St Paul's Cathedral - Project Archivist

Overview

The Collections Department works with care and imagination to be part of a centre for welcome, worship and learning which inspires successive generations to engage with the richness of the Christian faith and its heritage. We seek to engage and inspire the public; preserving the cathedral collections for successive generations and maximising their potential as a rich resource for exploring and promoting the life and work of the Cathedral and the heritage of the Christian faith.

The principal aims of the Collections Department are:

• To fulfil the Cathedral’s statutory obligations in relation to inventory keeping, conservation practice and collections management
• To support the working life of the Cathedral
• To use The Collections to engage the cathedral community
• To use The Collections to deliver public and social engagement
• To use The Collections to inspire a passion for St Paul’s.

Introduction

This role is required to undertake processing of Cathedral administrative records to professional archival standards. This will entail understanding and assessing non-current material against organisational and records retention requirements and the collecting remit of the Cathedral Archive, carrying out records assessment, appraisal, disposal and preservation decisions, as agreed, and creating collections information to aid findability. 

Main Responsibilities

• To finalise project programme, key deadlines and records assessment criteria with the Archivist & Records Manager. 
• To create detailed records lists by adding to existing lists. 
• To assess material in line with appropriate criteria and recommend appropriate disposal decisions for authorisation. 
• To ensure the secure and authorised destruction of records not selected for preservation as appropriate by following agreed procedures. 
• To undertake weeding of records in line with agreed criteria. 
• To create catalogue and name authority records, as required, for material identified for transfer to the Archive. 
• To re-house material identified for permanent preservation and make preservation recommendations, as required. 
• To provide regular updates on progress and advise the Archivist and Records Manager on different aspects of the project as required.  
• Any other appropriate duties that the line manager, senior management or Chapter may request from time-to-time.  

The Ideal Candidate

Essential

• Postgraduate qualification in archive administration (MA/Diploma Archives and Records Management or similar) with experience of archival work; OR substantial equivalent experience at a professional level 
• Experience of processing large volumes of paper material
• Good knowledge of GDPR, its associated legislation and its practical application in an archival context
• Good understanding of national and international archival standards and their practical application
• Understanding of the handling and preservation needs of modern records
• Good general IT skills and experience of specialist cataloguing software
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent organisational and time management skills and the ability to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage own workload as well as work as part of a team  

Desirable

• Experience of working with ecclesiastical and/or business archives 
• Experience of Adlib and/or Axiell Collections cataloguing software 

The individual will be:

• expected to share in St Paul’s Cathedral’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults
• expected to adhere to Cathedral Safeguarding Policies and willing to attend Safeguarding training and report any Safeguarding concerns through appropriate channels
• in sympathy with, and in their work support, the Christian aims and mission of St Paul’s Cathedral

About us

Introduction to working at St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral is a vibrant place of worship and mission, a national treasure and a London icon. It draws together in its ministry and daily life a very diverse range of activities and aspirations.  It is the Cathedral of the Diocese of London and the seat of its Bishop, a vibrant church and a national and international spiritual focus, a space for worship and holiness, a place of learning, debate and challenge, a national treasure, an icon of resilience in the face of adversity, an architectural heritage centre, a partner in the City of London, a visitor attraction and a commercial enterprise. In addition to offering acts of worship throughout the day, St Paul’s is open for prayer seven days a week and for sight-seeing six days a week.  

As a Christian church, St Paul’s seeks to preach and share the Gospel, yet is also ‘owned’ by many who would profess no Christian faith. 

Our Mission Statement 

At the heart of the Cathedral’s vision and strategy, is the mission ‘to enable people in all their diversity to encounter the transforming presence of God in Jesus Christ’. In addition, the Cathedral seeks constantly to engage with questions of how to express inclusion and diversity appropriately in its life and work. 

Our Purpose 

The Cathedral is a community of worship and mission with a particular role in supporting the Bishop of London in their work across the diocese and beyond.  We are above all a living Christian church, inspired by the love of God in Jesus Christ to offer welcome, prayer and learning.  Together, we are entrusted with the outstanding building and the iconic dome, the fruit of human skills offered to the glory of God. We will curate and fashion the building on behalf of current and future generations as a sign of hope for all.  We will bring together all our resources to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, shaping policy and attitudes to tackle social injustice, specifically in the area of young people’s mental health. 

Our Values 

Welcoming – We all offer a warm inclusive welcome to everyone: our colleagues, volunteers and each one of our visitors. 

Responsible – We are people of integrity, each responsible for part of the whole of the Cathedral’s work, looking after the Cathedral for the next generation. 

Engaging – We seek to engage everyone in our mission, at the Cathedral, within London and across the world.    

Nourishing – As a community we work together in a learning environment, aiming for the highest possible standards in everything we do whilst acknowledging that we cannot do everything. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

St Paul’s is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents our context and wider community. We are aware that those of United Kingdom Minority Ethnic / Global Majority Heritage, women, and disabled people are currently under-represented in our workforce, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase our representation.  

As mentioned above, St Paul’s mission is ‘to enable people in all their diversity to encounter the transforming presence of God in Jesus Christ’. This is reflected in a constant and intentional focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. Some significant milestones are: 

• Pantheon: 50 Voices – part of a major, multi-year project with York University to assess and respond to St Paul’s legacy of imperial and colonial monuments. 
• Gender Pay Equality – from our 2022 Financial Statements and Annual Report: 
• ‘The Cathedral continues its commitment to being a London Living Wage employer, with pay by gender fairly evenly split between male and females. However, as a result of the composition of the senior leadership team, women occupy just over 52% of the highest paid jobs but also just under 57% of the lowest paid jobs. The median hourly pay is 16% higher for women than men with women's mean hourly pay 3.3% higher than men.’ 
• St Paul’s Adult Learning – significant lecture and seminar series which features many national and international speakers, often dealing with issues of racial justice. 
• Music Partnerships – supported by the OBE Chapel Fund, St Paul’s provides choral outreach to 13 schools in the East End of London, including the Hackney Children’s Choir, as well as a range of partnerships with diocesan schools. 
• Canon with Responsibility for Racial Justice – appointment of The Revd Canon Adeola Eleyae as Non-Residentiary Canon with responsibility for Racial Justice, supporting Chapter’s engagement with recommendations of the Archbishop’s Commission for Racial Justice and London Diocese’s racial justice priority. 
• Girls Voices Project – following a decision by Chapter in March 2022 to introduce Girl Choristers on the same basis as the current Boy Choristers, a major project (’Girls Voices’) is fully underway. There are currently 5 probationer girls, with that number set to grow to 20+ by the time the boarding facility is opened in September 2025. This will make it the largest such choral foundation in the world.  
• New Music Festival – Under the direction of the Music Department, October 2023 saw a week-long festival of music composed by groups under-represented in our current repertoire. The mixture of new compositions (commissioned by St Paul’s) and first performances included those from women and Global Majority Heritage composers.