Archive is a major collection documenting the history of Britain’s inland waterways from their origins in the 17th century to the present day. It contains tens of thousands of catalogued records and digitised images, alongside original documents such as engineering plans, boat‑building designs, company records, accounts, letters, and operational paperwork from early canal companies and British Waterways. The archive also preserves photographs, maps, and oral history recordings that capture both the technical development of canals and their social history, including the lives of boaters, workers, and communities connected to the waterways. With material ranging from industrial records (like tolls, cargo logs, and lock maintenance books) to personal and regional collections, it provides a comprehensive resource for researching the creation, management, and everyday use of the UK’s canal network, as well as its cultural and heritage significance. The Archivist role will use specialist knowledge, training and experience to select, preserve in perpetuity and promote, within the Trust and externally, unique documentary heritage relating both to the waterways and to the Canal and River Trust and its predecessors. Working Hours & Location Our Archivist will be based at the National Waterways Archive, located within the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port. The team currently works on-site Tuesday to Thursday to support staff and volunteers. This is a full-time role (37 hours per week), with flexibility to work occasional weekends when required for events. See our network here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network). Role Overview You will apply professional archival expertise and judgement to the acquisition, appraisal, cataloguing, preservation, access, and promotion of archive collections, while supervising volunteers, ensuring legal and conservation compliance, delivering engaging public outputs, and embedding the Trust’s values, including diversity and inclusion, in all aspects of work. Key Responsibilities To use relevant archival expertise, skills, knowledge and judgement to: Decide which records should be accessioned into the archive, from external donors and from within the Trust. Appraise material in the archive, deciding which documents should be kept for their enduring evidential and/or historical value and which should be disposed of, and on what basis. Decide on the structure, content and keywords of finding aids and catalogues, based on provenance and administrative history, in line with the International Standard for Archival Description ISAD(G). Supervise the day-to-day administration, management and work of volunteers, including providing training, answering questions and making decisions on the specialist care of historic material according to archival principles. Decide if a copy of a record can be supplied, judging on a case-by-case basis whether the record must be closed or redacted due to personal data, whether the document is robust enough to withstand copying, whether copyright restrictions apply, whether the use is commercial or non-commercial and whether commercial licensing is possible. Utilise strong research, presentation, and creative skills to develop engaging exhibitions that effectively communicate key themes and enhance visitor experience. Monitor and assess environmental conditions within archive storage areas, applying conservation knowledge to track temperature, relative humidity, and pest activity, and implement appropriate preventive conservation measures. Promote the archive, its aims and its unique documentary heritage in an engaging way to non-archivists, both internally and externally, in-person and remotely. To display the Trust values and behaviours at all times. To ensure that diversity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of Trust life and promote inclusion by challenging behaviour, practices, actions, or decisions that are counter to the objectives of the Trust’s policies and values. About You Skills & Qualifications Technical: Postgraduate qualification in Archives Administration. Thorough knowledge and understanding of archival principles and theory, and ability to apply these in practice daily. Experience of arranging and processing accessions, including negotiating with donors and formalising legal deposit agreements. Knowledge of archive appraisal strategies, including analytical decision-making for disposal and documented destruction. Knowledge of archival principles of provenance and original order, with experience applying them to create hierarchical catalogues in line with ISAD(G). Experience using archive/collections management systems to create, edit, and manage catalogue metadata and authority records (person, name, place). Knowledge of copyright and data protection legislation, with ability to make accountable decisions on copying and risk assessment. Understanding of digitisation and digital preservation issues. Experience of working in the heritage sector. Working knowledge of British history. General: Experience training and supervising volunteers. Excellent planning and organisational skills, including prioritisation and delegation. Strong research skills and creativity for contributing to or leading promotional activity (e.g. social media, exhibitions, events). Excellent interpersonal skills for engaging with volunteers, colleagues, depositors, and enquirers. Excellent communication skills, including explaining archive concepts to non-specialists. Methodical and logical approach with strong attention to detail. Ability to make confident independent decisions. Ability to apply professional judgement and make accountable decisions. Ability to prioritise workload effectively. Good presentation skills. Contact & Application If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at CRT.recruitment@canalrivertrust.org.uk. We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates. What We Offer In addition to your annual base salary of £33,677, we also offer a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here: EVP - 1. Learn more: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits #INDHP
