Junior Technical Operations Specialist (FTC/Sandwich Year) in Manchester

Junior Technical Operations Specialist

Location: Manchester (Hybrid) Team: Preservation, Customer Experience Reports to: Head of Preservation Contract: Fixed-Term, 12 months

About MirrorWeb

MirrorWeb is an intelligent communications supervision platform built for regulated financial services firms. Compliance teams are drowning in data but starving for signal. We fix that with AI-native supervision that’s explainable, defensible, and built for regulatory scrutiny.

Why This Role Matters

MirrorWeb’s Preservation team delivers web archiving and digital preservation services to some of the world’s most significant archiving institutions such as national libraries, national archives, and universities. Consistent, accurate quality assurance is what keeps those services running to SLA. This role owns that QA function, and the work you do directly underpins what those institutions depend on us for.

This is also a role with a real development component. You’ll work with AI tooling the Preservation team has built specifically to support QA workflows, and you’ll be enrolled in a structured 12-month professional development programme aligned to the DPC Digital Preservation Competency Framework, giving you a recognised, evidenced skills portfolio you take with you beyond the contract.

What Success Looks Like

• QA SLAs are consistently green across your assigned crawls, with no gaps in coverage attributable to this role
• AI-assisted QA tooling is being used confidently and independently as part of your regular workflow, with sound judgement applied to outputs
• A demonstrable and growing understanding of digital preservation concepts, evidenced through the quality and consistency of your QA work

The Role

You’ll carry out quality assurance across customer web crawls, working within the Preservation team and interfacing directly with clients and the Onboarding team. The role is structured to build confidence and autonomy progressively. You’ll have clear direction and support from day one, with the expectation that you operate increasingly independently as you develop across the contract.

Key responsibilities:

• Conduct QA checks across customer web crawls for institutional clients, identifying issues that fall outside expected parameters and using AI-assisted tooling to support consistent quality checks at scale
• Log QA findings and crawl issues accurately in team systems, maintaining clear records that contribute directly to SLA reporting
• Escalate technical issues to the Lead Technical Operations Specialist or Preservation Support Manager promptly, with enough context to enable resolution
• Develop a working understanding of digital preservation concepts, web archiving standards, and MirrorWeb’s Preservation product over the course of the contract, supported by a structured DPC-aligned CPD programme
• Build and maintain client relationships by engaging directly with clients on work items, ensuring clear communication across all stages of the workflow

What You’ll Bring

• Attention to detail and a methodical approach to quality-focused work
• Clear written communication: you can document findings accurately and escalate issues with the right level of context
• Comfort with learning new tools and processes, including AI-assisted workflows
• A genuine interest in digital preservation, web archiving, or a related field
• No prior experience in digital preservation is required. Curiosity and rigour matter more than background

What’s on Offer

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• 25 days annual leave plus your birthday off and paid sick leave
• Enhanced family leave
• A structured 12-month DPC-aligned professional development programme, with a recognised competency portfolio you keep at the end
• A supportive team with real institutional expertise and clients that matter

How We Work

Collaborative, detail-oriented, and genuinely invested in doing things properly. The Preservation team works closely with some of the most significant archival institutions in the world, and the standard we hold ourselves to reflects that. You’ll be supported throughout, with clear escalation paths and a team that takes quality seriously.