Programme Support Officer, Archives Accommodation Programme

Background 

The Parliamentary Archives is a shared service of both Houses of Parliament, based in the House of Lords but jointly funded by the House of Lords and House of Commons. It provides innovative and expert information management, preservation, access and outreach services enabling anyone in the world to use Parliament’s records, both now and in the future. It helps Parliament work more efficiently and openly, enabling it to make its decisions and act as effectively as possible.

Since 2014, Parliament has been considering options to improve the Archives’ accommodation, to support both Houses’ public engagement and heritage objectives, and to reduce risk to the collection. In January 2018, both Houses of Parliament voted for a full decant of the Palace of Westminster as the ‘best and most cost-effective way’ of enabling Restoration & Renewal (R&R).

The Archives Accommodation Programme (AAP) was formally re-initiated in 2018 and the programme team is now considering decant options for the Archives during R&R and for the longer-term future. 

The Pack & Track Project (PAT) is the first project within AAP and began work in January 2018. The team consists of a Project Manager, cataloguers and collection care assistants. With the support of Archives staff, the team are working to eliminate the Archives’ appraisal and cataloguing backlog, and to barcode and improve the packaging of all the records in the Victoria Tower, ready for a move before R&R begins. 

The Role 

This is a new position, which will provide support to the programme, and its projects, as it moves forward.  The role is an excellent opportunity for someone with good organisational skills and experience in administration or office management, and who is interested in gaining experience in a professional programme management environment.  Training in project and/or programme management methodology and tools will be offered.

The Person 

The successful candidate will have the following skills/experience: 

• Highly effective organisational skills with a methodical approach to work and an ability to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines.
• Focused with a strong attention to detail and proven ability to undertake tasks required to a high level of accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with the ability to present information clearly and concisely, and to adapt style appropriately for different audiences.
• Experience of developing effective working relationships with a wide range of people, both within own team and more widely across the organisation and externally.
• Ability to learn quickly and to use own initiative appropriately, seeking ways to improve office processes.

More information can be found on the job description.