Archive Manager in Edinburgh

Starting salary: 40158
Contract type: Permanent
Grade: 4
Location: John Sinclair House Bernard Terrace Edinburgh EH8 9NX
Working Hours: Monday – Friday 35 hours per week
Interviews: To be held in person at John Sinclair House on week commencing 15 December 2025.
This is an exciting opportunity to manage a team of dedicated professionals who document care for and provide access to one of Scotland’s National Collections. With physical archives dating from the 17th century through to the most recent digital archives and extensive library collections, it is a remarkable collection focused on the entirety of the historic environment.
Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland
Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme 28% employer contribution
25 days annual leave pro‑rate (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) 11.5 public holidays
Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
Support for further education and personal development
Study leave for work‑related courses
Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
Free entry to all our properties (with up to three guests)
Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties
Key Responsibilities of this role
Management of physical archives and the development and implementation of a cataloguing programme including the development of relevant policies, procedures and standards.
Responsible for archive content development working with the Archive Digital Manager to ensure uniformity and consistency of approach.
Responsible for development and delivery of volunteer programmes.
Responsible for prioritisation of material and projects for digitisation.
Contributes to the implementation and delivery of the HES Annual Operating Plan, Heritage Directorate and Archives Operational Plans.
Monitoring workflows and reporting on progress.
Research and development of specialist collections knowledge and contributing to publications, special initiatives, lectures and exhibitions.
Management of staff including appraisal, motivation and training as appropriate.
Liaison with relevant external groups and organisations and representing HES at meetings as appropriate.
Other duties as delegated by the Deputy Head of Archives and Libraries, including deputising when required.
Key requirements of the role
In order for you to be successful in this post we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1200 words) using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real‑life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met these criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. Please read our CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.
Essential
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – you must be a confident and persuasive communicator and good team player.
The ability to work on your own initiative, manage your workload, meet tight deadlines and make decisions.
Demonstrable experience of managing and motivating people within a related environment, including managing project staff, developing people, promoting health and safety and wellbeing.
Strong knowledge and skills in archives and demonstrable experience of working in an archive setting.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to identify clear measures for progress and delivery against targets.
Excellent IT skills including email management, word processing (writing high quality reports), good knowledge of Excel and experience in database documentation.
A degree in a relevant subject (e.g. history, Scottish history, archaeology, architectural history) or equivalent experience that shows how you meet the requirements is essential.
Postgraduate qualification in Archives and Records Management or similar.
We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or support of our Gaelic Language Plan – we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.
We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format please reach out to us via email or call our Head Office at (contact) and speak to a member of our People Team.
Please note that at this time we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process; therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.
To submit your application online please read our How to Apply followed by the Apply Now button to begin your application.
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